A different type of five-a-day

I follow a blog on wordpress (don't tell anyone!) called Kaftan to Bikini. It's an Aussie girl (I think she's Aussie because she abbreviates everything) trying to lose weight. She tends to post a lot of pictures, especially motivational ones, on the blog. I get the impression they're more for her than her followers, but anyway... I was on her blog earlier and I came across this photo, which I think is a brilliant idea. Like your own little bootcamp - mix it up with different reps everyday. (Read more on reps here.)

I think this is such an easy way to do a short, daily work-out when and where it suits you. Personally though, I think 25 mountain climbers is pretty lame; I would do close to 100 in a warm-up! (Maybe this Aussie chick needs to follow MY blog to get her into that bikini!)

So, before we all rush out to buy ice-pop sticks to write our reps on - what should we include? And how many? Maybe the amount should be left to the individual, and can be increased with improvement in fitness. I have some ideas, which I will list below. If you have any to add, please include them in the comments below. Perhaps include a short explanation in case we don't know them! Thanks!

• Well, we'll start with the above - mountain climbers
• Squats (don't let your knees go over your toes.)
• Jump squats (don't do these if you have any knee or back problems, or if you're very overweight. Also, make sure to land softly on your toes or you might give yourself an injury.)
• Burpies
• Brazilian burpies (add a push up to a regular burpy)
• Supermans (lie on your front and raise your arms and legs as much as you can, hold and release. Very good for strengthening your back.)
• Push-ups
• Wide-handed push-ups (put your hands just beyond shoulder width apart.)
• Diamond push-ups (join your thumbs and index fingers in a diamond shape directly below your heart.)
• Jumping jacks
• Jumps
• Lunges
• Jump lunges (if you have same issues mentioned in jump squats, don't do these either.)
• The Plank (my LEAST favourite of all time!!)
• Sit-ups
• Rocky sit-ups (come up to one side then the other instead of straight up as in regular sit-up.)

WARNING: Don't do any of the reps that make a lot of noise if you have an annoying neighbour below who, like mine does, will only get grumpy and come a-knocking! In earnest though, don't do any exercises you aren't sure how to do or if you're worried about an injury or 'twinge' anywhere. As always if you're concerned about your weight or another health issue, speak to your GP before embarking on any exercise regime.