Easy Indoor 10-Minute Workout for Busy Moms

Sharing is caring!

Does your family calendar feel chaotic this season? While the rush of back-to-school has subsided, fall quickly fills up with sports games, fundraisers, plays, performances, carnivals, class parties . . . the list goes on!

If a packed schedule or inclement fall weather has you skipping your regular workouts more often than not, don’t miss this quick 10-minute indoor workout guide that could help get you back on track:

Easy DIY Workout Tools

Does lack of exercise equipment keep you from really going after an intense workout at home? That’s understandable. Physically being in a gym can give you that extra motivation, not to mention access to strength training and cardio equipment, you need to feel successful.

The truth is, however, that there are plenty of items in and around your home that you can utilize for an effective workout too. These may include:

• Canned food

• Sturdy chair

• Milk jug

• Sturdy surface/step

• Water bottles

Easy Exercises for 10-Minute Workout

Even if you are utilizing a brace or splint for a temporary upper body injury like a wrist sprain, carpal tunnel, or shoulder tendonitis, you can still do many of these basic body weight exercises. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist first, and then get moving!

Jog in Place (or Jumping Jacks) – 2 minutes

Get your heart rate going by jogging in place for 2 minutes or completing jumping jacks (also known as star jumps). To complete a jumping jack, begin with your feet together and your hands at your side. Then simultaneously jump, moving your feet out so they are spread at least shoulder-width apart, and bring your hands straight up above your head, arms slightly bent at the elbows.

Squats – 10 to 15 repetitions

With or without weights in your hand (canned food works too!), place your feet hip-width apart and dip into a squat, as though you were angling your bottom back to sit in a chair behind you, bringing your arms forward, facing straight out, parallel to the ground. The goal with squats is to keep your chest lifted and avoid bringing your knees forward of your toes. If you want to, you can actually use a chair for this exercise, simply tap it with your rear with each squat, don’t sit.

Push-ups – 10 repetitions

Honestly, doing even 1 or 2 push-ups can seem like a stretch. That’s ok! Go for as many up to 10 as you can with this workout and know that you can progressively work up to more push-ups week by week as you strengthen your arms, chest, and back. Modified push-ups, with your knees bent and touching the ground, may make more sense for you in the beginning as well. You have nothing to prove to anyone except yourself, so find the method that helps you feel the most successful!

Lunges – 10 to 15 repetitions per leg

With or without weights in your hands, practice lunges for 10 to 12 repetitions per leg. A good lunge should feel safe and functional. Standing with plenty of space in front of you and behind you, bring one foot forward so that it is well out in front of your body. Then bring your back knee straight down to the ground. Instead of propelling your body forward, you want your front knee to stay behind your toes, helping your leg form a 90-degree angle with the floor. Your back foot will come up onto your toes and you can reach both hands into the air.

Chair dips – 10 to 15 repetitions

Grab a sturdy chair that won’t tip forward on your and sit on the edge of it, placing your hands on your side so your palms square up nicely with the chair and your fingers curl under the front slightly. Slide your rear off the chair, legs out in front of your bent at about a 45-degree angle with your feet flat on the floor. Lower yourself into a dip so that your arms form a 90-degree angle with the chair and then left yourself back up.

Plank – 1 minute

The thought of doing a plank makes many people shudder, but it plays an essential role in any strength-training workout and engages so many muscle groups, especially your core. Lower yourself to the ground, extending your legs out back to rest on your toes (a few inches apart), bring your knees up as your place weight on your forearms making sure your shoulders are directly overhead of your elbows.

Courtney P.

I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!

Sharing is caring!