A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I had a health blog with a lot of friends creating content with me. After I wrote Love Beyond Looks, I realized it was too much pressure to try and keep up the health blog along with raising my first daughter. I wanted to spend any extra time I had in long form writing, and the blog felt like a distraction.

I transferred it over to someone to take over, but the payment lapsed and Word Press wiped all the content. The site support told me it was too late to recover the content. I thought everything was gone. I grieved for a minute, and then realized, I’m still here, God is still sustaining me, let the past be the past and let us press on to know Christ!

That was five years ago.

I hopped on Pinterest to see if I still had my old account, and turns out I did! People were still pinning images and trying to get the content that was no longer there. Veva Health is now a Vietnamese website, so you might be disappointed if you try and go there. I found the links through Pinterest, and used the website WayBack Machine to find screen shots of the old content, so now I’m transferring the content over here! I rediscovered the value of investing in a blog over social media, because if you want to find anything nowadays you Google, go to Pinterest, or Youtube.

This is me unearthing what I think is still incredibly relevant: providing practical resources that can give us more ideas and opportunities to move in new ways, to discover the joy of movement within the constraints of our lives and what we have been given.

We may not feel like we have an hour to workout, or even 30 minutes, so I’ve provided a few 10-minute effective workouts to squeeze in as a warm-up before work, before you get your day started, or in between the craziness to release stress and increase energy.

These are primarily suited best for those who want to be fit and ready for their day, for those who want to get it done and make it count. This described what I call The Hero exerciser persona from my book Move for Joy. If you want to find out what kind of exerciser you are, take the quiz!

However you may be feeling today, enjoy these vintage workouts and all the low-tech video and cheesy background music!

10-Minute DIY Agility Ladder Workout

Have you ever used an agility ladder? I really like them because you can improve your agility by working-out inside the lines, and I’m a color-inside-the-lines kind of kid. Agility ladders are also very portable exercise tools with so many different exercise options. I love playing around with the possibilities.

I don’t actually have an agility ladder, but what I do have is tape and a back deck! You can make your own too with some strips of tape evenly spaced on any floor in your house or workspace (well, maybe you shouldn’t make one in your boss’ office), and instantly transform it into an agility ladder zone. I bet you even have a roll of tape at your house, but use gentle tape that comes up easily, like masking tape or washi tape.

This workout is quick enough to do on a work break, with your kid before they get into trouble, or in the morning to get your day started right. See the printable below and the video for real-time instructions!

2. HIIT Medicine Ball Workout

I used a small 6-pound medicine ball for this workout, but you can use any size ball that you can easily hold (so not a huge stability ball). The extra weight of the med mall increases the resistance, which is better for your muscles and bones!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Medicine ball or other ball
Mat
Water

HOW TO DO THE WORKOUT

Do each move for 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off. I use the Interval Timer app to keep track of my time. Rest for 1 minute, then do another round. Go for 2 rounds to stay under 10 minutes, or 5 rounds to make it 20! Perform moves with good form, then go as fast as you can while maintaining form. Here’s a video to demonstrate each of the 5 moves:

Med Ball Swings To Tricep Kickback
Front Lunge To Overhead Hold
Rolling Push-ups
Ab Toe Taps
Wide Superman Med Ball Rolls
*The image below says “20 Minute,” but you can easily make it 10 minutes by doing 2 rounds instead of 5.

3. 10-Minute HIIT Football Workout

Channel your favorite football team with this one. Can be done on a field to get your head in the game, or in your living room to keep it real.

30 seconds each, repeat 5x for 10 minutes

Quick feet + drop
10 backpedals and pretend throw, 10 foot forward sprint and land in a squat
Plank, popup to squat
Lateral high knees

4. 10-Minute Low Impact Bodyweight Workout

Do the following compound exercises as fast as you can maintaining proper form for one minute, two rounds to make ten minutes. This one is great for travel since it’s bodyweight!

Squat Marches: Get down low in a squat and march those feet
Lunge to Extension: Reverse lunge with arms overhead, then transfer your weight on the front foot, reach forward and extend the back leg. Switch.
Single Leg Lat Pull-Down: Start standing with arms overhead, then squeeze your elbows back and down, pulling your shoulder blades together as you lift an extended leg forward.
Tricep Dip to Toe Touch: Start with fingers pointed toward heels, lower yourself to the ground, bending at the elbows, then raise up and touch the opposite toe. Switch.
Pushup to Bird Dog: On all fours, pushup then extend opposite leg and arm. Switch.

5. 10 Minute Stairmaster Workout

I get bored at the gym if I’m just doing some kind of steady state cardio, so I switch it up a lot. I’ll do a workout on the stairmaster, then jump to the rower and do 4 minutes of the fish game (please tell me you’ve heard of the fish game…my top score is 1300 btw), and do some high intensity intervals on the treadmill, so it’s not the dreadmill. By the end of all this, I’m sweaty, soaring from a runner’s high, and so excited to go get my little one from childcare.

There are lots of benefits to stairclimbing. I know it might sound super boring, just climbing stairs and getting nowhere, but this machine really gets my heart rate up! In addition to an awesome glute burner you get as you work against gravity, you can take your arms off the sides if you feel comfortable to get in a core workout . Kristin from Stuft Mama wrote a blog post about the benefits of stair climbing:

THERE’S LESS IMPACT INVOLVED SO LESS PRESSURE PLACED ON THE ANKLES AND KNEES (AND IT’S EASIER ON THE HIPS). YOU CAN BURN MORE CALORIES IN LESS TIME WITH STAIR CLIMBING. THIS ARTICLE SAYS YOU BURN TWICE THE FAT IN HALF THE TIME THAN IF YOU RUN AND THREE TIMES THAN IF YOU WERE TO WALK.

So if you’re still not convinced, just try it out and let me know how you feel afterwards!

6. 10 Minute Stretch and Release

This is a great one to do in the morning to wake up those stiff limbs and move in all planes and directions as a reminder of your freedom!

DISCLAIMER

Exercise at your own risk! Please consult with a qualified medical professional before beginning any exercise program. Always start at a beginner level and then move up to something that challenges you, but don’t push yourself beyond your own limits.

Want More Workouts Fit for You?

If you’ve taken the quiz to find out what kind of exerciser you are, awesome! But you’re probably wondering, what next? How should I exercise going forward? These are great for the Hero, as explained in Move for Joy. I recommend buying the book because it will help you discover the why behind your workout to help you discover your own what.

But if you need more coaching, my grace fueled dietitian friend Aubrey Golbek and I are creating a course called Joyful Health: Eat well. Move free. By grace. We will help you ditch the diets and discover how to eat and exercise in the joy of the Lord’s strength. She will be providing nutrition guidance and I will be giving you lots of different workouts and help you can choose what’s right for you. Sign up to get on the waiting list here!

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