Let’s face it, being a mom means your lifestyle changes, your priorities change, your whole schedule changes. For me, one of the things that I left out of my schedule for too long is working out. I just couldn’t find 60 minutes to work out a few times a week, let alone the time that it takes to get to the gym and the money to spend on a gym membership and a babysitter. It just wasn’t happening. I know some people find a way around all those obstacles but I also know many moms who say it is difficult to find the time and money to work out like they used to.

I know there are tons of video workout programs out there but I never really found one that worked for me. They were either too intense and advanced, or too easy and boring. That was until I discovered the 10-Minute Trainer Workout program by Tony Horton from Beachbody. The name ‘Beachbody’ might ring a bell because they are the makers of the ever popular P90X and Insanity programs.

For the 10-Minute Trainer Workout, the idea is that each workout video is centered around a theme (ex. lower body or cardio, or yoga flex) but will only last 10 minutes. So for each video, 10 exercises were carefully chosen and the goal is to repeat the same exercise at a good pace for 1 minute. There is also a 2 minute warm up video and a 2 minute cool down video that you should do before and after your workout. I found the pace of the warm up was a little difficult to keep up at first because there are a lot of movements to do but it gets easier every time.

The Base Kit includes:

• 8 workout videos
• a resistance band and a door hinge attachement
• a cardio belt (to use with your resistance band)
• 2 workout calendars which tells you in which sequence to do your workouts alternating between a resistance workout and a cardio workout
• a rapid results guidebook and a 2-day jump start plan
• a 10-minute recipe guide
• on-the-go workout cards
• a 24/7 online support where you can meet the Beachbody community and even chat live with Tony Horton
• access to Instant Streaming Workout
• a measuring tape and a measurement tracker chart

You can also look for the Expanded and the Complete programs online.

Additional Resource: What’s the Difference Between Resistance Bands and Free Weights?

During the workout itself, the name of the exercise appears at the bottom of the screen initially and is replaced by a 1-minute countdown so you know exactly how long you have left for each exercise. I find this highly motivating because I can just look at the seconds and push myself because I know it’s almost over. For each exercise, you’ll see different camera angles which makes it easy to know exactly how to position yourself to imitate the moves correctly and safely.

Tony is a good trainer. He’s not the drill sergeant type trainer nor the happy go lucky kind like Richard Simmons. He has a co-star who demonstrates the exercises while he explains exactly how to do them. This way he can describe each move and point out details to make sure we are positioning ourselves correctly (ex. he can direct your attention and show you how your toes should be pointed out or how your elbows should stay close to your body, etc).

There’s always the possibility of making an exercise easier or harder by using the band/belt or not and by adjusting its tension or by adjusting your pace. I like that I can follow his rhythm but I can also go at my own speed until I build up my muscles and endurance and still get a good workout. Most exercises are fairly straight forward except for a couple that had a sequence to follow which I needed time to learn. I like that most, if not all, exercises target more than one muscle groups. For example, you’ll be in a lunge position to work your upper body so legs, arms and core are all involved.

Another advantage of this program is that you need minimal equipment. When you buy the program, you get everything you need except for a door (you need a door hinge to attach your resistance band to), a yoga mat, and a towel as a prop.

I was surprised to see that even for a quick 10-minute workout, the trainers themselves get out of breath and sweaty. It’s a good sign to me that the workout is efficient and demanding even for someone who’s in really good shape. It also means that at the moment, I’m completely out of breath way before the end but that’s okay because I know that I won’t find the workouts too easy and boring any time soon! As I said, I just adjust the pace to make it more manageable and I slowly increase the intensity of my workout. There is also the possibility of doing 2 10-minute workouts if you really wanted to push yourself.

Overall, I am really pleased with the 10-Minute Trainer Workout because it’s easy to fit in my schedule, and because of it’s intensity, I still find it a very rewarding workout. If you follow the calendar provided, you’ll find that it’s a very well balanced program with focus on different muscle groups, including cardio workouts, resistance workouts, even yoga. I like that it’s easy to adjust the pace and difficulty level of each exercise. There is a good variety of videos which makes it more motivating for me (I hate doing the same moves over and over again!) I know it’s a program that I’ll be able to do for a long time without it getting boring or too easy. I’m actually really looking forward to using this as a post-pregnancy workout program to get back into shape!

Head over to Beachbody to find out more about the 10-Minute Trainer Workout and all their other programs. Don’t forget to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for all the latest news and promotions.

Rachel