Mommy Workouts: Tangled

So I've been seeing all of these TV show-themed workouts on Pinterest.  I have to say, the idea of working some exercise in while catching up on shows is appealing!  But usually when I want to exercise it's the morning...and if the TV's on, it's on Disney Junior or PBS.  Or maybe we're watching a DVD.  Either way, it's kid stuff.  So I decided to make up some workouts based on the stuff my four-year-old usually wants to watch.  Plus I find when I exercise in front of him, he almost always wants to join in.  Bonus!

He wanted to watch Tangled this morning, so I sat with him and took some notes.  I noted things that kept repeating, as well as any long pauses where not much action was happening.  Most of these pauses happen when Rapunzel and Flynn/Eugene are sitting around talking (or he's cutting her hair at the end so that the "youth spell" on her fake mom is broken and she dries up and falls out of the tower..spoiler alert!!).  During these pauses, you can take the time to catch your breath and rehydrate.  If you feel like the pause is too long and you want to do something, simply jog in place.

You will find that some of these elements happen almost simultaneously, such as Gothel finding the crown and then the wanted poster in Flynn's satchel, or when Flynn hits the guards with the frying pan, but then Maximus wants to fight him.  When that happens, simply do the exercises for both elements, one after the other.  Or consider when Gothel confronts the Stabbington brothers and basically everything she says to them is in patronizing sing-song.  Take that opportunity to do a few sets of crunches (and also jump up to do some lunges and squats since that scene also includes the crown and wanted poster!).  Just do your best and have fun with it!

This goes without saying, but PLEASE note that I am not a fitness expert.  I am simply a stay-at-home mom with some post-baby weight to lose.  Proceed at your own risk. And of course, feel free to increase the number of repetitions, the duration of each set, or you can change the exercises altogether.  :o)

Tangled Workout!

Opening Narration:  Warm-up

Do whatever you want to warm up your muscles and get your heart rate going a little.  You can march a little, do arm raises, hamstring curls, whatever.  Just something.

Anytime there is a song (including the glowing hair incantation and when everyone is dancing in the town square):

Switch off between running in place, jump-roping (no actual rope needed), high knee kicks, and those kick-butt things (I don't know what their technical name is.  Basically you jog in place, but kick your heels up high behind you so you can literally kick your booty!).  You can switch between all of these during the same song, or do one per song.  Whatever.

Anytime Gothel (a.k.a. Rapunzel's fake mom) says something in sing-song (including "Let down your hair," "I don't know why it takes so long," "Enjoy your crown," "I'm making hazelnut soup," etc.):

10 crunches

Anytime the frying pan hits someone or something:

10 bicep curls with weights

Anytime Flynn and Maximus fight:

10 tricep curls with weights (either up and down behind your head, or lean slightly forward with knees bent and bring the weights back and forth behind you near your sides)

Anytime you see Flynn's "Wanted" poster:

10 squats

Anytime you see Rapunzel's crown:

10 lunges

Anytime Rapunzel hugs anyone (including Maximus):

10-second plank

Long conversations between Flynn and Rapunzel (like in the secret passage, in the cave filling up with water, by the campfire, etc.):

Hydrate, catch your breath, jog in place if you want 

Closing narration/credits:  Cool-down and stretch