“1, 2, or 3? You Tell Me!”

What is your least favorite workout movement and why?

Not everyone looks at fitness and “getting in shape” the same way.

If you played sports as a kid and high schooler, you will most likely approach fitness as an adult with a similar mindset. However your coach trained you, you will most likely carry that with you into how you train now. If you all started out with a warm-up jog, then some stretching, followed by some drills and some cardio, ending with some strength training, then that’s most likely how you will format your workout routine now if you’re “doing your own thing.”

Personal trainers help a lot. And so do the many fitness programs that are offered through streaming services or even on Instagram. Sometimes they’re offered for free, but most of the time they’re an investment and can cost a pretty penny. Some of us don’t enjoy the thought of having a personal trainer. Our independence won’t let us. Some of us enjoy group workouts over burning calories by our lonesome. Lately, I have enjoyed having my virtual accountability partners but programming and completing my workouts on my own. I get in the mindset to crush the workout and push myself, and once I show up, I’m all in and want to limit as many distractions as possible. (I am also usually working out in the mornings before work, so I need to get the workout done within a specified time period).

I am a true believer that fitness and healthy lifestyles look different for everyone. Not one person is necessarily “better” than the other (unless it’s like me vs. an Olympian lol), but rather we are just in different phases of our fitness journeys. Yes, you know I love to promote and talk about journeys! Haha. When we look at our physical well-being through the lens that it’s okay to be in our own lane and that in order to be healthy we don’t have to be doing what everyone else is doing, then that helps us stay the course. It helps us push ourselves further to be better than we were yesterday. It helps us track our progress and strive to get stronger and faster than we were last month. It helps us set goals and create plans to achieve them. It helps us to experiment and try new things when we see ourselves becoming stagnant in our journey. It helps us to get back up whenever we fall down. It helps us to keep going…

Anything worth having doesn’t come easy, and if we want to see progress or make an impact we have to do what is sustainable.

I have been doing “my own thing” for over 6 months now. I have Googled workouts and exercises. Found some stuff that I liked on YouTube. Dug back into my exercise arsenal from when I did CrossFit. Received tips and routines from friends. And every week I create at least 3-4 different workout routines. I mentioned in my blog post, “Will You Accept The Challenge?” that I offered a free fitness program in May and created free workouts for the participants. Getting creative in the gym is fun for me. It’s a challenge for me but in a good way. It helps me dig deeper into my physical man to find the things that will push me into the next level of my fitness journey. It makes me feel accomplished and ready for what I come up next. If you are ever in need of some fun workout ideas or routines, let me know!

But, in this post, I want to share 3 of my favorite go-to cardio workouts that can be done at home.

1. A Nice Long Walk.

I’m pretty sure that when everyone hears the word “cardio” they think of mile-long runs, 5Ks, and marathons. But not everyone is a runner. And more importantly, running isn’t good for everyone. Yall already know running isn’t my favorite, but I do want to share that over the past few months, running a mile or more non-stop has become easier for me mentally and physically! But, running isn’t one of my top three favorite cardio movements. A long walk is. People underestimate the benefits of a good, long walk. And I have to include “long” because “they” say that your body reaches fat-burning mode after 35-minutes of brisk walking. When I’m not feeling up to a workout in the gym, or if I want to do some active recovery, I enjoy a 30-45 minute walk. I usually bring my dog Cole with me, too.

I try to keep a nice brisk pace. I may walk a few laps around my neighborhood, or for a more scenic route, I may walk around town or a nearby park. I sometimes enjoy walking in silence — that’s right, no Pandora blasting in my ear. It allows me to think, reflect, plan, etc. Sometimes I will chat on the phone to catch up with a friend. Sometimes I will listen to an audiobook or a podcast episode. But regardless, walking has many health benefits and it’s something just about everyone can do regardless of where they are in their fitness journeys. I also know many people have lost weight and gained better mental clarity from incorporating walks into their daily routines!

2. Jumping Rope.

Jump ropes aren’t expensive, and I think everyone who can jump should own one. Jumping rope can easily replace a 30-minute jog or run, and it can be done as a warm-up, the entire cardio portion of a workout, or just sprinkled in between some movements to create a good ol HIIT (high intensity interval training) style workout. Jumping rope is considered a vigorous-intensity activity and is a full-body workout. Jumping rope is great for cardio and targets the following muscles: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, shoulders, arms, and core. 1-minute of jumping rope is said to be equivalent to 2-minutes of walking fast. No, math is not my strong suit lol, but you do the math and see how beneficial jumping rope can be! Here is a quick jump rope workout: jump rope for 1 minute, rest :30. Repeat 10 times.

3. Burpees!

Ah, everyone’s literal favorite movement (do you hear the sarcasm??). Burpees boost cardio fitness and burn fat. THAT’S why I love them so much. No, really. I really love adding burpees into my workouts. HIIT is probably my favorite style of workout because working out is not only a physical challenge, but also a mental challenge. At least for me anyway. So if I have a workout that has rest or a “down period” already built into it, I have something to mentally look forward to and to push myself towards during the workout, and not just waiting for the workout to be over. Does that make sense?

Anyway, burpees target muscles in both your upper and lower body and they get your heart rate up. One of the workouts I like to do every now and then is 100 burpees for time. Get a running clock going, and get started on chipping away at 100 burpees! Log your time. And in a month or two, try it again and try to beat your last time. It’s a challenge, but usually doesn’t take too much time and you’ll feel SO GOOD after especially when you beat your prior time! (even if by 1 second.) And guess what else? Combining burpees with jumping rope is like one of my favorite combinations. I have done 100 burpees for time, but at the top of every minute that passes, I have to complete 30 jump ropes. That is a great full-body, cardio workout right there! And you burn a ton of calories!

So there you have it, folks. Those are my 3 favorite ways to get in my cardio when I don’t physically or mentally feel like running or going to the gym. They can be done at home. They can be done at your own pace. They can easily be added to your fitness journey, wherever you may be. Also, click here to watch one of the warm-up videos I created during my May Fitness Program that includes both jumping rope & burpees. Have fun!

If you already incorporate one of these movements into your workout routines, I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in a comment.

“and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship.” — Exodus 35:31-33, NKJV.

Moni Jay, Off the Record