2 weeks, 5 minutes.

Picture from Pixabay.com, a creative commons website.

It’s two weeks before the big formal event with fancy dresses and bow ties, and you want to look your best. You don’t have the time to go to the gym between work, school, and you’re just plain tired at the end of the day, but those five minutes of commercials is just enough time to crank out a workout and drop that excess weight. We all hate watching the commercials and most of the time we switch the channel or get up to use the bathroom so why not use that time wisely and feel good about it later.

Here are my top ten exercise moves to help me lose weight and spend less time working out and more time feeling good.

2 weeks, 5 minutes, 10 moves workout. (Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds.)

Push yourself to do as many as you can, and everyday do more than you did the day before because change happens when you push to be better. Tip: try not to rest in between sets to get the full effect of the workout.

1. Burpees

• Burpees are a full body exercise that works your arms, legs, core, butt, and back. It’s a form of strength and cardio helping to blast fat away.
• How to: In a standing position, start with your arms above your head, jump as high as you can coming back down into a squat position. From there, you jump back into a push up position balancing on your hands and toes. Then you jump back into a squat position and jump straight up with hands above your head repeating the process for 30 seconds.
• For more advanced: Once you enter the push up position, do a push up and then jump back into the squat position. This will work more muscles and burn more calories.

2. Jumping jacks

• The traditional jumping jack can be a very effective exercise in losing weight. It’s a form of cardio working the entire body.
• How to: Start with your feet together and arms by your sides. Jump outward moving your legs apart about shoulder-width or wider. As you are jumping, raise your arms outward and straight up above your head, forming a star. Then jumping back into the starting position moving arms and legs outward and down to the sides.

3. Mountain Climbers

• Mountain climbers are good for your core, legs, and back. It also works that unwanted bra fat that bungees under our arms.
• How to: On your stomach, raise up onto your hands and toes. Bring your right leg up towards your chest, tap the ground with your toe, and move it back to start position. Repeat this with the left leg, alternating back and forth between legs for 30 seconds.

4. 30 second plank with leg raises

• Planks work the core and the back, but it can be very effective with the whole body. Adding leg raises will increase the workout pushing you to be better.
• How to: Lying on your stomach, raise up onto your hands and toes keeping your arms and legs straight. Then, raise the left leg and the right arm together up and straight as high as you can, and return to start position. Do the same with the right leg and left arm, returning to start position, and repeating the process for the 30 seconds.

5. Jump Squats

• Jump squats are like regular squats, but they incorporate a little more cardio. They work the butt, love handles, core, and legs.
• How to: Standing with your feet slightly further than shoulder-width, and knee bent, squat down with you butt back as far as you can. CAUTION: Your knees should NOT come past your toes when you squat down. Then, pushing yourself upward, jump up as high as you can go stretching your arms above your head. Once landed, continue into squatting and jumping for 30 seconds.
• For beginners: You may take out the jump. but continue to raise your arms above the head as you stand up. Try to keep a steady fast pace, and make sure you squat down as far as you can.

6. Jumping Lunges

• Jumping lunges work the butt, legs, core, and those unwanted love handles. This modified version incorporates more cardio helping to blast fat away.
• How to: Stand with one foot in front of the other, and bending at the knees, touch the back knee to the floor. Then jump up switching legs forward to back, and back to forward, landing and lunges again. Make sure your knee doesn’t come past your toe. Repeat this for 30 seconds doing as many as you can.
• For beginners: You may quickly switch legs when alternating between lunges taking out the jump keeping a steady pace.

7. Push ups

• Push ups are a great way to work the whole body because it targets not just the arms, but the core and back as well.
• How to: Lying on your stomach, raise up onto your hands and toes. Then, lower yourself down bending at the elbows, but not touching the floor and pushing yourself back up. Continue this for the 3o seconds.
• For beginners: You may place your knees onto the ground in a modified version keeping your back flat and lowering yourself at the elbows.

8. Supermans

• When working your core, you also want to work your back as well so you don’t have any injuries. Supermans work your lower back and love handles.
• How to: Lie down on your stomach reaching out your arms above your head and your legs straight behind you. Raising your arms and legs as high as you can straight up and back down without resting on the floor. Continue raising up and down of the arms and legs for the 30 seconds.
• For more advanced: Try lifting the right arm and the left leg. Then switch to left arm and right leg lifting them as high as you can. Alternate for 30 seconds.

9. Sit ups

• Sit ups are a great way to work the core and back. It also works the lower and upper parts of the abs at once.
• How to: Lie down on your back and knees bent. With your arms by your side, sit straight up all the way, and slowly lower yourself back down keeping the muscles tight. Continue doing sit ups for 30 seconds doing as many as you can.

10. Leg lifts

• Leg lifts work that stubborn lower belly fat that we all struggle to lose. This exercise works the core, back, and legs.
• How to: Lying on your back arms at your sides and legs straight out, lift your legs straight up making a 90 degree angle at the hips. Then, slowly lower your legs back down without resting on the floor. Continue raising and lowering your legs for 30 seconds.

To improve weight loss and performance levels, I recommend increasing the amount of reps each day always doing more each time. Also, when you feel comfortable as though you are not doing as much work as you think you should, you should increase the amount of time for each exercise because staying the same never changes anyone. Results take time, but the more work you put in, the better the results will be.

Good luck!

For more exercises, check it out here at shape.com.

If you like my workout, check out fitness blender for more moves and workout plans to burning fat and toning up to get you beach body ready.