No time to work out?

You may think you have no time to work out – but no matter how full your schedule, these simple strategies will help you stay in shape.

The challenge
Sue is a 28-year-old social worker who lives on her own in a complex in Lonehill, Johannesburg. She is always busy, always on the go, eats on the run and has little time or energy for exercise. “Sue’s first challenge is finding time to exercise. Secondly, she needs to understand that when achieving fitness results, 50% of your results are based on your output (exercise) and 50% rely on what you take in (correct nutrition),” says specialist biokineticist Tiaan Campher, of the Sports Science Institute of SA.

The solution

Eat right
It’s important to develop healthy eating habits to tackle fitness from all angles. If you constantly eat on the run, stock your cupboards with healthy snacks — if it isn’t in the cupboard, you can’t eat it! This will prevent you taking the easy (unhealthy) way out when it comes to nutrition.

Exercise time
You don’t have to spend hours at the gym to achieve optimum fitness. With the right training techniques and with minimal equipment, you can achieve the same results in half the time — and you don’t have to set foot in the gym. Combine super-sets with short bursts of high intensity cardiovascular work to get a shorter but high-intensity, full-body workout.

THE WORKOUT

Equipment needed 1. Skipping rope or small step 2. Small set of dumbbells (2kg or 3kg) 3. Swiss ball

The warm-up (3 min) Easy jogging on the spot: 60 sec, butt kicking (kick each leg back hard): 30 sec; knee lifts: 30 sec; skipping 60 sec.

The exercises Perform the repetitions of each exercise, followed by 1 minute of cardiovascular work. Don’t rest until the end!

1 > Swiss ball push-up
15 reps
1 min skipping

2 > Swiss ball one arm row
15 reps on each side
1 min side-to-side jumping over a rope

3 > Lunge with a twist
20 reps — 10 on each side
1 min stepping up and down

4 > Swiss ball plank with oscillating arms
20 reps
1 min stepping up & down

5 > Squat with shoulder flexion & calf raise
15 reps
1 min skipping

This super-set should take between 8–10 min. After the last session of skipping, rest for 1–2 min, then repeat the whole sequence. Do this workout 2–3 times a week with a rest day in between.

To finish Cool down with calf, hamstring, quad, and lower back stretches, hold each for 30 seconds.
Total workout time 30 min
Adding variation For best results, do 20–30 min cardiovascular work on your in-between days: 20–30 minutes of running, cycling, or swimming.1 > SWISS BALL PUSH-UP

Position yourself with your back and legs straight, hands under shoulders pointing forward, and knees and quadriceps resting on the ball in the start position.
Begin by pushing yourself up away from the floor, fully extending the elbows and using the top of your feet on the ball as the pivot point.
Pause in the upper position, then slowly lower yourself back to a 90-degree bend at the elbow, before repeating the push upward.

Strengthens Chest, triceps, shoulder and core muscles.
Tips Keep your upper body in a straight line. If your back starts to arch or if you begin to feel lower back discomfort, stop. (This is usually a sign that your abdominals are weakening.) Do not lock your elbows when your arms are extended.

2 > SWISS BALL ONE-ARM ROW

Position yourself with one knee and hand on the ball, the other foot on the ground. Keep the supporting knee slightly bent. Pick up dumbbell from floor with free hand.
Draw in your belly button to activate your core. While keeping proper alignment, with a stabilising foot on the ground, a straight back, shoulder blades down, and chin tucked in, lift the dumbbell in a vertical line. Pause and slowly return to the starting position.

Strengthens Back, biceps and core.

3 > LUNGE WITH A TWIST

Stand with hands in front of the body, holding a 2kg medicine ball. Draw your belly button inward towards your spine, step forward, slowly bending at the hips, knees and ankles. Slowly rotate at the spine away from the lead leg. Use your hip and thigh muscles to push yourself back up to take the next step. As you lift your body, rotate your spine back to the starting position.

Strengthens Buttocks, glutes, quads and core muscles. Also improves ankle stability and balance.

4 > SWISS BALL PLANK WITH OSCILLATING ARMS

Start with your elbows (in a bent position) on the Swiss ball. Draw your lower abdomen inward towards your spine, and straighten your body so that the only points of support would be your toes on the floor and elbows and forearms on the ball.
While maintaining the abdominal contraction, slowly move your elbows forward and backward on the ball.
Your spine should be in a neutral position and buttocks should remain tight. Also remember to keep your chin tucked in. Your aim is to move the arms forward and backward 20 times. (Do less if you can’t hold the “plank” position — form is more important than the number of reps).

Strengthens Core, and aids shoulder stability.

5 > CALF-RAISE SQUAT

Begin with the feet shoulder width apart, looking straight ahead, holding a medicine ball. Squat down to a comfortable height, maintaining the same arm position. Slowly stand up, at the same time lifting the medicine ball above your head. In this position, reach up with the entire body as much as is comfortable, squeezing your calf muscles. Lower slowly and repeat.

Strengthens Quads, glutes, calves, shoulders. Also good for posture and balance.

Tip Start with a light medicine ball or dumbbells and perfect the movement before adding more load.