Valentine’s Day is about celebrating the one you love—and I think that should include YOURSELF!
Many of my clients over the years have been moms who have shifted their focus from themselves to their families, losing that precious time to indulge in a good workout, read a book, or just spend time alone enjoying peace and quiet. While it’s important to recognize the relationships with your friends, families and significant others, it’s also essential to nurture the relationship you have with yourself in order to be the strongest YOU in every role you play.
So before you make your way to that dinner reservation, or dive into an evening of chocolate and champagne, take a little YOU time to get your body and mind in the perfect mood for company. You only need an hour.
Start by putting on an outfit that makes you feel GOOD about your body. That’s right, you’re on a date with yourself, so dress the part. Wear a bright colored top, or the pants that make your booty look good. Set the mood with a little music. Make a playlist of songs that you enjoy—or listen to a book on tape or podcast if you want to feed the mind with an interesting narrative.
Next, get creative. We don’t want to bog down the moment with too much structure, so we’re going to do a loose version of a circuit-training workout that will get you moving enough to burn some calories, but slow you down long enough to sneak some toning in, too.
Begin by warming up for 10 minutes with a brisk walk or easy jog. After that, alternate between 10 minutes of cardio and 5 minutes of strength/toning until you’ve gone for 50 minutes. Use the last 10 minutes to cool down with an easy walk for 5 minutes, and some stretching for the last 5 minutes. Below is a sample workout to fill your time. The important thing is to have fun with this!
0:00-10:00 min: Warm-up
10:00-20:00 min: Fast-paced run (fast enough that you can’t talk while you do it); jump-roping; dancing; jumping jacks, burpees, or any combination of these cardio movements that lasts for 10 minutes.
20:00-25:00 min: Do 1:00 min plank, switch to side plank left for 1:00 min, then to side plank right for 1:00 min, then back to regular plank for 2:00 min
25:00-35:00 min: Repeat cardio from before, or substitute new movements in
35:00-40:00 min: Do 1:00 min of squats, drop to the floor for 1:00 min of push-ups, then back up for 1:00 min of right leg lunges, then 1:00 min of left leg lunges.
40:00-50:00 min: Do one more cardio session and push it hard until the cool down
50:00-60:00 min: Cool-down
60:00 min – ?: Go warm-up again ; )