For years — decades even! — I thought of myself as a person who didn’t like to exercise first thing in the morning. The last thing my body wants to do upon waking is jump around. Or run rapidly. My bones don’t need jarring early in the day.
But I’ve come to realize that that’s no longer the case anymore. Just because my booty, legs, core and arms are averse to high-impact burpies and jumping jacks at the crack of dawn doesn’t mean they won’t do other things, and let me tell ya, this has been a revelation. IT’S BEEN LIFE CHANGING.
I’ve finally started exercising early, ideally within half an hour of waking, and I love it, because it gets me going even better than coffee, and there’s nothing like the sense of accomplishment from finishing a workout early to set the tone for a good day.
The key has been doing low-impact activities that are easy on my joints, like Pilates, yoga or non-jumping cardio, or working out with these thingamabobs: sliders!
I did this workout this morning.
Slider workouts (also known as “glider workouts”) are my new favorite way to torture myself in the morning, ha ha ha!
OK, so I realize I’m not selling it, but really, if you want to do a workout that doesn’t involve the intense clanking of joints, these are great, and they’ll get you sweating like CRAY.
Basically, sliders/gliders are disks that slide across the floor. You put your hands or feet on the disks, and much like in Pilates, you move your limbs in controlled ways that involve lots intense muscle squeezing, and even though you aren’t jumping around a lot, you’ll feel spent by the end of your workout.
So much core
These are great for lower body and core (ohmygosh, SO MUCH CORE), but they also work your upper body as well. By the end of a workout, I feel like I’ve been pushed, and — hooray! — I don’t have to bounce around like an Energizer Bunny.
You can find sliders that’ll work on any surface — carpet, which is what I have; hardwood floors; or heck, even cement. I found these sliders at Target in the dollar bin at the front of the store (the pair was $5), and they’re recommended for carpet or hardwood.
This one looks challenging.
You can also find them at sporting goods stores and Amazon, but really, you don’t even need the disks. You can do the same workouts on paper plates, magazines or even the tops of salad tubs if you’re on carpet. And if have a hard surface floor, you can use towels, or even just your socks. However you do it, it’ll be challenging.
There are also SO MANY slider workouts to choose from on YouTube, from beginner to advanced, so you’ll always have something new to try.
Full disclosure: I do have to say that the first time I tried using them I was miserable, and I could barely do anything, but my core is also not super strong (I’m working on it), which is probably the main reason. These are very challenging, at least for me, but they’re challenging in a good way, and every time I do one of the workouts, I feel like I get stronger.
Aw, man! Ever since I figured out that I can exercise in the morning, it’s been a whole new world. I like that it wakes me up, and my body feels loosey-goosey afterwards, and I also like that I feel like I’ve achieved something before my day starts. So yeah, you may not think of yourself as a morning exerciser, but you never know. Try sliders/gliders.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Rachel says
Good for you for working out in the AM! Those sliders look intense! Currently the only way I can get my butt in gear is by signing up for classes that I pay for (spin, Pilates, yoga) because that forces me to go. Also after these Pilates classes I’ve been taking I realized I have no core! But, like you, I’m working on it!
Kim says
That’s awesome! The best exercise is the one that you will do, so I’m glad you found another workout to add to your list! I’m definitely not a morning exerciser. After a workout, I’m relaxed and ready for bed. 🙂 But that’s OK because I don’t have time in the AM anyway. HAHA! I have done a few of your Sydney Cummings workouts – they’ve been good. And tough!
Karen says
She is SO GOOD. I’m thinking about joining her Sydney Squad because I want to do a longer Spartan… And it would be great to build more muscle! Which workouts have you done? And are you sweating like cray-cray at the end (I always am)?
Michele DiCola says
I was power walking first thing in the am . Now I need knee surgery.
As soon as I have the surgery back on !