6-Minute Low-Impact Workout #2

My goal is to show you how to get fit at home in six minutes, so I post workout videos from the comfort of my own home. These videos are not perfect, and I’m okay with that. This video is actually the third of a five-part series. However, it is my second 6-minute low-impact workout. It is a Tabata style workout that features 2 Low-Impact Exercises: Torso Twist and Standing Side Crunch

One round of Tabata is four minutes long. By adding a short warm-up and a quick cool down, we get a six-minute workout that will jumpstart your metabolism today…especially if you do the workout first thing in the morning.

Featured Exercises

Torso Twist

  • Stand with knees slightly bent and feet hip-width apart
  • Point elbows to the floor
  • Keep abs engages
  • Rotate from side to side
  • Options:
    • Stand still
    • Squat
    • Squat and add knee lift on every third twist*

Standing Side Crunch

  • Stand tall with feet hip-width apart
  • Lift right arm overhead to the left
  • Pull arm down while actively engaged the right obliques (side core muscles)
  • Repeat desired number of reps
  • Switch sides
  • Options:
    • Keep both feet on the floor
    • Lift right leg while crunching on right side
    • Place one hand behind head and opposite hand toward floor*

Next Week

There will be another 6-minute low-impact workout featuring different exercises.

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6-Minute Low-Impact Workout #1

My goal is to show you how to get fit at home in six minutes, so I post workout videos from the comfort of my own home. These videos are not perfect, and I’m okay with that. This video is actually the second of a five-part series. However, it is my first 6-minute low-impact workout. It is a Tabata style workout that features 2 Low-Impact Exercises: Speed Bag and Back Fat Blaster.

One round of Tabata is four minutes long. By adding a short warm-up and a quick cool down, we get a six-minute workout that will jumpstart your metabolism today…especially if you do the workout first thing in the morning.

Featured Exercises

Speed Bag

  • Stand tall will both arms raised overhead and up to the side
  • Keep abs engaged (stomach muscles pulled in tight)
  • Rotate your arms wrist over wrist toward the ceiling
  • Switch sides
  • Options:
    • Stand still
    • Squat
    • Shuffle
    • Bounce *

BackFat Blaster

  • Stand tall with arms up in the air like football goalposts
  • Slowly lower elbows toward ribs while adding resistance by squeezing muscles in the upper back
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stand still
    • Squat*
    • Jump Squat

Next Week

There will be another 6-minute low-impact workout featuring different exercises.

Follow Get Fit with Charity on FacebookPinterest and Instagram!

8 Low-Impact Exercises

As I said in a previous post, “Every exercise is not for every body!”

There are TONS of reasons why some people are unable to do a variety of high-impact exercises that are known to result in a high-calorie burn and significant weight loss. Sometimes they are recovering from an injury. Maybe they’re just starting their fitness journey.

Rest assured, you can still get a good workout by doing low-impact exercises.

This video is actually first in a five-part series, so let’s get to those exercises. The asterisk (*) in the options indicates the option featured in the video.

Upper Body Exercises

Speed Bag

  • Stand tall will both arms raised overhead and up to the side
  • Keep abs engaged (stomach muscles pulled in tight)
  • Rotate your arms wrist over wrist toward the ceiling
  • Switch sides
  • Options:
    • Stand still*
    • Squat
    • Shuffle

Back Fat Blaster

  • Stand tall with arms up in the air like football goalposts
  • Slowly lower elbows toward ribs while adding resistance by squeezing muscles in the upper back
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stand still*
    • Squat
    • Jump Squat

Core Exercises

Torso Twist

  • Stand with knees slightly bent and feet hip-width apart
  • Point elbows to the floor
  • Keep abs engages
  • Rotate from side to side
  • Options:
    • Stand still*
    • Squat
    • Squat and add knee lift on every third twist

Side Cruncher

  • Stand tall with feet hip-width apart
  • Lift right arm overhead to the left
  • Pull arm down while actively engaged the right obliques (side core muscles)
  • Repeat desired number of reps
  • Switch sides
  • Options:
    • Keep both feet on the floor*
    • Lift right leg while crunching on right side

Lower Body Exercises

One-Legged Jumping Jacks

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides
  • Step out to the side with one leg while raising arms up in the air
  • Step leg back to starting position while lowering arms back to sides
  • Options:
    • Lift arms only as high as your shoulders
    • Lift arms all the way up as if doing jumping jacks*
    • Kick legs out to the sides

Side Leg Lift

  • Stand with feet together and hands on hips
  • Lift one leg out to the side
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Hold onto a chair for balance
    • Lift leg in air and return foot to floor
    • Lift leg in the air and lower foot without letting it touch the floor

Rear Leg Lift

  • Stand with feet together and hands on hips
  • Lift one leg to the back
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Hold onto a chair for balance
    • Lift leg in air and return foot to floor
    • Lift leg in the air and lower foot without letting it touch the floor

Chair Squats

  • Place chair directly behind you
  • Perform squatting motion
  • Return to standing position when you feel the chair on your legs

The Next Steps

In the coming weeks, I will post four different Tabata style workouts based on these exercises.

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6-Minute Gliding Disc Workout #4

This is the final video of a five-part series. However, it is the fourth Tabata style workout that features two Gliding Disk exercises: plank push-ups and the inchworm.

One round of Tabata is actually four minutes long. By adding a short warm-up and a quick cool down, we get a six-minute workout that will jump-start your metabolism… especially if you do this workout first thing in the morning.

Plank Push-up

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your hands
  • Slide right hand out to the side while performing the down phase of a push-up
  • Slide right hand back to the center while performing the up phase of a push-up
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate arms*
    • Rest on knees instead of remaining on your feet *

Inchworm

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Keep your legs straight and slide your feet as close to your hands as possible
  • Walk your hands out to the starting position
  • Repeat
  • Options:
    • Slide legs forward and slide legs back*
    • Walk hands toward feet and slide legs back
    • Slide legs forward and walk hands out

Next Week…

I’ll start a brand new series!

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6-Minute Gliding Disc Workout #3

This is the fourth video is a five-part series. However, it is the third Tabata style workout that features two Gliding Disk exercises: mountain climbers and up/down planks

One round of Tabata is actually four minutes long By adding a short warm-up and a quick cool down, we get a six-minute workout that will jumpstart your metabolism…especially if you do this workout first thing in the morning.

This is a tough workout, folks! But it’s totally worth it.

Featured Exercises

Mountain Climbers

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend your knees and slide them toward your chest and back one at a time
  • Options:
    • Slide knees to the center toward the chest one at a time*
    • Slide R knee to L elbow then L knee to R elbow

Up/Down Plank

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend right arm and left arm to lower into elbow plank
  • Straighten arms to return to straight arm plank
  • Options:
    • Start in elbow plank and transition to straight arm plank
    • Start in straight arm plank and transition to elbow plank*
    • Perform a push-up while in straight arm plank, then transition to elbow plank

Next Week…

I’ll feature that last two gliding disk exercises in the last six-minute workout of this series.

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6-Minute Gliding Disk Work Out #2

This video is actually the third of a five-part series. However, it is my second 6-minute gliding disc workout. It is a Tabata style workout that features 2 Gliding Disk Exercises: knee tucks and slide crunch.

One round of Tabata is four minutes long. By adding a short warm-up and a quick cool down, we get a six-minute workout that will jumpstart your metabolism today…especially if you do the workout first thing in the morning.

Featured Exercises

Knee Tucks

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend both knees simultaneously and slide them toward your chest
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Slide knees to the center toward the chest*
    • Alternate knees to right elbow then left after returning to starting position
    • Slide knees to the right-start, center-start, left-start, center-start, and repeat
Mermaid pose.

Sliding Side Crunch

  • Sit in a “mermaid” pose with right leg in front
  • Extend right arm to the floor with a gliding disk under your hand
  • Slide to the right, maintaining your balance
  • Return to starting position
  • Switch to the left side

Next Week

I’ll feature two more gliding disk exercises in another six-minute workout.

Follow Get Fit with Charity on FacebookPinterest and Instagram!

6-Minute Gliding Disk Work Out #1

This video is actually the second of a five-part series. However, it is my first 6-minute gliding disc workout. It is a Tabata style workout that features 2 Gliding Disk Exercises: Wax On/Wax Off and Gliding Jacks.

One round of Tabata is four minutes long. By adding a short warm-up and a quick cool down, we get a six-minute workout that will jumpstart your metabolism today…especially if you do the workout first thing in the morning.

This is a tough workout, but it’s a quick one.

Featured Exercises

Wax On/Wax Off

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your hands
  • Transfer weight to left hand and both feet
  • Draw a circle on the floor with the right hand
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate arms*
    • Rest on knees instead of remaining on your feet

Gliding Jacks

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Slide right hand out to the side
  • Slide right hand back to the starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate legs
    • Move both legs out and in at the same time*

Next Week

I’ll feature two more gliding disk exercises in another six-minute workout.

Follow Get Fit with Charity on FacebookPinterest and Instagram!

Eight Gliding Disk Exercises

Eight Gliding Disk Exercises

In my last video, which was posted AGES ago, I told you about the five things you absolutely must-have in your home gym…which is simply the place where you get fit at home. Today I’m going to talk about 8 gliding disk exercises that you can do at home.

There are two upper body exercises, three lower body exercises, and three core exercises. Even though we’re will target specific body regions, so to speak, you will be able to feel all of these exercises in your core. For that reason, it is very important for you to keep your core engage while you are performing these. In order words, suck in your gut like you’re trying to get your belly button to meet your spine.

This video is actually first in a five-part series, so let’s get to those exercises. The asterisk (*) in the options indicates the option featured in the video.

Upper Body Exercises

Wax On/Wax Off

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your hands
  • Transfer weight to left hand and both feet
  • Draw a circle on the floor with the right hand
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate arms*
    • Rest on knees instead of remaining on your feet

Plank Push-up

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your hands
  • Slide right hand out to the side while performing the down phase of a push-up
  • Slide right hand back to the center while performing the up phase of a push-up
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate arms*
    • Rest on knees instead of remaining on your feet

Lower Body Exercises

Gliding Jacks

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Slide right hand out to the side
  • Slide right hand back to the starting position
  • Options:
    • Stay on one side to complete continuous reps
    • Alternate legs
    • Move both legs out and in at the same time*

Knee Tucks

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend both knees simultaneously and slide them toward your chest
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Slide knees to the center toward the chest*
    • Alternate knees to right elbow then left after returning to starting position
    • Slide knees to the right-start, center-start, left-start, center-start, and repeat

Mountain Climbers

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend your knees and slide them toward your chest and back one at a time
  • Options:
    • Slide knees to the center toward the chest one at a time*
    • Slide R knee to L elbow then L knee to R elbow

Core Exercises

Up/Down Plank

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Bend right arm and left arm to lower into elbow plank
  • Straighten arms to return to straight arm plank
  • Options:
    • Start in elbow plank and transition to straight arm plank
    • Start in straight arm plank and transition to elbow plank*
    • Perform a push-up while in straight arm plank, then transition to elbow plank

Inchworm

  • Start in a straight arm plank position with weight evenly distributed
  • Keep gliding disks under your feet
  • Keep your legs straight and slide your feet as close to your hands as possible
  • Walk your hands out to the starting position
  • Repeat
  • Options:
    • Slide legs forward and slide legs back
    • Walk hands toward feet and slide legs back
    • Slide legs forward and walk hands out*

Sliding Side Crunch

  • Sit in a “mermaid” pose with right leg in front
  • Extend right arm to the floor with a gliding disk under your hand
  • Slide to the right, maintaining your balance
  • Return to starting position
  • Switch to the left side

The Next Steps

In the coming weeks, I will post four different Tabata style workouts based on these exercises.

Follow Get Fit with Charity on FacebookPinterest and Instagram!

Five Must-Haves for Your “Home Gym”

Welcome to the first video blog for Get Fit with Charity! I’m Charity, and before I get too far ahead, I want to sincerely thank you for joining me on this fitness journey! As you probably know, my goal is to show you how to get fit in the comfort of your home without using a lot of equipment. In the future, video blogs will consist of me either showing you bodyweight exercises or leading you through Tabata workouts. Today’s vlog, will be more informative as I talk about five things you simply must have for your home gym.

You can see that I’m sitting in my “home gym”, which doubles as my living room. Your “home gym” doesn’t have to be your living room. It can be your basement, your den, your guest bedroom, your garage, or any other space in your home that is large enough for you to workout and do jumping jacks, lunges, squats and a variety of other bodyweight exercises.

As we’re getting ready to start working out together…in our respective homes, of course…there are five items you simply must have either for the sake of comfort or in order to add resistance or help intensify your workout.

Yoga Mat

The first item that you’ll need is a yoga mat. This will serve as a cushion if you’re on a hard surface, and it will protect you from rug burns if you’re working out on a carpeted surface.

Water Bottle

Second, you’ll want a water bottle. Although most of our workouts will be about six-minutes, there will be times when you break a sweat. It’ll be a good idea for you to have a water bottle handy, so you can stay hydrated.

Towel

This third item will be really useful if you do sweating; it’s a towel. You don’t need anything large, but you may want something to make sure you not dripping on your mat or the floor.

Figure 8 Tubing

The fourth thing you’ll need is a little piece of equipment that provides an awesome alternative to weight. It’s called Figure 8 tubing, and it can be used to add resistance to both upper body and lower body exercises.

Gliding Disks/Core Sliders

The fifth and final item that you’ll need is easily my most favorite piece of equipment because of its versatility. These gliding disks can be used for upper body, lower body, and core exercises. In fact, the majority of the exercises that you do with gliding disks will require you to engage your core. You can purchase gliding disks to use on hard surfaces or carpeted surfaces. I would actually recommend double-sided gliding disks, like these because you can use flip them over depending on what surface you’ll be using. If you have a slab in your basement but decide to work out in your carpeted den one day, you’re totally set.

Where Can You Find The Stuff?

I didn’t want you scouring the internet trying to find all of these things, so I’ve added some items from Amazon to help you stock up your home gym ASAP.

The Next Steps

Stay tuned for some new workout videos on YouTube. I will show you some of my favorite bodyweight exercises using both the Figure 8 Tubing and the gliding disks. Then I’ll take you through a couple of Tabata workouts geared specifically to each item.

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