This post is dedicated to a real-life Badass, a dear friend. I first met Jennifer, aka JLP, aka J Price, in fall 2008. She was interning in Gov. Charlie Crist's press office. I was working there as a speechwriter and deputy press secretary.
We instantly bonded over happy hours, shopping, and chats about politics, men and life. And exercise. Now she is living in Atlanta, doing a job I find admirable and amazing: She is a teacher for Teach for America, in an elementary school that is not easy. With children who need lots of attention and tough love.
She's juggling those long days with nights spent earning her master's degree. That leaves her limited time for exercise, and recently she lamented that she struggles to fit it in and make it feel effective.
Her days start at 5 am, when she wakes up to get to the elementary school by 6:45 a.m. Monday through Thursday she squeezes in half an hour of gym time before leaving the house for school, and then her day is a whirlwind that might not end until 8 or 9 p.m. depending on whether she has grad school classes that night. Dinner, not surprisingly, is often eaten while studying for herself or making lesson plans for her own students. And many of her weekends are spent doing some work.
Sound exhausting? Sound familiar? Amen!
So Jenn asked me to help her make the most of the limited workout time she has. She basically has that half hour in the mornings, and can fit some time in on the weekends. Here are a few suggestions:
- Two of the four weekday mornings, do high-intensity cardio intervals to get the most calorie torching, fat burning and heart strengthening workout. Push the intensity and speed for a minute or two, then bring it back for a minute or two. Sustain the intervals for 20-25 minutes, leaving time for a cool down and stretch. Squeeze in an extra 5 minutes if possible for crunches.
- On the other two days, do circuit training that incorporates short cardio bursts (see this workout) to build muscle tone and stren
- A couple of nights a week, do 100 crunches and about 50 pushups (2 sets of 25 or 3 sets of 15) before going to bed. Do it while watching TV if that works best.
- On weekends, make time for one good one-hour to 90-minute workout that includes cardio and strength training.
- Especially during the week when exercise time is limited, be mindful of your eating. Keep it clean and nutritious. Use the weekend to assess the food you have and the food you need. Try to plan for the week to come. Bake or grill up chicken breasts, make a big salad of greens or whole grain pasta or couscous that you can eat throughout the week, in portable to-go containers to school. Stock up on fruit, granola bars, string cheese, etc. that are portable and will keep your energy going but your sugar levels steady.
I hope this helps Jenn and all of you other busy Badasses out there. And if any of you are reading this and have found other strategies that work, please share!
Coming up: Healthy makeovers for holiday noshes
