I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a whole lot of spare time on my hands these days. I’m writing a lot and building a new business.
My workdays are mostly 10 to 14 hours. Not that I mind that, as I love my work these days. Writing is my passion, and digital marketing too. And I’m in Bali — so I can’t moan about a thing!
Today was one of those days, pressed for time from meeting to meeting, and as I wanted to head for my beach walk and training when massive rain hits! It’s rainy season here, and when it rains, my oh my…
It feels like it will never stop!
My mind was set on working out, so I didn’t just drop it as I couldn’t go out. I looked around the living room, grabbed a beach towel, and started my favorite micro-workout.
It’s not easy, requires some skills, but you can learn them quickly with practice.
The Routine.
It’s 5 pm; I’ve been moving around and driving my motorbike all day — I didn’t need a warm-up, but I did swing my arms in circles for a minute to make sure my chest and shoulders were ready!
Handstand
This position is killer hard.
After so many years doing it, I can still only hold for just over 1 minute. I have to admit — I haven’t been practicing enough! So worry not, I’m not as beasty as I sound! I plan to work harder on this one and more now, as my life is settling down.
Place your hands one hand length from the wall, and swing up in reverse to the wall — hold as long as you can.
Break for 1 minute, repeat.
Doing two sets in a row breaks the muscles down more intensively, resulting in a stronger re-build.
2 sets are enough to start.
The Plank
I have to say, I love and hate the plank. Oh, it’s a challenge to hold it for a long, anytime. I used to do 10 x 2-minute sessions and 5-minute planks. I’m way off my best form at the moment. So I’m happy to nail 1.5 minutes x 2 or 3.
Today I did 2 sets only — time-related.
Get into a straight plank on your elbows and arms, hold until absolute exhaustion. Rest for 30-seconds and go again to your maximum
The 5-Minute Plank
The Wall-Sit
I have another love-hate relationship with the wall-sit. I always think it’s easy until I’m 45-seconds in and my legs start shaking more and more. This is when you must stay strong and not give up!
I aim for 1.5 minutes x 2 sets for now. I’ll aim for 3 x 2 minutes next.
Hell, in my pro-skiing days, I used to do this one for 5-minutes 3 times, easily! I was 18, sorry, not sorry!
Lean against a wall, take the sitting position with your hands hanging off the side, not resting on your lap.
Hold as long as you can. Repeat. I did 2 sets.
The Negative Push-Up
Now this one, well, it’s hard but GREAT. And it’s mighty to hold for any length of time if you’re not well trained.
Drop down in the classic push-up position, go all the way down and stay down, don’t move, stay as long as you can. If you can make it to 30-seconds, you’ve done great!
I managed to do 2 x 45 seconds today.
That’s the workout done — it felt great, I feel elevated and happy!
BUT, before I stopped, I added my favorite headstand pose.
The Headstand
While the headstand is tough to learn at first, once you master it, it’s kind of easy to hold for a long time. The longest I went before getting bored was 1 hour.
It’s an excellent workout for the neck, shoulders, and core, but the main reason I practice this is for focus, balance, calm, and meditation.
I try to finish every walk and workout with a meditative, calming headstand. Once I’ve completed this exercise, I’m super relaxed, positive, and motivated.
In Summary
It doesn’t matter if you’re in Bali or NYC in the winter, whether rain or shine or freezing cold outside, you can always get your time-saving super-micro-workouts done at home, the primal way!
It’s a matter of your attitude, desire, positivity, and focus.
However, there’s never a need to overdo it. Just do it, as you know who says! Just do something for your body every day!
Thanks for reading,
Rob
