Healthy Hollywood: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz’s Hot Mama Home Workout

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz looks super fit. But, she told us at the recent Reebok event in LA, it was a lot of hard work to lose the pregnancy pounds after having her now 19-month old son, Bronx. “I gained 50 pounds and it was awesome. But then after I had Bronx I wanted to get into shape.” So, Ashlee upped the cardio. “My goal is to get on the treadmill for thirty minutes a day. When he takes a nap, I bring his monitor (into workout room), throw on my shoes…and get on the treadmill.” A busy mom, like Ashlee, has little time to hit the gym.

The good news for those of us without Ashlee’s bank account or a home gym, is there are exercises that be done at home using common household objects. As Reebok’s celebrity trainer Yumi Lee reveals, “When you’re at home and you have five minutes, grab a laundry detergent bottle, or a water bottle – anything that’s lying around the house and use it. If it has weight, you can use it.” Yumi shares 4 mom-friendly moves – only equipment required – a laundry detergent bottle and a towel.

Pinwheel Stretch with Towel:

-Stand with legs shoulder width apart and knees and toes slightly turned out.

-Hold the rolled-up towel slightly wider than shoulders with arms straight overhead. Keep shoulders down and neck long.

-Laterally bend slowly out and to one side to stretch; keep arms straight.

-Hinge from waist and extend chest forward to that same side for a hamstring stretch. Then, sweep across center of body to stretch other hamstring.

-Rotate to face forward for the opposite lateral stretch. Repeat.

-Move slowly and repeat 5 – 8 times on each side.

Abs Crunch with Towel:

-Sit on the ground with knees bent and hold towel slightly wider than shoulders with arms reaching out towards knees.

-Lean back slightly and engage abdominals to balance as feet lift off the ground – towel should still be reaching towards knees.

-Crunch abs to bring knees towards chest and pass the towel over shins and under feet (can cross feet if necessary).

-Roll down slowly, keeping abs engaged, to slide the towel along the back of legs while maintaining balance. Try not to let feet or shoulders touch ground.

-Reverse the thread to complete the repetition and return to starting position.

-For a modified version, begin with feet gently resting on ground.

-3 sets of 15 reps, building to 20.

Abs Twist with Detergent Bottle:

-Stand with legs shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a detergent bottle (acts like a medicine ball) with both hands.

-Raise the bottle over your right shoulder.

-Diagonally chop down across body by moving bottle towards your left hip.

-Let feet and hips pivot on the ground to enable torso to twist as abs stay engaged.

-Return to starting position. Do 3 sets with 10 repetitions for each side.

Cardio Squats with Detergent Bottle:

-Hold the laundry detergent bottle in both hands, keep arms straight and stand upright with legs shoulder width apart.

-Lean forward at waist slightly, push hips back and bend knees so as to go into a semi-squat and then swing weight (bottle) between legs behind you. Keep back straight and head facing forward.

-In a fluid motion, push and extend hips forward as you extend knees to swing the weight in front of chest.

-Without stopping the motion, continue the swinging motion of the weight (bottle) between legs and drop and push hip back and down and then forward and up.

-Gradually swing the weight about head without arching back by keeping abs tight.

-Begin with 5 sets of 20 with a 30-second rest in between sets. Build to 10 sets of 50.

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