No more Excuses!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 50% of American adults do not engage in the required amount of physical activity for health benefits, and 25% of adults are not active at all. How can we (adults) expect our children to be active if we ourselves are not? Worse yet is they hear us make excuses not to exercise. How many people do you know that constantly make excuses for why they can’t exercise? Chances are you know at least one. Maybe you are one of them? I know at times I have been guilty of thinking up some lame excuses. But let’s get one thing straight … excuses are not reasons.

If you can spare 15 minutes, you can get in a workout without going to the gym or buying expensive exercise equipment. All that's required is space, comfortable clothing, and energetic enthusiasm. As soon as you’re finished with one round, then do the entire circuits again – try to fit in as many rounds as possible before the times up.  Since it is such a short workout, you’ve got to make every second count – keep the intensity high, resting briefly only as needed.

5 minutes
Do any cardiovascular exercise you want — walk, run, or bike. Or do 1 minute each of:

• High knees
• Jumping jacks
• Front kicks
• Burpees
• Running in place

4 minutes
Do 1 minute of:

Lunges or walking lunges

• Mountain climbers
• Repeat each

3 minutes
Do:

• 10 push-ups and then rest
• 15 tricep dips and then rest

Repeat for a total of 3 minutes

2 minutes
Do 30 seconds of:

• Regular squats
• Jump squats
• Repeat each

1 minute

• Plank

Source: Caitlin Murphy, fitness instructor, fitness/lifestyle reporter, blogger at www.fitfabcities.com