Five Minute Fitness…..the simple “take to work” gym!

Months one and two of your New Year’s resolution have probably gone by the wayside….the one that had you going to the gym at least 5 times a week.

Ah yes, that one!

Has the guilt set in yet? Well, maybe the best way to avoid that guilt is to take the gym to work with you…and I don’t mean lugging along an elliptical machine. All you need are a couple of pieces of easy to transport equipment. In fact, I keep a few of those items here at the station.

What I’d do is to start small….say, with a set of resistance bands. You’ve probably seen them in the gym…long tubular rubber bands with handles on each end. Very functional and easy to find. (You can probably get an inexpensive set at your nearby Walmart or Target.)

When time allows, and if your clothing will allow you to move around freely, you can start by standing in the center of the bands with your feet shoulder width apart, elbows at your sides. Then, with an underhand grip, slowly curl the bands up, then back to the starting position. Try and do as many curls as you can....curling both arms up and down at the same time. Once you've done a set of those, you can then try to alternate curling each arm at a time.

There, that wasn't so hard!

Now, try a one arm seated curl. Again, just step on the center of the band, and while grabbing the two handles of the band with an underhand grip, rest your elbow on your inner thigh, and curl the band up to your chin.

Not so bad! Next, try a shoulder press, by again standing in the middle of the bands and with your elbows at a 90 degree angle, press the handles of the bands over your head.

Other movements you can do will allow you to work other muscle groups like the triceps (the horseshoe shaped muscle in the back of your upper arm) and rear deltoids, which I’ll go into in future blogs.

Some of the other things you might want to consider bringing along could be a set of leg weights, small dumbbells, a small kettle bell, and perhaps even a balance ball….assuming you have room to store all of these. If not, just using the chair and desk will allow you to do a daily routine.

These are good for a start. Keep checking in as I'll be looking to update this spot regularly with some other suggestions….and, of course, if you have any of your own, feel free to share!