Do These 3 Exercises for a Quick Cardio Blast in 15 Minutes or Less!
As busy humans we’re all about making the most of our time. If you’ve been around here, you know I’m a BIG fan of exercise snacking. More on that here.
Cardio exercise has many benefits including improvements in sleep, it’s great for mental health, it strengthens your heart, improves lung capacity, supports your immune system, and our favorite, it naturally boosts energy! Who doesn’t need a quick jolt midafternoon to get you refocused and back on task? Try these 3 exercises for a quick cardio blast you can do anywhere.
Squat Jumps – To do this exercise start in a wide squat with feet further than hip distance apart toes facing forward. Start with your hands by your shoulders. When you jump press your hands back past your hips, click your heels together up in the air, and land back in your wide squat. Repeat this 10x and move on to the next exercise.
Lunge Hops – For this exercise, start with feet together at the top of your mat (if you’re using one.) Take one leg back and sink down into your lunge. Hands come to a running position, opposite arm forward. The other arm will go back, and you will use it to drive you higher in your jump. Now, push through the front heel to jump into the air, switching arms on the way and driving your back knee towards your chin (think high knees). Land on the same leg and send the same leg back into the starting lunge position. Repeat 10x on each side, and then move on to the next exercise.
Lateral Lunge with Passé – For this one, start in first position. Legs together, heels together, toes slightly turned out making a triangle shape. Arms stay down by your hips until you begin to move. Relax the shoulders. Take the outside leg and move into a lateral lunge with arms going out into a T shape parallel to the floor. Push through the lunge leg into a Passé, toe of the outside leg meets the knee of the standing leg while both arms move overhead in fifth position. Return to the lateral lunge and repeat 10x each side.
These 3 moves definitely bring the heat when it comes to maximizing your time for big results. If you finish all 3 moves in less than 15 minutes run through the sequence again. See how far you can get, and then document your progress over time if you’re really going for gold here. Otherwise, keep it short and sweet and know that this intentional movement is doing great things for your mind and body.
If you need some extra support, check out MOVE, Our Signature Program. This is where accountability and 1:1 connection create sustainable results through joyful movement that fits into your day.
