It can be difficult to start a new fitness routine and stick to it. Rather than committing to an entire month of a new workout regimen, and getting discouraged if you can’t keep with it every day, start small and try and dedicate the next two weeks to improving yourself. Fitness goals are easier to achieve when you can break them into smaller, more manageable goals and keep your motivation up. Try the following fitness challenge for just two weeks and you’ll be on your way to a healthier lifestyle (and a killer beach body)!
Get at least 20 minutes of solid cardio, five days a week. You don’t have to workout every single day to stay in shape, but you do need to practice consistent cardio. It’ll keep you lean all over and make you feel great.
Bonus: Find diverse ways to get your cardio in and you won’t get as bored with your routine. Some ideas for fulfilling cardio include: walking (the faster and more uphill the better), jogging or running, jumping jacks, kickboxing, dancing, jumping rope, elliptical, riding a Bike, swimming and Zumba.
Two, non-consecutive days a week work out your arms, back, and abs.
Pick what exercises work for you, but remember, there are lots of muscles to be worked, so don’t just focus on one. You’ve gotta give your triceps, biceps, and shoulders some love (plus others). This simple arm workout fits snuggly into your 15 minutes time slot, with enough time to spare for you to apply sunscreen all over your body (you know, so you can complete this routine outside – no beach body is complete without a nice tan)!
Work both your upper AND lower back. Here is an awesome routine that incorporates every muscle of your back and guess what, can be completed in 15 minutes! After two weeks of repeating these moves, you’ll definitely notice improved posture, reduced back pain, and that bulge beneath your bikini top slowly disappearing.
Planks are the ultimate ab exercise to include in your fitness challenge. One important thing to remember when working out your abs (and your back), is to start off slow and work your way up towards more difficult workouts. You can injure your back fairly easily if you go too intense on either ab or back workouts right away. Strengthen your core gradually to avoid injury.
Two, non-consecutive days a week, work out your legs and booty.
Like your arms, your legs have lots of muscles that need some TLC. Don’t forget about your calves, hamstrings, thighs, etc. Check out these moves that really target your inner thighs.
This doesn’t have to include squats. Yes, squats do wonders for your lower half, but if squats aren’t for you, choose something else. There are some other great exercises out there…here’s one of my favorites that, hey look, can be done on the beach!
While you should definitely give your body a little stretch every day during this fitness challenge, two days a week should be dedicated to a deeper stretch. This will really help loosen up those muscles you’ve been working for a few days, and avoid any tightness or tears.
For your 5th day workout, choose something that’s equally fun and active. Play a pick-up basketball game, go to a yoga class you’ve been wanting to try, play some beach volleyball. It doesn’t matter what it is, just pick something you enjoy so that you’ll be refreshed to keep with your fitness routine for the next week.
At the end of your activity, do a short ab session to keep your core looking tight.
Aside from getting 20 minutes of solid cardio 5 days a week, get up and move around more throughout your day, every day. Find reasons to take the stairs, park in the outskirts of the lot so you have to walk further, etc. Your health will thank you for all the extra activity you accumulate per day.
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