7 ways to be fitter and healthier this weekBy Amy Roberts
Here is your Fit List of 7 tricks to be healthier and fitter this week. (For the uninitiated, check out What’s a Fit List?). How many challenges did you complete last week?Keep us posted on your progress and successes throughout the week. Use the hashtag #WHFitList, and share it on your social feeds—and mention @WomensHealthMag, of course.Good luck!—Amy Roberts, NASM-CPT1. Keep it up, home or awayEven if you're short on time or traveling this week because of Thanksgiving, you can keep your fitness on track with a quick and efficient bodyweight routine, like this CrossFit-inspired do-anywhere workout. You don't need a single piece of equipment!2. Try a ladder drillHere's a super-efficient, zero-equipment-needed strength circuit. You'll work your entire body with just two moves: a pushup and a squat.Think of the workout like climbing a ladder: You'll complete the exercises back-to-back without rest, each time lowering your rep for the first exercise while increasing the second. For your first time trying this drill, use 5 as your magic number. Do 5 pushups (or incline pushups if you need to) and 1 squat; then 4 pushups and 2 squats; then 3 pushups and 3 squats; then 2 pushups and 4 squats; and, finally, 1 pushup and 5 squats. Your goal is to finish the entire workout as quickly as possible, only resting if your form starts to suffer. (Bonus tip: Time yourself! Each time you complete the workout, aim to finish just a few seconds faster.) Too easy? Work to increase your starting rep to 10, which increases the total volume of your workout.3. Mix up the ellipticalSwitch directions and "pedal" in reverse every 3 to 5 minutes. It'll change the demand on the muscles in your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves—and help fight off mental fatigue.4. Change your tunesA workout set to music is fun, for sure. But a workout set to a carefully chosen, heart-pumping playlist can push you to go even harder for awesome fitness gains. The super-cool PaceDJ app ($0.99 to $2.99,pacedj.com) finds tracks on your iPhone, iPod, or Android phone that meet your chosen beats per minute to help keep you moving. It can even speed up certain songs—without the chipmunk effect—so they match the rest of the mix.5. Get a leg upHit your lower half from all angle with clock lunges. With feet hip-width apart, lunge forward with your right foot, then bring it back to the start. Now lunge it to the side, then back, and finally, lunge it behind you and return to the start. Do 5 rounds on each side.6. Take a post-feast strollShortly after clearing the Thanksgiving table, grab a family member and head out for a leisurely 30-minute walk. Light activity after heavy meals can help aid digestion and boost energy to counteract the sleep-inducing effects of a feast (especially ones loaded with tryptophan, like turkey). Plus:daily movement outside of workouts is really good for your health—it keeps your circulation flowing and your metabolism humming.7. Perk up your plankWhen a straight 30-second plank feels like a breeze (or starting to feel like a snooze), make this quintessential core move more challenging with one of these 7 plank variations.