Million-dollar Mom

For all you ladies out there who have a hard time fitting in a workout, this is for you!

Years ago when I did my first Body-for-Life Challenge, there was an AWESOME magizine called Energy for Women. It was a fitness magazine unlike the rest. The cover always showed a healthy fit woman (rather than an imaciated model that most of us could never look like). It set a higher standard of fitness, and only allowed advertising from proven healthcare companies. You knew you could trust what was in the magazine from articles to advertising. When Bill Phillips, founder of Body-for-Life sold his supplement company EAS, (which was the parent company of Energy for Women) the new owner stopped publishing the magazine:(

I loved many of the workouts from the magazine, so I cut them out and kept them in a binder. When Nancy asked if anyone knew of some effective, quick workouts, I found my binder and looked through it, so here is "Million-dollar Mom" from Energy for Women (forgive the poor quality of the photos, my scanner is horrible!)

"You're up and running from the minute your youngest child hurdles himself/herself onto your bed in the morning, until the second your dog demands one last round in the backyard at night. Your daily life is a triathlon. Still, lifting children, carrying groceries and running around does not seem to provide the strength and energy you need.

YOUR GOAL: To increase energy, stamina and strength for your daily tasks without spending long hours in the gym.

YOUR WORKOUT: For maximum results in minimum time, choose compound exercises -- those that challenge more than one muscle at a time, recommends Frank Mikulka, a personal trainer at Long Island's Hollywood Atrium. And "superset" exercise pairs -- alternating between sets of two different exercises rather than resting between sets of one. Mikulka suggests focusing on core and upper body strength to help ease the load (literally) of your daily chores. Try this routine

8 STABILITY BALL SQUAT-TO-LATERAL ARM RAISES:

Place a stability ball between your back and the wall. Squat until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Hold while doing 10 lateral arm raises. Do three sets of 10 arm reps each.

9 PUSH-UPS/TRICEPS CHAIR DIPS:

Do a set of standard push-ups. Follow with a set of triceps dips off a chair or bench. Do three sets of each, alternating between sets of five to 10 push-ups, and 10 to 15 triceps dips.

10 BACK ROWS/STANDING BICEPS CURLS:

Do a set of back rows, followed by a set of standing biceps curls. Do three sets, 10 to 15 reps each

11 CALVE RAISES-TO-SHOULDER PRESSES:

Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Do a calve raise. Immediately raise arms and go into a shoulder press. Do three sets, 10 to 20 reps each.

Debbie E Mandel, who runs mind/body workshops in New York and is the author of Turn on Your Inner Light: Recipes for Health, Happiness and Fitness, suggests incorporating muscle challenges into your daily routine. Do calve raises while waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store, for example, and rear leg lifts while pushing a stroller." --Energy For Women Jan/Feb 03

Hope some of you find this helpful!