Skip to main content

Workout Basics and Warm Up

To plan your workouts think about doing something focused 3-6 times a week and taking 1-3 days of what’s called active rest (clean house, walk the golf course, go for a hike, take the dog for a long walk, do squats throughout the day – link it to every time you go to the bathroom for example.

This movement is important for recovery and allows your body to do something active for fun, wellness, blood flow to the sore spots from your focused workout, etc. This keeps the body oriented toward energy flow and movement.

Making sure to get a weekend workout in is a great way to make sure your active rest days are not consecutive. Consecutive days off can make it harder to return to your focused workouts on Monday.

Make sure to warm up. Spend 5-10minutes doing easy movement, stretching, and allow the muscles you are going to work to “wake up”. Work to include all the big joints and major muscle groups. It’s a great time to get your music right, your shoes tightened or loosened, or make sure you hair is out of your way. By fixing these things now, you are more likely to stay focused on the work portion.

When you complete the round, give yourself a pat on the back, a fist pump, something that celebrates your accomplishment. This is a big deal for helping habits stick, and helps you be realistic about all the hard work you are doing.

If you are unclear about a movement, look it up (Check out my YouTube Tutorials Here). There are lots of resources online that allow you to make sure you have good form. Always work up to adding weight or making a movement less stable. Good form comes first.


Get to Walking …

This weekend’s workout is about getting a full body workout while walking. For this workout you can use items you can use body weight or you can use anything might find on the trail (like rocks and heavy branches), in the park (jungle gyms are great), or carry some rubber tubing with you. I have included some youtube videos using the rubber tubing. If you are inside – like in the mall – you can use your body to wrap the tubing behind for the low row and bend at the hip and step on it for the reverse flys if you cannot find solid structures or doors to hook it to. For the pushups you can you use any height, just make sure the structure or item you pick to work off is stable.

Begin by walking at a fast pace. After 2 min add the 1st strength interval in. Complete 10 repetitions of each exercise and then continue walking for 2min. Add the intervals in between walking sets until you finish the strength items. You can finish the walk or do a 2nd round.

Kbands Training

Strength Sets

  • Walking Lunges (alternate)
  • Push Ups (if not able to do them on the floor, do them on a wall)
  • Squats (knees over your ankles and behind your toes to keep your knees safe)
  • Reverse Flys
  • Backward Lunges (alternate)
  • Chest Flys
  • Signal Leg Squats (10 each side)
  • Low Row

Using Rubber Tubing …

Finish Strong

YOU DID IT!! Now that you have finished the “work” portion, it is time for flexibility training. Spend some time stretching all the muscles you worked – in this workout, it’s full body so give all your major muscles a good stretch. Then grab a good post workout snack. Together these get your muscles ready for tomorrow’s movement and make sure you are ready to meet your goals.

Words of Caution …

Please make sure to follow your body. Do not push through pain. Discomfort/Challenge are different than pain. We want to challenge ourselves we do not want to hurt ourselves. Find the level that is right for you and move at that level. Make sure to choose weight and stances that support your body style – if you have to use the wall to do your push ups do that, if you need a chair or a bench use those. Make sure you are doing what you need to do for your body type and current personal level of fitness.

As always have fun living in your body today!

Author: Stacy Reuille-Dupont: Dr. Stacy Reuille-Dupont, PhD, LAC, CPFT, CNC, licensed psychologist, addiction counselor, personal trainer, and nutrition coach. She’s passionate about helping people create a vibrant life using psychology and physiology. With over 25 years of coaching people to be their best, she understands how to make living healthily easy while finding adventure, inspiration, and balance.