Working out with your mom or daughter can be a bonding experience that not only makes you healthier but also gives you quality time together.
Just ask Denise and Katie Austin.
Denise Austin, 62, helped launch the home exercise fitness craze in the 1980s and now, after 35 years and 25 million DVDs sold, is still leading the fitness industry with her streamed workouts and 10-week whole body plan for women.
Her daughter, Katie Austin, 25, is following in her mom’s footsteps with her own workout-filled website and app.
“I do Katie’s workouts now because they’re HIIT [high-intensity interval training] and they really work,” Denise said. “We put loud music on and it’s a great way to be together.”
Katie, who played lacrosse at the University of Southern California, said she finds working out is a good way to spend time with her mom as an adult.
"As a daughter, in our younger years it’s not like we want to so much hang out with our moms," she said. "But as we get older, we really cherish that time and love it. If you’re going for a walk or taking a workout class, you share that bonding moment of the time together and of getting fit together."
Denise and Katie created five workout moves for moms and daughters to do together.
Give them a try!
Side pull
Targets the torso. Tap one leg back into a semi-lunge and pull your arms from the ceiling toward the ground, keeping your core engaged.
Side leg lift
Targets the hips, thighs and buttocks. With one arm around your mom or daughter's shoulder, while standing, extend your outside leg to the side.
Tricep kickback
Targets the triceps. With your knees slightly bent, put your arms in a 90-degree position and extend them back, keeping your triceps engaged.
Partner squat
Targets the buttocks. Facing your mom or daughter, do a squat as you also touch your partner's hand so that your torso twists and your core stays engaged.
Side lunge to bicep curl
Targets the legs and biceps. Facing forward, extend one leg to the side in a lunge, and move your arms in a bicep curl as you complete the lunge.
This story was originally published on May 10, 2018.