We are continuing to work with slow repetitions to increase our time under tension. This, along with our lateral movements and our asymmetric movements, makes our workouts more challenging. Three rounds.
squat to leg lift | 30 |
slow flies | 20 |
kb ball up overhead press | 10 |
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(lunge) punches | 30 |
bench press | 20 |
lateral raise | 10 |
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overhead high knees | 30 |
kickbacks | 20 |
brains | 10 |
So I’m not going to go all “Stop spending on avocado toast and you can afford a house” on anyone. I am going to suggest a couple of ways to save money and promote health at the same time. Here are four:
1. Don’t meet for coffee. Meet your friends for a walk or jog or bike ride. It’s cheaper and better for us.
2. Eat your veggies. In season produce is cheaper than meat and we all need the vitamins and minerals in those fruits and veggies.
3. Drink water. From the tap. This might mean we have to plan ahead and bring water with us when we exercise or go places, but it’s cheaper and better for the environment. Even if we get all fancy and add a slice of lemon it’s still cheaper.
4. Skip the car trip. Try walking or biking or public transit to get where we’re going. Again, cheaper and better for the environment and better for our bodies to get a little bonus movement.
Go play.
Yesterday I posted about how working out doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. There are, however, some things where it is probably a good idea not to choose the cheapest or the free option.
First, anything that keeps us safe is worth spending the money on. Buy the helmet. Get the knee pads. Wear the supportive shoes. All of those things are much cheaper than visits to the emergency room.
Many gyms offer a free fitness evaluation and/or orientation session. (I, too, offer assessment and the first workout free.) It is a great idea for anyone new to exercise or anyone just getting back into the exercise habit. However, none of us is going to learn everything we need to know to work out by ourselves in a single session. Paying for a few personal training appointments can be a good investment because we learn a lot about form, about different workout approaches, and about what reasonable goals are for us.
After we’ve been working out a while, we can make better decisions about what equipment we might actually like to have. I rode my inexpensive mountain bike around town for a long time, but as I got into better shape, I realized I wanted a real road bike to get to the next level. Keeping an eye out at garage sales or searching the local Buy Nothing groups or shopping at used equipment stores can be a good way to get the stuff we want without spending way too much money.
One more pro tip: spend money on stuff that can be used in lots of ways. The infomercial gadget of the week may look spiffy, but a set of dumbbells is way more flexible and useful.
Go play.
Last week, I discussed time as an obstacle for workouts. Another of the most commonly cited reasons not to work out is money. Here’s the thing: while there are certainly lots of expensive ways to work out, there are also a lot of ways that are free or low-cost.
Cardio might be the easiest part of workouts to get for cheap. We all own shoes anyway, so it doesn’t cost extra to put them on and go for a brisk walk or a jog or a run. It might be nice to do our cardio in an air-conditioned gym, but it isn’t a requirement. Outside workouts also have the bonus of fresh air, sunlight, and some contact with nature.
When it comes to resistance training, our bodies are pretty much all the gym we need. My favorite exercise, the squat, works really well with just body weight. (If you are looking for a body weight circuit, check back through my Monday workout posts; there are a bunch to choose from!).
Similarly, stretching and balance work don’t require any additional spending. Sure, we can buy fancy straps if we want to, but we probably already own a belt that would work and I know we all have towels. When we work on balance, it’s nice to have a sturdy chair nearby or a countertop, but again, we already have those.
The internet offers gazillions of workouts that we can use. So does the library. As I mentioned above, I post a workout right here every Monday for anyone who likes to use it.
We can do this.
This week we’re adding a little more challenge to some exercises. Our usual step-ups get some added weight from dumbbells. Our single leg deadlift becomes harder when we have to balance and row at the same time. Slowing down our pushups makes them a lot more difficult. Of course, if these changes are not appropriate for your body, skip them! Three rounds.
step up with dbs | 30 |
1 leg deadlift row | 20 |
slow pushups | 10 |
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woodchoppers | 30 |
side lunges | 20 |
Arnold press | 10 |
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plank jacks | 30 |
renegade rows | 20 |
star plank | 10 |
Finding time to work out is challenging, but here are three places you might be able to find some and one place we don’t want to look.
1. Between the couch cushions. Ok, not really, but couch time is one of the easiest places to repurpose time. Do we really need to watch five episodes of that show? Maybe we could cut it down to four and do a workout.
2. Looking at you, Facebook/Insta/Whatever. We all love to scroll, but maybe we should spend some time doing stuff we want to post? Let’s show our friends that we’ve been to the gym.
3. Coffee. Not the drink, the activity. Of course we need to catch up with our friends, but we don’t have to do it sitting down. Meet up with buds for a walk or run or swim. It’s a good-for-us kind of multitasking.
Here’s the place we don’t want to take the time from: sleep. We need it to be healthy, good humans.
Yesterday I wrote about why working out is good time management. Today I want to talk about time management within our workouts.
When we consider all the things we’re supposed to fit into our workouts, it can be overwhelming. How are we supposed to get in cardio and weights and balance and flexibility and ever manage to leave the gym?
There are a couple of ways. One is that we plan to do different things on different days. Maybe we focus on cardio three days a week, weights on two, and flexibility and balance on one, leaving ourselves one rest day. That’s a workable system, but I have one I like better.
The most efficient way to hit all our fitness needs is by circuit training. By incorporating cardio intervals into a weight circuit that includes asymmetric exercises like single leg squats, we can get everything we need in about 45 minutes, leaving five to fifteen for stretching. This is the principle behind the workouts I post every Monday.
The beauty of a circuit is that it is infinitely adaptable. Those of us who need more balance work can do it. Those of us who want to build endurance can choose to do more reps with lighter weights. Cardio enthusiasts can add more intervals. Best of all, the easily-bored can change it up as often as we like.
Go play.
