Try this at home!

If, like me, you find yourself incredibly rushed and short of time on the weekend in terms of getting your fitness training in, you need an "Emergency Plan"! Something you can do with little or no equipment that will get you through to your next "real" workout. Something that will challenge your body without eating up all of your time and requiring too much thought or planning. I have a backup workout for such times and it continues to serve me well when I need it. In between taking my kids to "It's Your Festival", cutting the grass, taking the kids swimming, going shopping, planning a party, having a party and then cleaning up AFTER a party, visiting family for Canada Day and then just recovering from everything, I did this workout on saturday afternoon for about 20 minutes;

You can make the intensity incredibly hard or ,easy to moderate, depending on how you feel. With limited time, I tend to move non-stop for the entire 20 minutes with almost no rest in between sets or exercises. I choose "compound" movements which focus on many muscles at once and use mostly large muscle groups. Here is the workout:

Bodyweight Squats x 20
Pushups x 20
Yoga/ Abdominal Plank 30- 60 seconds
Crunches x 20
Hip Lifts (Bridges) x 20
Triceps Dips from a bench or chair x 20

Repeat as many times as possible for 10- 20 minutes depending on time available and your particular fitness level. You can make the exercises harder by moving more quickly in terms of the squats and more slowly in the case of the other exercises. Don't be deceived, this workout will leave you drenched and breathless if you push it. You will get it done and get on with your day in no time, and still be on track to reach your goals.