Is a 20 Minute Workout Worth It?
Is a 20 minute workout worth it?
Spoiler alert.......YES!!!
ANYTHING is better than nothing.
You can actually change your body and build muscle with a few 20 minute workouts a week.
Watch the video to learn a bit more.
Workout: So What If We’re Square?
Time: 45 - 60 minutes
Equipment Needed: A stopwatch and cones/markers
Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes
Timed:
Complete as many cycles through as possible in 10 minutes.
10 Modified V-Ups
8 Floppy Burpees
6 Inchworms
1 - 3 minutes Rest
Squares:
Set up square with each side about 30 feet apart from each other.
Perform the following exercises around the ENTIRE square… BUT make sure to complete 5 sit-ups at EACH corner before moving on.
Groucho ½ forward and ½ backwards
Shuffle (½ face left and ½ face right)
Grapevine (½ face left and ½ face right)
Quick feet! (pretend you are on hot coals)
Sprint
1 - 3 minutes Rest
High Knees
Butt Kicks
Skipping with High Knees (bounding)
Jog Backwards
Bear Crawl
Sprint
1 - 3 minutes Rest
Core:
Complete 2 sets.
45 sec Plank
45 sec Alternating Quadruped
30 - 45 seconds of Reverse Crunches
30 - 45 seconds of Scissor Kicks
30 - 45 seconds of Spiderman Plank
Cool Down and Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes
Workout by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by Zdyma4 from Getty Images
Recipe: Banana Nut Muffins
Muffins for breakfast? They can be a healthy choice when they are packed with nutrients like the muffins in this recipe.
Servings: Makes 12
Ingredients:
⅓ cup gluten-free rolled oats
4 large ripe bananas, mashed
3 large eggs
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup nut butter of your choice
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp each baking soda and baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line cups of a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a blender, spice mill or food processor, grind the oats until they turn into a flour-like consistency. Set aside
In a large bowl, blend bananas, eggs, coconut, vanilla and nut butter until combined. Add the oat flour, spices, baking soda and powder and salt and continue to mix.
Fold in the nuts.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and bake about 15-18 minutes. You will know they are done when a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from the tin to continue cooling.
Recipe by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by martince2 from Getty Images
Three Back Strengthening Exercises You Can Do Without Getting on The Floor
Hello, humans.
My name is Saara Haapanen. I'm the owner of Performance is Haapanen, the creator of moveatworkchallenge.com, and I give you a happier and healthier body at work.
Today, I'm going to show you three exercises you can do without getting on the ground to help strengthen your back.
Strengthening Exercises for Back Pain
Back pain is one of the biggest complaints I get from all of my humans.
For these three exercises you won't need anything. You can do them right now.
I actually encourage you to stand up and follow along with me. You can do so by watching the video, or reading below, this will take you less than five minutes and you'll feel better I promise.
What Are My Rules?
Never go into or through pain
And smile :-)
Standing Back Exercises
1. Good Morning
The first one we're going to do is a good morning.
So, you're going to put your hands on your head. We're going to bend our knees just a little bit, so we have soft knees. We're only going to be hinging at the hips.
Our hands are going to go on your head. We're going to squeeze our shoulder blades together. Our belly button is pulled in. Our spine stays flat.
You're going to tip forward until you're almost parallel to the ground. Then you're going to come back up.
You're going to keep that soft bend in your knees and you're going to feel this all the way up and down your spine. We're going to do about 10 of these. Of course, you can always do more if that's what you want, if you feel like that's what your body needs.
Make sure you squeeze your shoulder blades together. We don't want a hunchback here. The flattest back you ever did see.
2. Shoulder Blade Squeeze
This next move, I want you to pretend there's something like a pencil or a marker right in between your shoulder blades and you're going to pinch it.
You're going to reach out in front of you and then we're going to pull back. We're going to pinch it three times and then reach out in front.
While you are here, I want you to squeeze your cheeks together, (not the ones on your face). Pull your belly button in, and slightly tilt your pelvis forward.
Are you doing all that? You're getting bonus abs! You're welcome.
We'll do ten rounds of these and then we're going to do a little bonus at the end.
Keep squeezing those cheeks together. Keep pulling that belly button in, more like you're getting punched versus trying to put on skinny jeans.
On your final one, hold it back and do 20 little pulses. Squeeze those cheeks!
3. IYT Back Strengthening Exercises
This next exercise is going to get all the way up and down your spine.
You're going to tip over, super flat back again. Think about pinching those shoulder blades, pull that belly button in, and tip over. Arms stay straight.
You're going to reach your arms up to the ceiling, staying narrow. I call this the letter I.
Bring your arms back down, thumbs stay facing up and then reach your arms up to ceiling, a little wider in the shape of the letter Y.
Bring them back down. Thumbs stay facing up, and reach your arms up and out to the side to form the letter T.
My neck is long. I'm looking straight down. I, Y, T.
We're going to do 10 of those. It's actually 30 when I say 10, because there's three moves.
If it helps, you can think about pinching that pencil in between your shoulder blades every time.
You should have a beautiful burning sensation along your spine, which is different than pain. You are going for endurance and that "work feeling".
Join the Move at Work Challenge
As always, I'm so proud of you for doing something for you today and taking care of your body, because it's the one and only place you have to live.
If you're interested in this or you think your company would love to have Move at Work, I encourage you to visit moveatworkchallenge.com.
I would love to see you here again soon.
Interested in learning more moves to strengthen your back? Check out these dumbbell back strengthening exercises.
Workout: Tabata Time… Then It’s All Going Down!
Time: 45 - 60 minutes
Equipment Needed: A stopwatch, dumbbells, and a bench/chair.
Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes
Tabatas:
Tabata exercises need to be complete 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 2 minutes (not 4 minutes).
Example: for the 1st Tabata: 20 seconds reverse lunges (left leg), 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds revers lunges (right), 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds reverse lunges (left), 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds reverse lunges (right), 10 seconds rest…. For a total of 20 minutes.
Recover 45 seconds between EACH Tabataand then REPEAT Tabata 1 - 4.
Tabata #1:
Reverse Lunges (left)
Reverse Lunges (right)
Tabata #2:
Presses (left)
Presses (right)
Tabata #3:
Overhead Triceps Presses
Mountain Climbers
Tabata #4:
Rows (left)
Rows (right)
¼ mile Recovery Run
Going Down:
Complete ladder from 10 → 1.
Complete 10 reps of each exercise, then 9 reps of each, then 8, and so on until they reach 1 rep of each exercise!
Pistol Squat Negatives (over a bench if necessary)
Dips
Rest as needed.
Finisher:
Finish with a 2 minute set of Tabata sprints!
Cool Down and Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes
Workout by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by EmirMemedovski from Getty Images Signature
Recipe: Baked Zucchini Chips
These veggie chips take a little investment in time, but they are simple, healthy and very tasty – definitely worth the effort.
Here’s a tip: set a timer for every 30 minutes so you can check on their progress and flip them over as needed so they crisp up properly. Depending on how thick you slice them and how hydrated each zucchini is, some chips might be ready sooner than others.
Ingredients:
3-4 washed zucchini, sliced about ⅛-inch thin (you can use a mandolin for this)
2-3 tbsp olive, almond or melted coconut oil
Salt, pepper, and/or spices like rosemary and thyme, to taste
Directions:
Place the zucchini slices in a single layer on paper towel for about 20 minutes so they dry out a bit. Pat off any excess moisture, then place the slices in a large bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet (or two, depending how many slices your zucchinis yield) or use cooking spray. Place the zucchini slices in a single layer on the sheets.
Bake for 2 to 2½ hours, checking regularly to make sure they’re cooking evenly, until the chips are crisp.
Recipe by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by tataks from Getty Images
Workout: Burpee Heaven (or Hell)
Time: 30 - 45 minutes
Equipment Needed: A Partner!
Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes
Grab a Partner:
One person holds any type of plank they want to (straight arm, side, forearm, etc…) while the other person does 40 regular burpees (NOT floppy). Complete 3 rounds (each person needs to complete 3 rounds of burpees and 3 rounds of planks).
Rest as long as needed.
Individual Challenge:
Complete 2 rounds of the following exercises.
10 Rainbows
20 Pull-Overs
30 Push-ups
40 Wipers
¼ mile Run
Rest as Needed.
Finisher:
3 Sets of 10 Hip Bridges
Cool Down and Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes
Workout by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by vadiar from Getty Images
Recipe: Thai Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
This colorful soup is packed with good-for-you ingredients … and it tastes amazing!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves grated garlic
2 tablespoons curry paste
1-2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot sauce (the more, the spicier!)
3 peeled and diced sweet potatoes
2 cups peeled and diced carrots
3 cups low-salt vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup light coconut milk
½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Optional: Lime wedge and goat cheese
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the garlic, ginger, curry paste and hot sauce. Saute for another couple minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes and carrots, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Mix together well so the vegetables are well-coated and then pour in the broth.
Bring the mixture to a boil, before reducing to low. Simmer for 25 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
Remove from the heat, and carefully use an immersion/stick blender to puree the soup. You also can use a high-speed blender to puree the soup in batches, being careful to avoid backsplash.
Return to the pot and stir in the coconut milk, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the soup topped with an optional lime wedge and sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. This also tastes great with a little goat cheese stirred in.
Recipe by: Saara Haapanen
Photo Credit: Canva by Nataly Hanin from Getty Images
Change your life in 2022
Happy almost 2022!
I sent this out to my email list today.
Thought I should post it here too.
If you want tips to live a happier and healthier delivered to your inbox twice a week get signed up here-
https://www.moveatworkchallenge.com/newsletter
In the video below I talk about 2 main things-
1) A tip to ditch all or nothing thinking
2) How a mindset shift can revamp your life.
- In the video I invite you to join me for a 3 day Happier Healthier Human mindset shift- it’s the secret to having success (spoiler alert- it’s by rewiring your brain and the way you think 🧠👊💪)
I promise this will be so different than any other “new years resolution” you’ve ever taken part in. This is performance psychology- I’ve been studying this since 2003 but I’ve always been interested in it.
I think because at a very young age I realized I thought very differently from the humans around me. Spoiler alert- I truly believed I could CHANGE- I 100% believe it’s my mindset that has helped me be successful starting from a very young age (I started delivering newspapers at 10 to buy a trampoline, which led me to diving (self funded for 8 years), which got me a full scholarship, which allowed me to represent Finland and then find out 12 days before the Olympics I wasn’t going ☹).
I always knew I thought differently, so I wanted to study why that was. I wanted to know the why behind how people’s brains worked. Why did some people believe they could be successful and others didn’t? That thought along with a behavioral psychology class I took as an undergrad- and a book called Don’t Shoot the Dog totally changed my life. Since then, I have been hooked on positive psychology and how to live your best life. Another spoiler alert- it’s all in YOUR control- you just have to train your brain to think differently.
Earlier this year I found out about a ton of health issues; Traumatic Brain Injuries, a potential brain tumor (I’m fine!!! No tumor), ADHD, depression, anxiety and an autoimmune disease. Taking a holistic perspective, I’ve made sustainable changes to my nutrition and workout routines and now I’m mainly healthy and happy (but I really do miss cheese, dairy and gluten ☹).
Here’s my secret to happiness – kick ass, move your body, and help others.
Moving my body and coaching humans to live happier and healthier lives IS MY HAPPY PLACE. It keeps my brain happy (with ADHD I hyper-focus on things I am passionate about) and my depression and anxiety at bay.
Fitness will always be a part of me and my business. But mindset and behavior change will be a huge focus in my business this upcoming year. The hardest part of lifestyle change is mindset. If you can take charge of your mindset ALL your goals become attainable. Whether fitness and health-related, career-focused, relationship, financial, starting that side hustle, taking care of yourself- anything and everything can become attainable by re-wiring your brain for success and changing the way you think about things.
I truly want to help you live your best life. These 3 days could do that for you. Only sign up if you are open for change and willing to do some work on yourself.
If that’s you, I’d love to have you.
It takes place January 11-13th (potential bonus coaching on Friday)
You can sign up here.
It’s $75 if you sign up before 2022 and you can join for free if you invite 3 friends to my FB group. Once you’ve done so send me an email or a FB message and I’ll send you a code.
Prices increase January 1st
Reach out with questions.
I can’t wait for 2022 to be your best year yet! These 3 days can change your whole year!
💪 Saara
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reach out! saara@performanceishaapanen.com