After being in Los Angeles for almost a month, I’ve finally figured out—or should I say partially figured out, my workout routine.
If you remember, I was traveling a lot for work and couldn’t bring my weights or kettlebell with me. So, I packed what I could, my mini resistance bands, a resistance tube, and both speed and weighted jump ropes. Before getting to LA, I had no real plan. I watched a few workout videos for ideas, tried to put together a routine, but honestly, I wasn’t feeling motivated and slacked off for a couple of weeks.
Then I came across Jason Houston’s full-body mini-band workout challenge on YouTube. I conveniently ignored the word challenge in the title. Big mistake. The warmup alone had me struggling. So, Jason wasn’t lying, it’s definitely a challenging workout and I struggle with some parts but I will get better. By the time I’m done, I swear I can feel my abs growing.
The workout uses both a light and medium resistance band:
– Light band exercises (10 total):** Bicycle crunches, side-to-side squats, and more.
– Medium band exercises (4 total):** Quad jacks, knee knockers, pull-aparts, etc.
Each exercise is 45 seconds, followed by a 15-second break, making the whole workout about 30 minutes. I also throw in some bicep curls with the resistance tube. Before starting, I always stretch and do 50 jumping jacks to warm up.
Strength Training… At Work? Yes!
Since I don’t have access to weights, I’ve been getting creative. At work, I carry a 5-gallon water jug (41 lbs) 20 feet, back and forth 10 times. Then, I throw in five one-arm rows per arm. Maybe I’ll up my reps.
The Routine
I’ve been sticking to the same schedule I had with my kettlebell workouts:
– Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Full-body resistance band workout.
-Tuesday & Thursday: Weighted jump rope sessions (goal: at least 5 minutes session).
-Saturday: Run and Jump rope
-Sunday: Rest day
I’ll admit, I’ve been slacking on my Tuesday and Thursday jump rope sessions, but after interviewing Marcell aka Muscles by Marcell on social media outlets, I’ve been inspired to get back on it. Jumping rope has serious benefits, and I need to stop playing around. And if you don’t know be sure to pick up his book Jump into Fitness. also check out our interview here.
The Bigger Picture
Lately, I’ve been making sure to stretch and do 50 jumping jacks every morning, plus hit at least 7,500 steps a day—and today marks Day 60 of hitting that step goal! I should be moving every day that I am physically able to.
People always say fitness is a lifestyle, and I’m really starting to understand that. Am I fully there? No. But I’m becoming more conscious of my fitness, strength training (especially as a woman), my diet, and the importance of rest.
Progress is happening—one step, one jump, and one rep at a time.