words by Molly Jennings

I’m so busy, the kids need a bath, I’m too tired to go to the gym…. No more excuses! This week, focus on adopting a “can do” approach to exercise. From experience, I know one can become stuck in a rut… you feel sluggish, and really tired. It makes you feel lousy and grumpy and under confident about yourself. That’s your metabolism doing that. When it’s slow, so are we. But we at Hip & Healthy want you to feel energized and confident about yourself, so we’ve come up with five exercises that you can do in the comfort of your lounge or bedroom that will supercharge your metabolism! Ready?

Mountain Climbers

Start position – On the floor, place your body in to a press up position, arms directly under your shoulders and back in a straight line.

Movement – Bend your right knee in to your chest keeping that foot off the ground, with a little jump, spring off the left leg with a quick movement, bending that knee in to your chest. Try 3 sets of 30 seconds with a 10 second rest between each one. Make sure your bum doesn’t start to creep up in the air. Once you get used to the movement you can increase the speed and time.

Skipping

Start position – Stand up tall with the handles in each hand and the rope resting behind you.

Movement – Start off by jumping with both legs together and as you get more confident you can even try hopping on one leg or alternating legs! Skip for 40 seconds then rest for 15. Repeat this 3 times. Remember, skipping is all about finding your rhythm. Super simple, super effective!

Press up to Plank

Start position – Same as Mountain Climbers, start in a press up position.

Movement – Keeping your whole body in a straight line, bend your right elbow down to the floor and then bend the left one to join it. This position is called a plank. Then, with the right arm first, push yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat 5 times with the right arm and 5 times with the left arm. As you get stronger, add more reps! This exercise is my favourite because it works your abs as well. Two for the price of one!

Ballerina Squats

Start position – Standing tall, have your feet hip width apart and your arms straight out in front of you.

Movement – Place your right leg behind you, slightly over crossing diagonally, like you are about to do a courtesy. Keeping your hips facing forward and back upright, slowly lower down bending both knees. Go as far as you can without touching the back knee on the floor. Push back up to the starting position without your front heel popping off the ground. Repeat 2 sets of 15 reps on each leg with a 10 second break between each set. Exercising doesn’t get more graceful than that!

Side Lunges

Starting Position – The same as Ballerina Squats, standing tall, have your feet hip width apart and your arms straight out in front of you.

Movement – With your right leg, take a big step out to the side, letting it bend and keeping the left leg straight. Try and stick your bum out like your about to sit on a chair, hinging at your hips with your body almost parallel to the ground. Push off the right leg and return to the starting position. Try and make the transitions as smooth as possible. Do 2 sets of 12 reps on each leg with a 10 second rest between each set. A beautiful bum as well as a speedy metabolism! What more could you want?!