No worries. You really don’t need a gym membership to get/keep in shape.
Here’s a quick workout you can add to a walk around the park:
- 40 lunges (make sure your knee doesn’t pass your toe…same goes for the squats)
- 30 squats
- 20 calf raises (up on your tip toes then almost back down)
- 15 big backward leg circles (15 per leg) …keep your body upright and tummy squeezed
Do this set at the beginning of your walk and then again near the end. Add 50-100 sit ups at some point during the day…playing with your babe on the floor, right before you get into the shower, right after you put the kids down for a nap (and before you jump in bed for yours!). The point is you can work the exercises into your day and it doesn’t take long.
You are so right, you don’t need an expensive gym membership to workout. That being said, you must be very careful that you’re doing these exercises the right way, in order to ensure to avoid injury. The lower body workout you describe here is very good, but when doing any ab workout, be sure to put your body in an unstable environment, meaning have your legs higher than your upper body, as this works more muscles and gives you better results. It also burns more calories this way, so you’re getting much more bang for your buck, and avoiding any injury to your back.
By: mattmahowald on February 10, 2009
at 4:52 pm
You’re absolutely right that you want to do the exercises properly…a few things to keep in mind:
- don’t over-extend any joint
- keep your tailbone tucked in (think of pulling your belly button into your spine and tucking your tailbone under)….this applies to abs too. While lifting your legs is great if your abs are strong enough for it…when you’ve just had a baby…you want to be careful not to overdo it. Nothing for six weeks for sure. Then check with your doctor. If your tummy muscles have split (diastisis recti), you actually want to avoid all crunches.
By: Sandra on February 10, 2009
at 5:44 pm