This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
It is part of my human make up that means I join a gym with a great deal of enthusiasm and then it all wears off. I always have an excuse for why I cannot go and do my daily workout.
So when into my inbox came an email telling me I could have toned arms in 14 days with a daily 5 minute workout I was hooked. I mean as we get older our arms lose any sort of tone and become like wobbly jellies accompanied by dimpled skin. Who wouldn’t want to change that.
DailyOM
The course, Go Sleeveless in 14 days, is from DailyOM and you pay £10, £20 or £30 for a daily email with a new set of exercises. The payment is down to you. All you need is a set of hand weights and some willpower. Even I can manage 5 minutes a day!
I have now completed the course in 18 days – I missed a few days! My arms are definitely more toned but not quite ready to go sleeveless so I think I will carry on doing it but maybe with 2kg weights. The videos are very easy to follow and as each day is different you don’t get bored.
I am now going to try Lean Legs and Thin Thighs in 14 days with the same teacher, Sarah Proctor. Or perhaps her course Be Abtastic in 7 days. That would be a miracle – she clearly has not seen my abs or lack of!
8Fit
The other work out that a girlfriend introduced me too is an app called 8fit. Although the app is free, it offers a pro plan for hardcore users that are willing to receive customised meal plans, help from a personal coach and additional workouts. Pro plans cost $25 (approx. £19) every 3 months or $60 (approx. £46) annually.
I went for the free app and again I followed a daily course set to a choice of music genres with warm up and cool down exercises included. You can choose from the type of course that you want – I chose one for cardio. The session takes 15 minutes which is again a time that you can surely fit in to your day. All you need is a mat and maybe a Swiss ball. Some of the exercises will utilise a chair or a table but again no expensive equipment.
Below is a video for the 10 minute HIIT cardio workout. I have not done this one but I am getting there!
If you go for the pro plan you will also receive daily recipes for all of your meals. I have given these a test too. They are excellent particularly the breakfast ones which I do after my Daily OM and 8fit sessions. However I am not doing the whole pro plan as I feel I don’t want to set myself impossible goals.
I have only missed doing these exercises on a couple of occasions. I even did them went I was away as they were on my iPhone. So my gym goes with me everywhere!
I have cancelled my gym membership and this is now my focus. Considering I am the most undisciplined person when it comes to exercise it has been a huge success.
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