FITNESS

4321 WORKOUT

How 10 MINUTES a day can make you FIT & CHANGE your life!

It is Biblical to not only be a godly woman, but to be a FIT godly woman! Like our Proverbs 31 woman, as we begin to progress in the spiritual areas of our lives, with consistency and 10 minutes we can begin to get physically fit as well! Will you join me? 


Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm. 

Being a former High School athlete and Scholarship Athlete in College, I was VERY skeptical that 10 minutes of working out could actually prove successful. Well, it HAS! Below you will find my Before & After Pictures. Even after having a baby in November 2009, I have maintained my weight loss ranging between 30-35 pounds. I am a believer that doing a little bit on a consistent basis can change any person who is willing to commit to just ten minutes!

Jan 2009 - 159 lbs

July 2010 - 129 lbs

Also, check out the following comment of someone who was also skeptical about only doing 10 minutes of exercise. How could it possibly work? See what she thought: 

"I am soooo excited to tell you that I have done 4321 faithfully this week and I have to tell you that my workout yesterday kicked my butt!!!   It is amazing that I can get that much out of it in just 10 minutes a day!!!  I remember you telling me one day that Tyler was doing 4321 on the stairs.  Well, yesterday I got on my bike and my butt hurt so bad from the day before so, I got off of it and thought, I am going to run stairs for my “4”!! By the 3rd and 4th hard interval I was GRUNTING!!! HOLY MOLY!!! My legs and butt HURT today! WHAT A GREAT WORKOUT!!! Right after that, I did a minute of wall sits while doing arm circles! BURN!!!! Then I did arm curls and another exercise with the band. Then I did the basketball core exercises for the ab workout. The one that I had the most trouble getting though was the ab workout where I sit on the floor in a “V” (butt and back off the floor) and make a figure 8 passing the basketball through my legs. So, my legs are constantly moving up and down while I pass the basketball through my legs and that was my last exercise before stretching so, I was BURNING!!! My legs were JELLO for the rest of the night, seriously!!! What a GREAT WORKOUT!!! WOW!!! I am SOLD!!!" - Basketball Coach and Former Volleyball Player, Water Skier, Snow Skier & Runner (completed a Marathon)

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4321 Exercise Options!

- I am not a Doctor. Please check with your physician before beginning any physical activity.

WARM-UP - 4 minutes jog or walk warm-up (optional, but recommended).
"4" - CARDIO - 4 minutes of Cardio - Begin with a 30 second interval as hard as you can go, then do a 30 second jog or walk recovery. Choose 1 of the following "Cardio" options and repeat 4 times, or choose as many of the following as desired, completing 4 full intervals equalling to 4 minutes.

• CHAIR JOG - If you have hip, knee or any other problems, this is a good Cardio option with which to start. DO ONLY what you can do. Sit upright in chair, move arms and feet in running motion, alternating fast and moderate intervals.
• FAST FEET - Like an NFL football player, move your feet, running as fast as you can go for 30 second intervals. Remember to move your arms as fast as they can go as well. Keep your feet low, and moving them AS fast as you can. Picture an NFL football coach in front of you yelling, "Can you go harder? Is that all you've got?" Doing that always helps me to give it my extra effort. 
• JUMPING JACKS - Begin normal jumping jacks, as fast as you can go for 30 second intervals.
• CROSS COUNTRY SKIING - Like a cross country skier, your right leg goes forward in a lunge form, switch and jump your left leg forward. Continue as fast as you can go for 30 second intervals.
• FRONT SNAP KICK - Like kick boxing, bring your thigh up to your rib snapping out your lower leg. Envision a target and kick through to the heal. Your arms should be in position to guard your chin. Continue with the "Front Snap Kick" as fast as you can go for 30 seconds.
• BURPEES - Stand straight up, squat down putting your hands on the floor by your feet, kick your feet out to a push-up position, bring them back in to the squat position, and stand up. Continue for 30 second intervals.
• OUTDOOR SPRINT - Sprint for 30 seconds, then jog a recovery for 30 seconds. Continue for 4 minutes. If a stop-watch is not available you can choose landmarks, such as sprinting to a mailbox or driveway.
• STAIRS - Find some stairs in your house or outside. Sprint 30 seconds up and down, then jog a 30 second recovery. 
• BIKE - Using a stationary bike or outdoor bike, choose 30 second intervals to bike as fast as you can go.
• TREADMILL - Speed up treadmill to the maximum speed you want to run, then sprint for 30 seconds. On recovery, jump off onto side rails for 30 seconds. When jumping back on to the treadmill, remember the MAX speed will still be going, CAREFULLY jump back on and begin next 30 second interval. Continue intervals until you have completed 4 minutes.

"3" - STRENGTH - Training/Muscle Building - Choose 3 different exercises and do each for 1 minute.

• PUSH-UPS - Do regular push-ups for one minute. If you need to make push-up easier, put knees on the ground and continue with the modified push-ups.
• BI-CEP CURLS - Using a resistance band, hand weights or water bottles extend arms down at sides, wrists or palms facing upwards, curl weight or band up and down for 1 minute.
• HAMMER CURL - Like the bi-cep curl, but instead of having hands facing upwards when curling up, have hand face inward. This works the hammer muscle in the arm. 
• CHEST PRESS - Wrap band around tree, turn around facing out. With arms up at shoulders, press out like doing a bench press. This can also be done with hand weights laying or standing. 
• SHOULDER PRESS - Similar to the CHEST PRESS, but standing on band pressing up.
• LAW-MOWER - Using a band, hand weights or a water bottle, get in the position that you would to start a gas lawn mower. Bend over with one leg in front of the other in a wide stance. Your right arm/hand goes down parallel to knee, pull up to arm pit like you were trying to start a lawn mower. Continue for 1 minute.
• CHAIR SQUATS - Squat down keeping your back straight, touch your butt to the chair and stand back up. Continue repetition for 1 minute.
• TRI-CEP DIPS - Placing 2 chairs about 2-3 feet apart, sit on the edge of one chair and extend legs onto the adjacent chair. Place heals as close to edge of the adjacent chair, and both hands on the edge of chair where you are seated, dip down and up for 1 minute. For an EASIER option, put both feet on the floor and continue tri-cep dips for 1 minute.
• STATIC WALL SQUATS - Squat with back against the wall, hold squat for 1 minute. For a harder option, put arms out or up, or hold a weight. 
• CHAIR PICK-UP - Find a chair that you can pick up. Begin to pick up, raise it  high, and put it back down to the floor. Continue for 1 minute.
• WALKING LUNGE - Hands on hips, take a large step forward with right leg, while the left knee almost touches the ground. Switch legs stepping out with the left leg while the right knee almost touches the ground. Continue walking lunges for 1 minute.
• WALL PUSH-UPS - Keeping back, butt & legs straight, hands on the wall, do a push-up for 1 minute bringing nose close to wall and fully extending back out.
• FULL SQUAT - With back straight, squat down until your butt touches your heals, then stand back up. Repeat for 1 minute. 
• INDIAN STAND UP! - Sit down Indian style, stand up, sit back down Indian Style, stand back up. Continue for 1 minute.
• SIDE LEG RAISE - Laying on your side on the ground and legs straight, fully extend leg up and back down, continuing for 1 minute.
• WALKING PLANK - Get onto the floor in a push-up position with arms extended. From the extended position, bring right arm to rest your weight onto your fore-arm, then bring left arm to rest weight on fore-arm. Walk hands back up to full push-up extension, then back down to rest your weight on forearms. Continue for 1 minute.

"2" - CORE: BACK & ABS - These exercises are going to focus on your abs and back. Choose 2 exercises and do them for a 1 minute each.

• CHAIR PLANK - Put both hands on a chair seat, arms extended, with body in a push-up form and feet on the floor. Hold extended plank for 1 minute. For easier chair plank, rest forearms on the seat of the chair and hold for 1 minute.
• FLOOR PLANK - Get into an extended push-up position on the floor, hold for 1 minute. For easier option, put forearms on ground & hold for 1 minute.
• SIDE PLANK - Using a chair, rest right forearm on the chair seat. Place your left arm to your side, with left leg resting on right leg. Hold for 30 seconds, switch to left side. Hand position: Easier - Place hand on hip or down thigh. Harder - Extend arm straight out or up. Remember, TIGHTEN ABS!
• SIDE PLANK LEG RAISE - Same position as "Side Plank" just raise top leg in the air. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
• CRUNCH - Laying on the floor, arms behind head with hands resting at ears, crunch up while tightening abs, blowing out breath as you crunch up. SLOW. Blow out ALL your breath on way up, breathe in on the way down.  Continue for 1 minute.
• SIDE OBLIQUE CRUNCH - Laying on the floor, arms behind head, crunch up with right elbow reaching towards left knee in a crunch twist. Alternate each crunch, reaching towards opposite knee. Remember to twist your body & tighten your abs on each crunch. If you are not feeling your abdominal muscles being worked, crunch up further and twist more to the side.
• BAND CRUNCH/WEIGHT CRUNCH - With resistance bands wrapped around back, hold handles tightly and begin to do crunches for 1 minute. A weight can also be used to provide additional difficulty, holding weight at chest.
• CRUNCH WITH LEGS ON CHAIR - Crunch up & down with arms across chest (15 sec), arms reach toward feet (15 sec), hands behind head curling right and curling left (30 sec).
• PRONE REVERSE HIP EXTENSION - Laying on stomach, head resting on arms, lift legs up as far as possible & return legs to floor. Continue for 1 minute.
• BICYCLE - Laying on back, do bicycle motion with legs, and alternate each elbow to opposite knee as you bicycle. Continue for 1 minute. 
• LEG EXTENSION - Lay on back, extend legs straight up in the air and reach right arm up towards left leg, switch. REACH & EXTEND!
• BAND BACK EXTENSION - Straddling a chair, with stomach sitting closely to chair back, tightly wrap resistance band around your back and then to the front of chair, and back to hands at the side of chair. Wrapped around the band, slide back to sit as far back on chair while band is pulling tight. Lean forward, then lean back and continue for 1 minute! - You may not feel this one WHILE doing it, but the next day you will most likely feel it in lower back, butt and legs.

"1" - STRETCHING - Choose a minimum of 1 minute to stretch and cool down.

• COBRA - Laying on the ground, extend arms straight up as if like a cobra. Hold for 30 seconds.
• CAT/DOG - Sitting on hands and knees, arch back up like a cat, then curve it back down. Do this for 30 seconds.
• LEG EXTENSION STRETCH - Sitting on the floor with legs straight out, stretch down as far as you can, hold for 30 seconds.
• WALL LUNGES - With hands on wall, lunge with right leg back, bend knee until you can feel your calf muscle stretch. Hold for 15 seconds then switch legs.
• EXTENDED ARM STRETCH - Extend right arm straight up, bend at elbow, hand touching left shoulder. With opposite hand, pull elbow until you feel a slight stretch in arm. Repeat with left arm.
• STRADDLE STRETCH - Sitting on the floor with legs spread wide, bend down towards right knee, hold for 15 seconds. Switch sides.
• MANY, MANY MORE OPTIONS!!

RECOMMENDATIONS: Sean Foy has a book entitled, "10 Minutes to a Total Body Breakthrough" - It is a very helpful book in grasping the concept of 4321, as well as getting more valuable tips on Fitness, Health & Nutrition.


NEED A COACH?: I currently coach people through a 12 Week "New Way to a New You" Program. Within the NWNY Program, there are Package Options from which to choose depending on your specific needs. Each package helps specifically with the following areas: improving your health, fitness, nutrition, all natural supplementation, reducing Risk Factors such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, and more. For those who have completed the program we have found an improvement to their overall health. A consultation would need to be scheduled to discuss & assess whether we were a right fit.


If interested or for more details, email me to schedule a free consultation at: amy.mccart@myxswellness.com