Monkey Bar Gym
Punk Rope
When it comes to fitness equipment, it doesn't get any simpler (or cheaper!) than a jump rope. Jumping rope is a great way to skyrocket your heart rate, but add in a little punk rock and some new moves and you have a workout that's as fun as it is sweaty. Find a Punk Rope class near you, or purchase a video to take your playground favorite to a whole new, adult level.
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Plyometrics
Why settle for strength training or cardio when you can knock both out at once in one short plyometric workout? A plyometric exercise is anything where both of your feet leave the ground momentarily—think jumping jacks, tire runs, skater lunges and box jumps.
The power of these moves comes from the explosive strength required to propel yourself up, forward, backward or side-to-side, helping you build muscle and increase your strength at the same time. To get started, try this 15-minute plyo workout.
Kitchen Workout
Moms know how important it is to use what you've got! So break out the soup cans, quarts of milk, bags of cat food or whatever you have handy for this innovative strength workout.
Creator of the "playout" instead of "workout," Carla Birnberg specializes in videos that show short whole-body workouts that you can fit in while you're waiting for dinner to finish. (Beats eating handfuls of chocolate chips, right?) Combine her upper-body kitchen workout with her lower-body moves to get a total body workout.
T-Tapp
Think you already need to be fit to start working out? Teresa Tapp, creator of the T-Tapp program, is busting that myth. This video-based workout is perfect for people recovering from childbirth or an injury, or are severely overweight and need a no-impact, very gentle workout. The body-weight calisthenic moves may look a little strange at first but are a surprisingly good burn and are appropriate for all fitness levels.
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Heart Healthy
If heart health is your main priority (and with heart disease being the leading killer of women, it's a good thing to focus on), then you need to focus your exercise on stressing your heart muscle enough so that it's strengthened but not so much that you hurt yourself. (Yes, it is possible to overwork your heart!) Fitspiration for Moms finds that healthy balance with a 20-minute workout designed solely to strengthen your most important muscle.
Body Part Isolation
A half hour isn't a ton of time, so if you're looking to focus on strengthening a certain part of your body, muscle-isolation workouts are perfect. You can really tax your arms, back, core, legs or shoulders in 30 minutes. If you work a different body part every day, you'll have worked your entire body by the end of the week. And it may even be better for you than working your whole body every day, as muscles need 24 to 38 hours of rest to grow! Check out this detailed list of videos from Livestrong for ideas and sample workouts.
