A routine you can do in less than 10 minutes

A few weeks ago one of my old friends reached out, looking for a place to start with her health and fitness routine. 

The thing is, like many people, she leads a pretty busy life. The mother of two small children, one of whom has special needs, she works long days Monday through Friday, and spends much of the weekend taking care of her kids. She walks where she can, but going to the gym three times a week just isn't a luxury she can afford right now. 

So we made an agreement, that she would give me 10 minutes, three times per week. And for the past two weeks, she's been giving that 10 minutes four times a week.

She's built a routine that she does as soon as she gets up, before she pees or brushes her teeth. (Ok, you can pee, because there are jumping jacks). 

 1. Bodyweight squats - 15 reps
2. Bodyweight split squats  - 8 reps per side (stand near a wall if necessary for balance, these can be very tricky in the beginning)
3. 25 Jumping jacks
4. Front plank - five breaths
5. 10 mountain climbers per leg

If you have knee trouble you can substitute the bodyweight split squats for elevated push ups, performing 10-12 reps. 

Time is precious. The one thing we're always looking for is more time, and I for one, have become very selfish with how I spend my time. Making time for a fitness routine can feel intimidating and daunting. Working out at home can be frustrating.

But in my friend's case, we were looking for something small that she can build on - and a few weeks in, she is doing the routine and feeling better. 

A large piece of coaching is solving problems for folks, and we know that the pervasive feeling of a lack of time is a big piece of that.