20 Minute Exercises

Yes, I love to exercise. No, I do not want to exercise for any longer than I have to. I do think there was a day, maybe college, where I would stay at the gym for an extended period, but not anymore. I have a lot to do and I need to get my workout in and get it done. Yes, 20-30 minutes is my usual time for working out. I spent 15 minutes exercising when that was all I had. When I am doing strength training exercises, I go for 20 minutes when I am alone. I don’t waste any time. I go straight from one exercise to another, like circuit training, unless I need water or to catch my breath. Intense, short, interval workouts like this will boost your metabolism, burn a bunch of calories, and strengthen your heart and lungs. It might take you time to build up to doing all of the exercises for more than one set, but that is okay. It will probably also take more than 20 minutes to start, and that is ok. It is about changing your habits and adding activity to your life. You do this 3 times a week and you will see your strength and stamina increase in the first month, but you have to be consistent. It won’t happen if you only do this once a week. You have to commit yourself and your health.

Just a side note…this is a family project and my kids love to help with taking pictures. We have lots of fun with it, which is one of my goals for this site, but photo quality is not at its best!

An example of a workout would be:

Squats with Overhead Press (15 reps)
15 Push Ups
20 Walking Lunges
20 Rows with Tubing
4 Sets of Stairs (in my house)

I would repeat this cycle 2 to 3 times. I always end with Side and Front Forearm Planks, Swimming and Stretching. We will talk more about these in another post.

If you are a beginner, it might take you longer than 20 minutes, because you will need breaks. You might only do the cycle once or twice. Listen to your body, especially if you are just starting. Start with one set of each exercise 3 times a week for 2 weeks. If you feel good, try 2 sets for the next 3 to 4 weeks. You can then progress to 3 sets if your body feels ready.

I recently wrote an article for “The Nest” titled “Top 10 Exercises to Do at Home“. The following descriptions of the squat, lunge, and push-up are from that article. Check out the article for more information.

Squat – There are many variations of the basic squat, and they all strengthen the big muscles in your legs. Start with your feet a little wider than hip distance. Take your time as you bend your knees and sit back, with your weight always in your heels. Let your bottom go only as low as your knees and keep your knees in alignment with your feet. Your knees should not turn in or out as you go down and up. Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes on the way up. The slower you go, the more you will feel.

Push-ups – Push-ups will strengthen your chest, arms, and abdominals. You can do these from your toes or your knees. Keep your abdominals pulled in throughout the push-up and feel their work. Lower down slowly as far as you can without letting your hips drop toward the floor, chest no lower than elbow height. Imagine that your body is in a straight line from the top of your head to your toes, or if you are on your knees, the imaginary line should go from your head to your knees. Push back to the starting position and do as much as you can, keeping good form. As push-ups become easier for you, add more repetitions. You can also do push-ups off the wall. Bring your feet away from the wall and perform the same exercise with your hands on the wall. Push-ups can be taken to an incline or decline by putting either your hands or feet up on a step.

Lunge – Any modification of the lunge is another exercise for strengthening and toning your leg muscles. Like the squat, good form is important to receive the benefits and avoid aggravating the knees. Start with your feet hip-distance apart and step back with one foot, slowly lowering into a lunge. Don’t let your front knee go past your front toes, and take your back knee straight toward the floor without actually touching it. Keep your eyes looking forward, pushing into the front heel, and pull your abdominals in as you come back up. Repeat on the other side, alternating legs until you challenge the muscles and begin to feel fatigued. You can turn this exercise into a walking lunge by taking the lunge forward and alternating legs. To make it less challenging, start with just a standing lunge on only one side, without moving either foot until your legs begin to feel fatigued, and then switch sides.