7 “Kathleen Approved” Convenient – Yet Effective – Outdoor Summer Moves

7 “Kathleen Approved” Convenient – Yet Effective – Outdoor Summer Moves

When it comes to fitness, Kathleen Trotter certainly knows what she is doing! From being active to eating healthy, to maintaining a balanced lifestyle, Kathleen does it all. I wanted to give her to spotlight in this article to share her expertise with you all and provide some great advice!

When it comes to reaching any health goal, consistency is key!

Try following my “consistency recipe”, “make healthy habits convenient and (whenever possible) something you enjoy while simultaneously making unhealthy habits utterly inconvenient”. What screams “convenient” AND “fun” more than “do anywhere” minimal equipment exercises done outside in the sunshine! Who doesn’t love being outside?

Basically, slather on some sunscreen, grab your hat and some water, and get outside!

7 Exercises

 

Skipping

KT-Skipping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Info: Skipping is not only an incredibly efficient, convenient, and low-cost cardiovascular workout, holding the rope works your shoulders and triceps.

Trainer Sample Workout: Incorporate bursts between weight exercises. For example, do 10 lunges, 10 squats and 10 scapular push-ups followed by two minutes of skipping. Repeat three to four times.

Lunges 

Kathleen-Trotter-Lunge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Info: Stationary or walking. To get fancy, lunge up a hill!

Details: Lunges can be done in your backyard, the park, while you watch your kids play a sport, or even at the dog park as you wait for your dog to fetch his or her ball. Make sure both feet stay facing forward. Chest out. Core engaged. Use the bum of the front leg to stand up. Or, do walking lunges. Do one lunge. As you stand up, bring your back leg up and step it forward into a lunge.

Trainer Sample Workout: Warm-up. Then, sprint one length of the park. Do walking lunges back. Repeat four to ten times. Or, find a hill. Lunge up the hill. Jog down. Repeat four to ten times.

Side Lunge to a hop

KT-Side-Lunge-Hop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Details: Start standing. Step your right leg out to the side and sit back into a squat. Your left leg stays straight with the right leg squatting. As you sit back, make sure your sit bones widen. Chest out. Core engaged. Engage your right bum muscle to push yourself up to balancing on your left leg. Do 1 to 5 mini hops on that left foot. Don’t let your right toe touch as you hop. Move your arms in a running motion to propel you up.  Repeat 5 to 10 times.

Trainer Sample Workout: combine with the regular lunge to create one super lunge. Side lunge to the right. Push back to stand on left leg. Step your right leg back into a lunge. Stand back up and balance on left. Do one hop. Repeat ten times. Switch and repeat on the other side.

Step ups (on a park bench)

KT-Stepups-Park-Bench

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details: Place right foot on the bench. Make sure heel is on the bench. Engage your core and your bum to stand up. Control on way down.

Trainer Sample Workout: Consider a “bench” circuit of step-ups, scapular push-ups, and a Tabata set. For the Tabata, do either mountain runs (with your hands on the bench ) or fast step alternating step-ups (stand and “run” up and down on the bench).

Tabata style bodyweight intervals

Kathleen-Trotter-Mountain-Climbers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details: A Tabata interval is four minutes. You alternate twenty seconds of all-out work followed by 10 seconds of recovery eight times. A fantastic element of Tabata sets is that they can be done anywhere, with whatever equipment you have. Have no equipment, use your body. Have a treadmill, use that. Be creative!

Trainer Sample Workout: After a warm-up do 4 Tabata sets. Alternate between a cardio Tabata and a strength Tabata. For the cardio try running, skipping, or body weight exercises such as jumping jacks, burpees or mountain runs (in a plank alternate “running” your knees in towards your chest). For the strength Tabata, try bench push-ups, squats, or lunges.

Scapular Push-ups (on a park bench)

Kathleen-Trotter-Pushups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details: Start with your hands on the bench and feet on the floor. Engage your core. Make sure your body is in a straight line – don’t arch or round your lower back. Do one scapular retractions by pulling your shoulder blades together and “cracking a walnut” with your blades. Keep your arms straight. Then bring your shoulder blades back to its original position and do one push-up. Repeat ten to fifteen times.

Trainer Sample Workout: Try a set of “11s” of umping Jacks and push-ups. Do 10 push-ups and 1 jumping jacks. Then 9 push-ups and 2 jumping jacks. Continue to decrease the number of push-ups and increase the number of jumping jacks until you are doing 10 jumping jacks and 1 push-up. 

Squats

Kathleen-Trotter-Squats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details: Start standing. Feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Sit backward – like your sitting in a chair – think of your sit bones widening as you move your bum towards the ground. Watch your knees – don’t let your knees cave in – keep them in-line with your middle toes. To stand up engage core and bum. Chest out.

Trainer Sample Workout: There are LITERALLY a million variations to make squats more “fun”. Try holding low and pulse, slow down the tempo (try 4 counts down and 4 counts up) and/or add a jump.

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