Today’s blog is intended to inspire you to not only get up and move, but to move smarter, not harder. If you are anything like us, the time change messed with our typical daylight workout times, the rain threw us for another loop, Tahoe is snowed in, and it feels like we’re holed up inside and can’t move. But moving is essential; humans are made to move. We can’t let a little weather and stress get in the way of maintaining a basic, regular approach to movement! Read on as today we give you quick hits and inspiration to change up your fitness routine – keeping it fun and efficient!

With that in mind, today, we are providing two quick examples of a workout that will generally take you less than 20 minutes with a warm up and cool down. Do not forget about your warm up and cool down! If you do the circuit more quickly, you will build in some cardiovascular challenge, but even taken at a slower pace, these exercises are designed to give you a lot of bang for your buck.

At Beacon Physical Therapy, we talk a lot about functional movement – exercise that is designed to keep you moving in a way that is supportive of your daily needs and activities. Typically, functional exercise will involve major muscle groups like the glutes or quadriceps, and will seem like movements you do on a daily basis just to perform your activities of daily living (e.g., squats mimic getting out of a chair). These types of movements are typically safe to perform for most people, and necessary to keep us moving throughout our life!

Take a look at what we have here and let us know how it goes! The only equipment you need is a light to medium resistance band, and if you don’t have that, come in and we’ll give you one, or you don’t even need one.

Workout 1

Step ups – 3 sets of 12 repetitions

Push ups – 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Side lunges – 3 sets of 12 repetitions on each side

Half Kneeling Upward Chops 3 sets of 15 repetitions on each side; can be done without a resistance band or use a light weight like a water bottle.

Workout 2

Squats – 3 sets of 12 repetitions; modification

“Y” Exercise in Sitting and Standing – 3 sets of 12 repetitions; can be done without a resistance band

Back Lunge w/ Rotation – 3 sets of 12 repetitions on each side; modification

Pallof Press – 3 sets of 10 repetitions, holding each repetition for 3-5 seconds; can be done with a partner resisting at the hands or gently push your hands against a wall.

At Beacon PT, we aim to keep you doing the things you love to do. If you need any advice on exercise routines or modifying things to suit your specific needs, come in for a visit.