Housercise! At-home Circuit Training Exercise for At-home Moms

by Chris Akard

I get plenty of requests for fitness stuff you can do at home. I have trained many moms in the last 11 years and they are some of the busiest people I know! I have designed a routine that is very time efficient and fitness effective. One of the best forms of exercise I have used for women is circuit training. With circuit training, you combine aerobic activity with resistance training. Now for the twist. We will incorporate housework into your workout. This is the time-efficient part and, yes, it is also effective if done at a proper intensity and within a circuit training routine.

There will be three types of stations or circuits in this workout:

1. Base Cardio moves increase the heart rate and burn fat.
2. Resistance Training moves and tones the muscle.
3. Housework keeps the heart rate up, muscles burning and cleans the house!

What you need:

• Regular house furniture: couch, table, chairs and so forth.
• Music that motivates you.
• Water.
• One to two stations of house cleaning ready to go. Have the vacuum out and plugged in or water and mop ready to go.

So, now you have the basic needs for your at-home circuit! Let's get started!

Consult a physician before starting this or any exercise program.

Base Cardio Move This base cardio move will be used to get the heart rate up and allow you to burn fat. Start out with small movements to get warmed up. After five to eight minutes, start to increase the height of your knees and the intensity of your arm movements. This is a basic aerobic move I've done in my aerobic classes.

Alternate Knees.
Perform movement in five- to eight-minute intervals.

You may choose the option of having a cardio exercise video going in its place.

Resistance Movements

Now it's time to tone the muscle. Refer to some of the past "Family Fitness" articles to add to your variety of movements. Here are two, not previously shown, that will bring the tone.

Modified Knee Push-ups Doing this exercise in the modified knee position will protect your back and still work the muscles very effectively. Keep your abdominals tight, your hips in a slightly piked position and your chest directly over your hands. This will work several muscles in the upper body.

Do this exercise until it burns, then go to the next circuit. If your form starts to lack control, it's time to move on.

Chair Tricep Dip This exercise will work the back side of your arm, the tricep. Make certain you have a stable chair that has its back against a wall so you don't fall. Keep your elbows in as much as possible. Ease into the movement, going down only partway. Increase your range of motion as you feel ready.

Do this exercise until it burns, then go to the next circuit. If your form starts to lack control, then it's time to move on.

NOTE: Add some of your favorite exercises to this routine.

Housework!

OK, I know this is the least exciting part of this routine, but it has to get done. Besides, it can be used as a great addition to your circuit training! You'll get in a workout, in addition to getting some housework done. If that doesn't leave you with a sense of accomplishment, I don't know what will! Now that I have you motivated, set up your stations. Whatever your chore, make it athletic. Keep your abdominals tight the entire time. Keep your knees bent. When we clean, all too often we do it in a lazy fashion. This is usually the reason the back starts to hurt. If you get support from the thigh and abdominal muscle, it will protect the back and work the desired area. Keep that music going!

I chose mopping as one of the housework exercises. Stay low to the ground. Keep abs tight, knees bent and move quickly. Complete the work for five to eight minutes, then to the next circuit. Circuit Pattern 8 min. - Base Aerobic Move 2 min. - Resistance Move 8 min. - Housework Move Repeat

You can mix up the routine, if you like. You will, of course, have to return to the housework station to get the job done. Just be sure to get a good five- to ten-minute warm-up before you start moving to different stations. Time will go fast with this workout. You can train up to an hour without even knowing it! You will burn fat and tone muscle. Get productive with housercise!

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