It’s suddenly fall and there’s nothing we can do about it. If you’re anything like me, these darker mornings are messing up your morning workout and making just getting to work on time more difficult.
I’m just a little over a month away from my wedding – can you believe it? Me neither. So the workouts at this point are pivotal, not because I’m trying to shred to wed, but because there’s a lot of stuff happening to turn this list of vendors into a party. Some may even call it stressful.
The thing about stress is that it makes you crazy. In my experience, crazy people aren’t super fun to be around – unless we’re talking about “your crazy cousin Jen who always gets the party started.” That’s different. So, I’m managing what could be stress by making sure I fit a good sweat in most days of the week.
But weddings aren’t the only thing that could stress you out – crazy co-workers, bosses who can’t communicate, ridiculous deadlines – these things are in all of our lives, but it’s important to manage your stress to keep your body from feeling its repercussions. Chronic stress puts your immune system at risk and makes you more susceptible to catching that guy’s cold who sits 10 feet away from you in your open floor plan.
So put on those workout clothes and get your week out of your system. After all, working out helps you to relieve stress and relax.
This ladder workout shouldn’t take you longer than 30 minutes. What’s a ladder workout? Glad you asked. You’re going to work you way up in reps, like you’re climbing a ladder of reps. First you’ll do each exercise 10 times (10 squat jacks, then 10 push-ups, then 10 right lunges, then 10 left lunges, then 10 v-ups and finish with 10 triceps dips), then you’ll do each exercise 20 times, then 30 times, etc.
As you get into the higher numbers, you may need to stop and take a break in the middle of your set – thats ok – take your break and then come back to your exercise.
To make this extra fun, you can use this Spotify Playlist to push through the workout.
Squat jacks: this exercise is a combo squat and jumping jack. You’ll stay nice and low in your squat while jumping out to a jumping jack and back in to a squat.
Push-ups: Make these incline push-ups by using a chair
Lunge with back foot on a chair: Using a chair that’s roughly the height of your knee, place your back foot on the chair and lunge. Same rules apply to this as normal lunges, keep your front knee from tracking over your toes.
V-ups: You can scale this move by placing your hands behind your hips to give yourself added support. You can also bend your knees and bring your knees towards your chest rather than keeping your legs straight.
Triceps dips: Work your triceps by lifting and lowering your bodyweight.
(Disclaimer: This workout is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor is it a replacement for seeking medical treatment or professional nutrition advice. Do not start any nutrition or physical activity program without first consulting your physician.)
