30-Day At-Home "Jump-Start Your Exercise" Challenge

Need to get started with some kind of exercise routine?

Been wanting to exercise but don't know where to begin?

This 30-Day At-Home Exercise Challenge is for YOU!

All you need is 15-20 minutes per day and a desire to get up and move. This is a beginner level challenge, with workouts that include a mix of cardio and strength training. If you want more of a challenge, add some weights or do more sets. At the end of 30 days, you'll feel better and look better. More importantly, you'll want to do more to continue your journey to better health. What are you waiting for? Let's get started!

Click on the link to see how to do the exercise. You can modify as needed, and many of the links suggest modifications. I have Day 4 as the one day off for the week, but you can choose whatever day you want to be your day off. Feel free to mix up the exercises or the days, but don't cheat! Challenge yourself - you'll be glad you did. Have fun!

WEEK ONE - Let's Get Started

Day 1: 25 jumping jacks, 5 push-ups, 10 crunches, 10 standing static lunges (each leg; with or without hand weights), 10 squats (4 rounds)

Day 2: 5 frog jumps, 15-30-second plank, 15-30-second side plank (both sides), 10 walking lunges  (4 rounds)

Day 3: 20-30 seconds mountain climbers, 5 push-ups, 8 sit-ups, 20 bridge lifts (4 rounds)

Day 4: Rest Day!

Day 5: 25 jumping jacks, 8 push-ups, 12 crunches, 10 rear lunges each leg, 10 squats (4 rounds)

Day 6: 5 burpees, 15-30-second plank, 30-second side plank (both sides), 10 side lunges each leg (4 rounds)

Day 7 - WEEKLY CHALLENGE: 10 frog jumps, 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups  (How many rounds can you do in 10 minutes?)

WEEK TWO - Upping the Ante (a little)

Day 8: 35 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 15 crunches, 15 standing static lunges (each leg; with or without hand weights), 15 squats (4 rounds)

Day 9: 8 frog jumps, 30-second plank, 30-second side plank (both sides), 20 walking lunges  (4 rounds)

Day 10: 30 seconds mountain climbers, 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 20 bridge lifts (4 rounds)

Day 11: Rest Day!

Day 12: 35 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 15 crunches, 15 rear lunges each leg, 15 squats (4 rounds)

Day 13: 8 burpees, 30-second plank, 30-second side plank (both sides), 15 side lunges each leg (4 rounds)

Day 14 - WEEKLY CHALLENGE: 10 frog jumps, 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups  (How many rounds can you do in 10 minutes? Compare with last week's results.)

WEEK THREE - Keeping It Going

Day 15: 50 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 15 crunches, 15 standing static lunges (each leg; with or without hand weights), 15 squats (5 rounds)

Day 16: 10 frog jumps, 30-second plank, 30-second side plank (both sides), 20 walking lunges  (5 rounds)

Day 17: 30 seconds mountain climbers, 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 20 bridge lifts (5 rounds)

Day 18: Rest Day!

Day 19: 50 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 15 crunches, 15 rear lunges each leg, 15 squats (5 rounds)

Day 20: 10 burpees, 45-second plank, 45-second side plank (both sides), 15 side lunges each leg (5 rounds)

Day 21 - WEEKLY CHALLENGE: 10 frog jumps, 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups  (How many rounds can you do in 10 minutes? Compare with last week's results.)

WEEK FOUR - Home Stretch

Day 22: 50 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 15 crunches, 20 standing static lunges (each leg; with or without hand weights), 20 squats (5 rounds)

Day 23: 10 frog jumps, 45-second plank, 45-second side plank (both sides), 20 walking lunges  (5 rounds)

Day 24: 45 seconds mountain climbers, 10 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, 25 bridge lifts (5 rounds)

Day 25: Rest Day!

Day 26: 50 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 15 crunches, 20 rear lunges each leg, 20 squats (5 rounds)

Day 27: 10 burpees, 60-second plank, 60-second side plank (both sides), 20 side lunges each leg (5 rounds)

Day 28 - WEEKLY CHALLENGE: 10 frog jumps, 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups  (How many rounds can you do in 10 minutes? Compare with last week's results.)

LAST TWO DAYS - You can do it!

Day 29: 50 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 20 crunches, 20 lunges of your choice (each leg; with or without hand weights) (5 rounds)

Day 30: 10 burpees, 60-second plank, 60-second side plank (both sides), 25 squats (5 rounds)

CONGRATULATIONS - YOU DID IT!

So, what's next? 

If you are up for a bigger challenge, check out my 30-Day At-Home Cardio & CrossFit Challenge.

Disclaimer: I am not a physical fitness expert; just a woman who is trying to stay in shape and encourage others to do the same. Know yourself and your limits and don't do something if it doesn't feel right.

Mighty Mamas

With a little one at home, I have found lots of excuses for not exercising on a regular basis. A couple of months ago, a friend put a link to a 30 Day At-Home CrossFit Challenge (http://cleaneatsinthezoo.com). I found that the exercises were challenging, but relatively easy to accomplish. The daily workouts only took 5-10 minutes and could be done with a preschooler jumping all around - now that's my kind of exercise!

However, after completing the 30 days, I realized that I hadn't really done much in the way of sustained aerobic exercise for a month. So I decided to up the ante and begin another 30 Day Challenge. The Clean Eats at the Zoo blog has a 'Level 2' challenge that I plan to follow and add to it a daily cardio challenge. In addition, I recently have teamed up with 3 other women to participate in Kennewick's first annual "Guts N' Glory Dash" (www.gutsnglorydash.com), one of these 5K mud runs that are getting so popular around the country, on September 29th, 2012. Our team is called "Mighty Mamas".

So, I will coordinate my 30 Day At-Home CrossFit and Cardio Challenge with the race date and begin on August 27th (with a couple of extra days for good measure). See the complete list of workouts on the post labeled "Cardio/CrossFit Challenge"  so you can join in on the fun!

We did it!

With some cute costumes designed by two of my creative teammates, we looked good and had a blast running the Guts N' Glory Dash. My "Mighty Mamas" teammates are upbeat, positive, energetic women who made me glad that I ran this as a team rather than on my own. I love that these type of events draw all kinds of people - from the super-fit to the super-funny - and makes exercising FUN! I would definitely do it again.

30-Day At-Home Cardio & CrossFit Challenge

• Are you ready to get back into a habit of exercise? 
• Do you just need to mix up your same old workout routine? 
• Are you looking for a way to get into shape at home?

This 30-Day At-Home Cardio and CrossFit Challenge is for YOU!

With a little one at home, I have found lots of excuses for not exercising on a regular basis. When a friend shared a link to a 30 Day At-Home CrossFit Challenge (http://cleaneatsinthezoo.com). I found that the exercises were challenging, but relatively easy to accomplish. The daily workouts only took 5-10 minutes and could be done with a preschooler jumping all around - now that's my kind of exercise!  However, after completing the 30 days, I realized that I hadn't really done much in the way of sustained aerobic exercise for a month. So I decided to add a daily cardio challenge. The resulting 30 days of workouts are posted here.

Click on the highlighted exercises to see how to do them. Feel free to modify, add, delete, or change the order of exercises or days to suit your needs.

Remember, it doesn't matter how fast you go, just as long as you do it! As a friend once said, "Only exercise on the days you want to be happy." And in just 30 days, you'll be stronger and faster than you are today. Have fun!

WEEK ONE

Day 1 Cardio: Run 2 miles (jog or speed walk depending on your current fitness level)
Day 1 CrossFit: 20 walking lunges, 10 push-ups, 25 jumping jacks (4 rounds)

Day 2 Cardio: Bike 5 miles
Day 2 CrossFit: 10 burpees, 1 minute  plank, 1 minute side plank (both sides) (3 rounds)

Day 3 Cardio: Run 2 miles
Day 3 CrossFit: 25 air squats, 10 sit-ups (4 rounds)

Day 4: Rest Day!

Day 5 Cardio: Run 3 miles
Day 5 CrossFit: 10 walking lunges, 5 push-ups, 10 sit-ups (5 rounds)

Day 6 Cardio: Your pick - easy run, bike, hike, swim, or paddle for at least 30 minutes
Day 6 CrossFit: 10 vertical jumps (crouch down, then jump up as high as you can with arms to the sky), 1 minute  plank, 1 minute side plank (both sides) (4 rounds)

Day 7 Cardio: Your pick - easy run, bike, hike, swim, or paddle for at least 30 minutes
Day 7 CrossFit: 25 air squats, 10 push-ups (4 rounds)

WEEK TWO

Day 8 Cardio: Run 3 miles
Day 8 CrossFit:10 burpees, 1 minute  plank, 1 minute side plank (both sides) (3 rounds)

Day 9 Cardio: Bike 5 miles
Day 9 CrossFit: 5 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 15 air squats (Do as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes, taking breaks between sets if needed)

Day 10 Cardio: Run 3 miles
Day 10 CrossFit: 20 walking lunges, 50 jumping jacks (4 rounds)

Day 11: Rest Day!

Day 12 Cardio: Run 4 miles
Day 12 CrossFit: 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups (4 rounds)


Day 13 Cardio: Your pick - easy run, bike, hike, swim, or paddle for at least 30 minutes
Day 13 CrossFit: 10 vertical jumps (crouch down, then jump up as high as you can with arms to the sky), 1 minute  plank, 1 minute side plank (both sides) (5 rounds)

Day 14 Cardio: Your pick - easy run, bike, hike, swim, or paddle for at least 30 minutes
Day 14 CrossFit: 25 air squats, 10 push-ups (5 rounds)

WEEK THREE

Day 15 Cardio: Run 4 miles
Day 15 CrossFit: 15 burpees, 1 minute  plank, 1 minute side plank (both sides) (3 rounds)

Day 16 Cardio: Bike 5 miles
Day 16 CrossFit: 5 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 15 air squats (Do as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes, taking breaks between sets if needed)

Day 17 Cardio: Run 3 miles
Day 17 CrossFit: 30 walking lunges, 50 jumping jacks (4 rounds)

Day 18: Rest Day!

Day 19 Cardio: Run 4 miles
Day 19 CrossFit: 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups (5 rounds)

Day 20 Cardio: Your pick - easy run, bike, hike, swim, or paddle for at least 30 minutes
Day 20 CrossFit: 15 vertical jumps (crouch down, then jump up as high as you can with arms to the sky), 1 minute  plank, 1 minute side plank (both sides) (5 rounds)

Day 21 Cardio: Run 1 mile, for time, followed by 100 jumping jacks
Day 21 CrossFit: 30 air squats, 10 push-ups (5 rounds)

WEEK FOUR

Day 22 Cardio: Run 3 miles
Day 22 CrossFit: 15-20 burpees, 60-90 second  plank,  60-90 second side plank (both sides) (3 rounds)

Day 23 Cardio: Bike or Hike for 45-60 minutes
Day 23 CrossFit: 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 15 air squats (Do as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes, taking breaks between sets if needed)

Day 24 Cardio: Run 4 miles
Day 24 CrossFit: 20 Forward Leaps (jump as far as you can with both feet) (4 rounds)

Day 25: Rest Day!

Day 26 Cardio: Run (or speed walk) 5 miles
Day 26 CrossFit: 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups (5 rounds)

Day 27 Cardio: Your pick - easy run, bike, hike, swim, or paddle for at least 30 minutes
Day 27 CrossFit: 15 vertical jumps (crouch down, then jump up as high as you can with arms to the sky), 1 minute  plank, 1 minute side plank (both sides) (5 rounds)

Day 28 Cardio: Run 1 mile, for time, followed by 100 jumping jacks
Day 28 CrossFit: 30 walking lunges, 10 push-ups (5 rounds)

FINAL 2 DAYS

Day 29 Cardio: Run 4 miles
Day 29 CrossFit:10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 15 air squats (Do as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes, taking breaks between sets if needed)

Day 30 Cardio: The final CrossFit workout is also a great cardio workout!

Day 30 CrossFit: The final workout will be a combination of the various CrossFit exercises. 20 walking lunges, 10 push-ups, 25 jumping jacks, 20 air squats, 15 sit-ups, 10 vertical jumps, 1 minute plank, 10 burpees (5 rounds)

Congratulations!

(What's next?)

Disclaimer: I am not a physical fitness expert; just a woman who is trying to stay in shape and encourage others to do the same. Know yourself and your limits and don't do something if it doesn't feel right.

Handstand

I am thin.

I am strong.

I am not an athlete.

I can paddle a canoe.

I can hike.

I cannot do a handstand.

I am insecure.

I am lazy.

I am not a couch potato.

I can walk.

I can run.

I cannot do a handstand.

I am flexible.

I am open.

I am not a gymnast.

I cannot do a backbend.

I cannot do a double flip.

But I can do a handstand.

Still Smiling

When my two front teeth grew in, they were big. I have no memories of other kids teasing me or calling me rabbit-inspired nicknames. However, with my new front teeth and a "pixie" haircut that my mother swears was in style in the early 70's, my second grade school picture leaves something to be desired. Although my chompers were big, they came in straight and worked well for their intended function and I loved to smile.

On the Friday morning before Valentine's Day when I was a junior in high school, I took a shower upstairs. I dressed in school colors. In stocking feet, I picked up my boom box (the kind that had detachable speakers) in one hand and my pajamas in my other and headed back to my room. On the third step, I slipped and fell. I landed on my butt and thuded down a couple more stairs. My pj's and radio were still in my hands, but one of the speakers was detached. I felt no pain, but my tongue felt a big hole where my front right tooth should be. Needless to say, I screamed. My mom came running to discover what had happened. Then my little brother came. His job was to look for my missing tooth. Below were I sat holwing, there were about five more stairs, a landing, and then four more stairs going both to the right and to the left. After about two long minutes of frantic searching, I heard my brother say, "Oh my God, is this it?!" as he held up an impossibly long white object. Indeed it was. A tooth with its root intact is surprising long, especially one of my big front teeth. My mom wrapped the tooth in a wet cloth and I held another one to my bloody gums. Dad came home to help. He called a family friend who was an excellent dentist at his home as it was before office hours. He agreed to meet us at his office, where he successfully placed the tooth back in its socket. He performed a root canal and sent me on my way, with the warning that I had probably a twenty percent chance of keeping it.

Over the years, the tooth turned a little gray. I finished high school, college, graduate school, moved out west, got married; and still the tooth remained. My current dentist has kept a careful watch and has improved the look of the tooth using composite material. Still, it's big and I have an overbite with extra space between my top teeth. I secretly wished that my teeth had come in crooked so I would have had braces to fix them long ago. As an adult, I never wanted to spend the money and I was used to the way I looked. I still loved to smile.

On last Thanksgiving morning, the gums around my tooth were sore and swollen. I waited until my dental cleaning the following Friday, but the gums were still irritated. I asked the dentist to take another look at my tooth. Comparing x-rays taken over the past many years, he repeated his assertion made four years earlier that the bone was resorbing and the tooth was not being held in very tightly. He pointed to the lack of supporting structure on the x-ray and showed how it has diminished over time. He recommeded that I take control of the situation and, rather than waiting for my tooth to break loose one day, I should begin a course of treatments to fix my teeth properly. First, orthodontics to pull my teeth in and closer together; then oral surgery to extract my tooth; healing time with a temporary tooth; and finally a permanent implant. In the end, my teeth will look the way I always wanted. I was ready.

That's what I thought before I had the braces put on last week. Now my mouth hurts, I can only eat soft foods which subsequently get all stuck in my teeth, the inside of my cheeks are scraped where the hooks and wire ends make contact, it feels weird to kiss my daughter or husband, and I can't whistle. With all the ground-breaking technology out there, braces seem very archaic. I'm sure there are simple ways to make them at least a little more comfortable. All these complaints and I don't even have to have spacers or rubber bands like some poor brace-sufferers. I have a new-found respect for teens with braces. At least it was my own choice to get braces; and I know I will be happy with the results at the end of this two-year torture.

I still love to smile.