We all know that we need to exercise on a regular basis. However, daily life and it’s demands can leave us with little time to rest, let alone get up to exercise and bounce around! But making time to keep your body and mind healthy with exercise is a worthy investment of your time. 


Sometimes it can be hard to put yourself on a strict routine of working out a few hours a week. A more manageable approach is for you to commit yourself to a 10 minute daily workout that blends high intensity cardio motions with muscle strengthening exercises. This will both burn fat and build lean muscle! 

The Plan:
First, find a place where you can be alone for a few minutes with plenty of space to move about. 
Next, set a timer for ten minutes. 
Grab some music through headphones or a boombox for extra motivation. Listening to music can help distract you from the efforts you are having to exert and can also pump you up to keep giving it your all!

The way to make a 10 minute workout work for you is to combine cardio exercises with muscle toning and strengthening exercises. Throughout the ten minutes, incorporate several of the following exercises:

Running in place, jumping jacks, or jumping rope(rope not needed) with some of the following strength training moves listed below. 

A good way to set your 10 minute workout up would be to start with one minute of jumping rope. For the next minute perform as many squats as you can taking only brief breaks if needed, but trying not to discontinue your body’s movement for long. You need to keep your heart rate elevated to keep the calories and fat burning! Keep moving! After the second minute has passed, do a minute of cardio (jumping jacks, running in place, dancing, anything that keeps you moving). For the next minute after that, try to do mountain climbers continuously. 

Keep moving at all times and don’t give yourself much of a break between exercises (unless seriously needed!) to maximize this quick workout’s potential. Alternate back and forth between exercise moves and cardio upbeat moves! Here is a list of moves to try!

Squats

Start standing up with your legs shoulder width apart. It may help for balance if you hold your hands out like in the image below. To do one squat, sit back as though sitting down on a seat while also squatting down. Try not to let your knees go past your toes. Then stand back up, using your legs to push up. Make sure to keep your back straight and not hunched over. For a more difficult variation, alternate squats by jumping up. Do a squat, then jump up and land back into a squat instead of standing up slowly. As with any muscle exercise, make sure you are performing the moves carefully and with control to avoid injury.

Mountain Climbers

Start in the position known as a “plank” position with your palms flat on the floor, standing on the pads of your feet, and your back flat and straight like in the picture below. Next, alternating legs, slowly bring one leg in and upwards to your chest and then place it back on the floor. Remember to keep your back flat. 

Planks

Two different ways to engage your body with the plank exercise are the one above with palms flat on the floor, standing on the pads of your feet, and back straight, the other way is to do it as done below. Now instead of resting your palms flat on the floor, you have your arms bent and have them on the floor. Make sure with this exercise that you keep your back flat and try to engage your core as much as possible to balance the weight. Do not let all the weight shift frontwards to your arms. Place yourself in plank position and see how long you can hold it controlled. If you start to give way, go ahead and give yourself a five second rest, and then resume the position. 

Bicycle crunches

This is a great exercise to work your abs and especially those tough to work lower abs. Lie flat on your back cradling your head in your arms. Begin with your legs up at a ninety degree angle. Alternating legs, bring one knee in to the chest, lean up into a crunch, raising your neck and upper back, and touch your knee with the opposite side elbow as shown below. For added intensity, after bringing the leg into the chest, straighten it out and hold it pointed like an arrow instead of returning to the ninety degree angle. 

Pictures taken from the following locations:http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/live-in-my-skin/all-things-organic/organic-certification/exercise-with-benefits/, http://www.ukbkickboxing.com/benefits-and-proper-execution-of-squats, http://dorkyhousewife.blogspot.com/2010/07/maximum-results-mountain-climber.html, http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/superset-4b-plank, http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/post/21873044804/20-minute-workout-cardio-included