12 Minute Lower Body and Ab Home Workout
Looking for a workout to tighten and tone your lower body but struggle to find time because of #momlife?
Finding time to workout at home with your kids may seem like an impossible and overwhelming task. However, I’m here to tell you that with a little motivation, creativity and planing, anything is possible!
As a busy mom of two little girls and one on the way, I have learned that the key to finding time for your workouts is having a solid game plan, some spontaneity and arsenal of exercises to squeeze into your day at any given moment.
Related: 58 Weight Loss Tips for Busy Moms
Okay, I hear you saying, “I don’t have any ‘given moments’ in my day to workout.” This is where the creativity and spontaneity comes into play.
My favorite motto is, “something is ALWAYS better than nothing”.
This means, losing the mindset that in order to see results, you have to spend hours working out and shifting to the mindset of squeezing in movement whenever and wherever we can.
Ten minutes, mama, is all you need to burn extra calories, tone up, reduce stress and reshape your body!
Squeeze in 10 minutes in the morning before work, at lunch and in the evening before dinner and you just got 30 minutes of calorie torching exercise in for the day!
The Benefits of Mommy & Me Workouts
One of my favorite ways to burn calories is playing with my kids and incorporating them into my workouts.
They love dancing to music or letting me use them as added weight.
My three year old even joins in on the burpees and squats once in a while.
The simple act of lifting and swinging my babies not only helps them burn off some energy but it also helps YOU burn calories and tone up at the same time.
Win, win!
And my favorite part, kids are like mini personal trainers.
When I want to slow down or stop, they push me to keep going by saying “more” and “faster. I can’t think of a more fun and motivating way to workout at home!
“So, What Do I do with 10 Minutes?”
I’m glad you asked!
Okay, you’ll actually be doing 10 minutes with 2 bonus minutes of calorie burning and muscle toning for a total of 12 minutes.
This abs, legs and booty workout uses the HIIT training method which is pretty much the only method of training I currently use.
It is quick and very effective in torching calories, dropping body fat fast without sacrificing muscle.
Note, this workout should be done with babies who have strong head and neck control. Please hold your baby in the safest and most comfortable way for you both.
If you don’t have kids handy, grab some dumbbells.
So, when you are needing to burn some calories, boost energy for you and burn energy for your babies, grab them for this quick ab, legs and booty workout!
Refuel your body after with my favorite Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake with the beauty boosting benefits of collagen and plant based protein.
12 Minute Mommy and Me Abs, Legs and booty Workout
Tone your abs, legs and booty while entertaining your kids! I know finding time to exercise as a busy mom seems impossible. But making exercise a priority and including your kids in your home workouts is the easiest and most fun way to burn some calories!
Instructions
Four rounds:
Round 1 & 2
>30 seconds work/30 seconds rest
Round 2 & 3
>40 second work/ 20 seconds rest
Exercises
- Baby Squats
- Reverse Lunge baby twist
- Baby Squats w/side crunch
- Baby Glute Bridge
- Baby flutter kicks (please make sure your diastasis is healed before trying this exercise. Substitute with modified planks if needed)
- Baby V-Ups
Notes
Baby Squats
- Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width and toes slightly pointed outward
- Either hold baby in front and close to your body or place them on shoulders if you feel comfortable
- Begin squatting by inhaling and engaging core with weight in your heals.
- Imagine your feet are spreading the floor and lowering down without allowing your knees to track over your toes
- Imagine you are sitting back onto a chair.
- Keep head facing forward and do not allow your back to round.
- Lower until your thighs are as close to parallel with the ground as possible
- Press your weight through your heals, keep body tight and bring yourself back to standing
Baby Lunge and Twist
- Stand with feet hip width
- Hold your baby close to your body or for more advanced moves, extend arms slightly forward.
- Keep core tight and take a large step back with your right foot
- Lower your body until both knees are bent to about 90 degrees
- As you sink back into the lunge, twist with your core to right.
- Bring core back to center and exhale as you bring your back leg forward.
- Continue with the opposite side and alternating back and forth.
Baby Squats w/Side Crunch
- Perform squats as listed above
- As you straighten your legs to stand, engage your core to lift your left knee while bending to the left to bring your right elbow and knee as close together as possible performing a side crunch.
- Come back to center and repeat the squat with side crunch on the left
- Continue alternating sides for the duration for the exercise
Baby Glute Bridge (Alternating single leg of both legs together)
- Lie on your back and place your baby on your pelvis and feet shoulder width apart
- Engage your core by "zipping up" your low belly
- Press down into the ground with your heals as you push your hips off the ground into the air without over extending your low back.
- Squeeze your glues for three seconds at the top of the exercise.
- Slowly lower and repeat.
Baby Flutter kicks
- Please be cautious with this exercise if you have Diastasis Recti
- Lie on your back while holding your baby above your face with arms straight.
- Engage your core by "zipping up" your low belly and imagine bringing navel to spine.
- Bring both legs up so they are pointing straight up into the air
- Make sure your low back stays pressed into the floor during the exercise
- If you cannot keep your low back pressed against the ground, stop here and practice this movement until you are able to hold it for 20-30 seconds with your your back lifting.
- Holding your baby securely, flutter your legs up and down one at a time.
- Continue flutter kicks for the duration of the interval.
- If your low back lifts off the ground, this means your abs are no longer engaged properly and you should take a rest before continuing.
Baby V-Ups
- Lie on your back while holding your baby above your face with arms straight.
- Engage your core by "zipping up" your low belly and imagine bringing navel to spine.
- Bring both legs up so they are pointing straight into the air.
- Make sure your low back stays pressed into the floor during the exercise
- Slowly extend your arms and legs toward the floor until you begin to feel your low back pop off the ground.
- Slowly bring your arms and legs back to center simultaneously.
- If keeping your legs straight is too challenging, bend your knees but continue focusing on keeping your low back pressed against the ground
- If your low back pops off the ground during the exercise, your abs are no longer engaged properly and you should rest before continuing.
Brooke is a certified Prenatal and Postnatal Exercise Specialist with a Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology-Exercise Science. She is also a mom of 3 girls with more than 15 years of experience in health and fitness. Brooke’s goal at Struggles of a Fit Mom is to help motivate, educate and inspire other busy mamas who struggle with finding time, energy and motivation to take care of themselves in the chaos of motherhood.
