Workout of the Week- Daily 5 Abs

Happy November! As the holiday season starts to pick up, our lives get busy, our fitness gets pushed to the back-burner. This is a super quick daily ab workout that can be done ANYWHERE at ANYTIME. You won’t become a sweaty mess, you don’t need equipment, but you WILL feel the burn, you will build your core muscles, and you will feel better, even with just 10 minutes of core!

As a busy mom, I KNOW THE FEELING of not having time to workout! I wake up at 4:15 to teach, then at 7 AM my day starts with Harper. Most days I have housework to get done, errands to run, my other at-home business to work on, and all I can get in is a walk or a short jog (weather permitting). I would often go to bed feeling guilty and upset that I couldn’t find time to take care of myself that day,so I am making it a goal this holiday season to get this Daily 5 Ab workout in at least 4 times a week, especially on the days I don’t get to workout.

Why abs?

While you won’t necessarily burn fat with these exercises,(the best way to do that is with some high-intensity cardio exercise),you will still improve your waistlineby toning up your core muscles.

I named this workout the “Daily 5” because it hits all 4 major Ab muscles + the back-

  1. Transverse Abdominis- The deepest core muscle that wraps around your spine (the “corset muscle”). By engaging this deep core muscle and toning it, it literally helps “suck in” your waistline as if you’re wearing a corset.
  2. External Obliques- The outer layer on your sides that go diagonally downward.
  3. Internal Obliques- Right beneath the external obliques and run diagonally up your sides
  4. Rectus Abdominus- the muscle on the front that give that “6 pack” look and helps you bend forward
  5. Your back- It’s also is a major component to the core, and as with every exercise you should always work muscles opposite to each other equally so that you don’t cause a muscle imbalance.

Like I said, these exercise will work on toning your waistline- you’ll see even more improvement with a healthy diet and exercise. You’ll see the most bang for your buck by incorporating weights and high intensity cardio into your weekly workouts!

Let’s get to it!

  • Time- 7-14 minutes
  • Equipment:
  • Exercise mat or soft surface to lay on
  • Timer or stop watch
  • Music- Plan out your playlist ahead of time! Find songs that pump you up and motivate you- or you can have your favorite tv show on! I typically do this workout at night while we are watching tv 🙂
  • Space– Space for you to lay
  • Attitude– have FUN with it! It’s time to take care of your body!

**Please remember to watch the quick video below to see how to properly do each move!

Daily 5 Abs-

  • 1 minute- plank
    • **If you can’t hit a minute yet, just make it your goal! Once you do hit a minute- challenge yourself by setting another goal and hold it longer!
  • 1 minute- Supermans (T, Y, I- 20 seconds each)
  • 1 minute- Russian Twists
  • 1 minute- Bird Dogs
  • 1 minute- Side Plank Twists (30 seconds each side)
  • 1 minute- Oblique Crunches (30 seconds each side)
  • 1 minute- DeadBugs
    • = 7 minutes
    • complete 1-2 times!

Please watch the video below to make sure you have proper form 🙂