This year the holiday season might not feel like it used to, but this remains the same—the only thing we still wish we had more of, other than cash to buy our kids the new Playstation—is time.
And what’s the one thing that we tend to put on the backburner when we don’t have enough time (even though we know it’s good for us)? Yep, you guessed it…exercise.
Working out is one thing on our to-do list that shouldn’t be negotiable. So, I propose a challenge. I want you to wake up 10 minutes earlier and do this quick and effective multi-tasking workout.
That’s it…only 10 minutes.
I have six poses that will take only 10 minutes if you do 12 reps of each twice—once on each side for the first four and two rounds of each for the plank and bridge variations.
You’ll sculpt all your major muscles and get your heart rate up at the same time. How’s that for the perfect holiday sweatfest?
10-MINUTE, TOTAL BODY YOGA ROUTINE
Moving Lunge Pull Down
- Stand at the top of your mat, palms face in at your shoulders
- Press your left foot down and lift your right knee in toward your chest as you raise your arms overhead
- Step back into a lunge with your right foot as you pull your elbows down and bring the weights toward your shoulders
- Engage your core and lift your right knee back in towards your chest as you lift the weights back overhead
Do 12 reps on each leg
Twisting Lunge
- Step your right foot back into a lunge
- Bring your weights out in front of you, either with straight arms or elbows bent and weights into chest
- Twist toward your left, rotating your torso so the weights are in line with your left hip, shoulder height
- Twist back to center
Do 12 reps on each side, twisting toward front leg
Triangle Press-up
- Widen your feet about four feet apart, with your right toes at 12 o’clock and your left toes at 9 o’clock
- Lower your right weight down over your front leg
- Raise and straighten the left arm up so that the weight is over your shoulder, forming a T as you lean sideways
- Come back up and bring the left weight back to your shoulder
Do 12 reps on each side
Gate Overhead Press
- Come into gate pose with your left knee bent on the mat and your right leg stretched out the side
- Start with your shoulders over your hips, crown of the head reaching toward the ceiling
- Let your left hand hang by your left hip and bring your right weight to your shoulder, elbow bent
- Lean to your left and stretch from your right hip to the right wrist as you bring your right weight over toward the left
- Come back to center with the right weight at your shoulder
Do 12 reps on each side
Plank Row
- Start in plank with your hands on the weights under your shoulders (to modify, bring knees to the floor)
- Press through your heels, reach through the crown of the head and engage your core
- Keep your shoulders and hips parallel to the mat and lift the right weight up toward your rib cage
- Release the weight back under the shoulder
- Alternate arms
Do 12 reps // Repeat 2X
Bridge Lift with Chest Press
- Lie on your back in bridge pose with your feet hip-distance apart, ankles under your knees
- Bring your arms out into a T, palms face up
- Bring the weights together over your chest as you lift your hips up in line with your knees
- Lower the weights back into a T as you drop the hips
Do 12 reps // Repeat 2X