Fitness is pretty much a luxury for working mums – who has time for a full-blown workout? That said, there are moments during your day in which you may have the time for the odd move or two. According to wellness expert and busy mum Sarah Bregel, ‘On most days, for example, I spend a while in the kitchen waiting for things to bake or boil or for my picky eater to just get on with it! So it makes sense to burn a few extra calories during all the waiting and standing around, right?’ So here are some fat-blasting moves to help you take care of your wellbeing while you’re taking care of business.
1. Chair Dip: Bregel notes, ‘This tricep-sculpting move can be done using a chair or slightly raised surface, such as a sidewalk curb. Start seated on whichever surface you are using, hands at your sides. Keeping your elbows pulled in toward your body, press your feet into the ground and grip the edges of the chair or surface with your hands, leaving the rest of your body suspended. Use your arm strength to push your body up and then dip down toward the ground, bending your knees and elbows only. Repeat this for a set of 15.’
2. Lunge: ‘You don’t need anything for this move other than the weight of your own body,’ says Bregel. ‘Place your hands on your hips and take a big step out with your right foot, dropping your left knee to the ground. Then press off the front foot to come back to starting position. Repeat with the left foot, this time dropping your right knee to the ground. Keep alternating legs until you complete 15-20 lunges. Then try another set!’
3. Jumping Jack: Bregel asserts, ‘Simple and old school as it may seem, a jumping jack is still a great way to get your heart pumping. Make sure you have a little space for this one. Jump your feet out as wide as you can as you swing your arms up overhead. Jump feet back together, bringing your hands back down to your sides. Keep tension in your arms and legs…Keep jumping for about two minutes.’
4. Chair Pose: ‘This yoga-based move is great for sculpting legs and buns and even engages core muscles if done correctly,’ Bregel explains. ‘Bring your feet and knees tightly together. Keep drawing them in as you sink your butt down as if sitting in an invisible chair, and reach your arms up overhead. Tuck your tailbone in instead of arching your back to engage the muscles of your core and make this move more challenging. Hold the pose for 45 seconds to a minute.’
5. Counter Push-up: Bregel comments, ‘The kitchen counter is where this one gets done the most for me. It’s a great alternative to the standard push-up. Place your hands on a windowsill or counter, a little wider than shoulder width apart. Putting your weight into your arms, take a few steps back so that your body is on an angle. You should be on your toes, in an incline push-up position. Bend your elbows, bringing your body closer to the counter or surface, then straighten your arms and press your body away. If this is too challenging, take a step closer to take some of the weight off of your arms. Try two sets of 12.’
6. Calf Raises: Bregel instructs, ‘Position your hands flat on a counter or up against any wall. You are just using the surface to stabilise your body, so be sure not to lean in toward it. Come up onto your tip-toes as high as you can, then tap your heels to the ground. Come up and down like this quickly until fatigue. Trust me; it wont take more than about 30 seconds to feel this in your calves — and maybe even throughout your legs as whole.’