Bathroom Counter Pushups

Okay, so it's winter. You have no desire to be outside walking, running or biking, or whatever you like to do. But spring is right around the corner. Here's an idea -- every morning, do pushups on your bathroom counter. I'm not talking about climbing up on your bathroom counter - no! But plant your feet on the ground, put your hands on the bathroom counter, and start pushing! It's low enough that it uses your body weight to work your muscles, and you'll work muscles in your arms, chest, back, shoulders, and burn body fat. Be sure to keep your abs pulled in and your core tight.

According to fitness author John Peterson, you can build an amazing physique just from pushups alone. Eventually you want to end up doing these on the floor, and doing a lot of them each day, but just start wherever you are -- and I'm starting with the bathroom counter. Make sure you blow out your breath on the lift and breathe in as you lower yourself. You can vary which muscles you're working by changing the position of your hands. It will really get your blood pumping in the morning, and as an extra bonus, you can watch yourself turn red in the mirror!

Start slow and listen to your body. Build up slowly. Who knows, by the time we get ready to "bare arms" :) in the spring, maybe we'll be doing 100 or more pushups a day, in sets. (There are some famous athletes who do 500 to 1000 a day! Yikes!)