Welcome back to the next article. I hope by now you have established a set of rituals that can help you SNAP into action from the first second you hop out of bed, and hopefully, you have a glass of water near you so you can have a drink whenever you think about it and this has enabled you to stay focused and stay mentally strong throughout the day.
On to the topic of this month’s article “I don’t have the time or energy to train” as you can imagine I get this excuse multiple a week from people that are in both high-powered jobs all the way through to stay-at-home parents. For the sake of this post, I will stick to high-powered people. I understand you have a lot on your plate and your days may be long and stressful you feel your energy fading towards the end of the day, and this is without having a training session on top of everything else.
As I think I have mentioned before energy is one of the rare things that the more you use, the more you get. This is unlike money, food or just about anything else where the more you use the less you have. This does come with a side note though. It will take a few weeks of being uncomfortable and feeling tired, but you didn’t get to where you are by taking the easy option.
This is for long-term gains in energy and therefore long-term gains in performance at work. I will share a few benefits before I give you a few simple exercise programs that can be done just about anywhere, and given time you will feel and look better which can only have a positive impact on your performance.
When it comes to the time factor I have basically taken this completely out of the equation as these sessions can be done at home and can be done in 20-30 minutes, with no equipment or gym necessary.
First and foremost if you haven’t exercised in a while, or haven’t been to the doctor for a check-up, please go and get a physical done. You won’t be helping yourself or your business if you aren’t healthy and mobile, and if there are any underlying issues this is the perfect time to get everything in order.
With all of these sessions, it is up to you how far you can push yourself. Particularly if you haven’t done anything in quite a while I suggest you start off slowly and gradually build. Even if you feel you can go fast, or do more reps please hold back. I have seen it all too often. People come to the gym for the first time in a while and they load up the plates and rep it out.
They feel good and after the session, they are excited about how well they did and how good they feel, only for me to not see them for a week or two, if ever. When I get in contact with these people they all say very similar things. “I woke up like I was hit by a bus” “I couldn’t walk properly for days” “My body is killing me, I can barely move”.
So please don’t be those people. If you haven’t trained for a while ease into it
This session is going to be simple. It will be an entire body session and will write a brief description of each exercise here, so I will just have the names of each exercise in the program.
This program is to be done as a circuit that is where you go through every exercise one after the other, before having a small rest, then completing 2, 3, or 4 laps.
Chair Squats:
Here we have the chair behind you so if you can’t get back up or lose balance you will end up sitting in the chair. It is also to use as a guideline so your butt touches the seat each time. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and for balance purposes have your arms straight out in front with your palms facing down. The start of the movement is to stick your bum out the back and start to bend your knees, then control your descent till you lightly touch the chair with your bum, then return in a controlled manner to the starting position.
Common mistakes:
Having your knees not track correctly. This occurs mostly with the first movement when moving from sitting to standing. To fix this be aware of where your knees are pointing and as a good rule, they should be pointing in the same direction as your toes. Heels lifting off the ground. This may be due to poor ankle mobility or your hips moving forward instead of breaking back at the initial stage of the descent. Bending your torso too far forward. This comes down to confidence in the movement and your balance.
Push Ups:
Start off with your hands under your shoulders, your body in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees or toes (Whatever is on the ground). As you lower your chest to the ground get your elbows coming roughly 45 degrees back (creating an arrowhead). If you flair your elbows out you will put extra strain on your shoulders. From the bottom, point raise your body back to the starting position and squeeze your chest.
Common Mistakes:
The main mistakes with push-ups are the dropping or raising of the hips. Try to keep a straight line from your shoulders, through your hips, to your knees or toes (whatever is on the ground).
Crunches:
Lay down on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet flat on the ground. Start with your hands resting on your thighs. Raise your chest and head off the ground to get your wrist to your knees (or fingers to start off with). Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.
Back Extensions:
Lay your belly down with your legs out straight. Place your hands under your chin and your elbows flared out. Raise your chest off the ground and keep your hands connected to your chin. (Your feet may lift off the ground). Return to the starting position. Remember to breathe throughout the session, as most people forget to breathe particularly when they are starting something new.