The concept of an exercise handbag came to me after multiple conversations with friends, family members, and our podcast audience about how to know what exercise is right for their bodies and how to build a consistent exercise routine based on their goals. It is something I, myself, have struggled with, too. With so many options for workout classes and ways of exercising, how do we know which one is right for my body? How can I make sure to be checking all of the boxes? And is a certain exercise routine or type of exercise going to help me with my goal of [toning, fat loss, muscle building, longevity, energy, mood, insert another reason here…]? Enter: The exercise handbag. We all have different handbags we prefer, but the contents are generally similar. In the same way, we can all have different styles of exercise, but the foundations should be similar. Let me explain…
As women, it’s important that high intensity interval training and sprint training are a part of our exercise handbags. They’re imperative for our brain, bone, and muscle health, in addition to our mood and metabolism.
So what is HIIT and SIT, and how can we each put our own style and twist on it in our handbags?
HIIT: 45s to a couple of minutes at 85-90% effort with equal rest.
A sample workout? 2 minutes of 85-90% effort followed by 2 minute recovery. Repeat 5x.
SIT: 20-30s efforts at 100% with 2-4 minutes recovery in between.
A sample workout? 30s all-out sprint followed by 3 minute recovery. Repeat 5x.
Let’s look at a few options for how you can put your own style on it…
I love hill sprints and running, so my preference is to go into the great outdoors, find a hill, and get in a quick HIIT or SIT workout.
If you’re more of a gym goer, you can use the treadmill, a pool, or a stationary bike.
If you’re a reformer pilates gal, try using the jump board at the beginning or end of class.
More of a yoga sculpt girl? What about an at-home workout girly? Try your favorite “cardio” based move… whether jump squats, burpees, weighted boxing, or jump lunges! (Couldn’t be me, but you go girl if jump lunges are your thing!)
No matter the method or style you put on it, just make sure you’re incorporating HIIT or SIT in your routine (aka: exercise handbag)!
P.S. I consider cortisol and inflammation as the “misunderstood mean girls”. We dive in more in each with a series on cortisol and inflammation. Check it out, especially if you want to understand both on a deeper level!
Zone 2 training is often talked about as a must-have in fitness, but for women, it may be more of an optional accessory than an essential. It’s the kind of steady cardio where you can still hold a conversation but not quite sing: great for heart health, fat burning, and mental clarity. The catch? It takes a big time investment and doesn’t do much for building muscle or bone strength, which are especially important for women as we age. Since our bodies are already naturally efficient at burning fat and using energy, we don’t always need hours of Zone 2 to see those benefits. Instead, think of it as something you sprinkle in when you want active recovery, stress relief, or just to enjoy moving while leaning more on strength, HIIT, and recovery as the true staples in your exercise handbag.
An alternative to Zone 2 Training: Polarized Training
Polarized training is like packing your exercise handbag with a smart mix of extremes: mostly easy, low-intensity movement, a little high-intensity effort, and very little in the “middle zone.” Think daily walks, light cycling, or dance classes for the easy side, and short bursts of HIIT or sprints for the intense side. The idea is to get the benefits of both ends, improved metabolism, fat burning, endurance, and power, without spending hours in moderate-intensity cardio that can feel inefficient. For women, this approach respects our natural metabolic advantages while still giving us real cardiovascular and strength gains, making it a highly practical and time-friendly addition to your fitness routine.
Here’s how to incorporate it into your own routine:
Daily low-intensity movement (75–80% of training time)
Brisk walks, easy cycling, light jogs
Dance cardio or Pilates flow classes
Activities you can do while chatting or relaxing
High-intensity sessions (15–20% of training time)
HIIT or sprint intervals 2–3x/week
Short, challenging circuit workouts
Strength-focused bursts with minimal rest
Keep moderate-intensity training minimal (<10%)
Avoid long Zone 2 sessions as the main focus
Use moderate effort for active recovery only if desired
Mix with strength training
Include 2–3 resistance or weight sessions per week
Helps maintain muscle mass and bone health
Use for variety and recovery
Low-intensity days support mental health and energy
High-intensity days drive cardiovascular and metabolic improvements
Jump training, or plyometric training, involves quick, explosive movements like squat jumps, split jumps, lateral hops, and box jumps. It matters because these high-impact exercises stimulate bone mineral density (BMD), strengthen muscles and tendons, and reduce fall and injury risk, making them a key component of women’s long-term musculoskeletal health. To start safely, it’s important to first build a strength-training foundation, begin with double-leg jumps, and focus on controlled, soft landings to protect your joints.
How to incorporate jump training into your week:
Sets & reps: 2–3 sets of 10–12 reps
Frequency: 3–5 days per week, mixed into other workouts
Variation: Change directions and intensity (up/down, lateral, twisting, step-offs)
Style-specific tips:
At home: squat jumps, lateral hops, skater jumps
Pilates/reformer: jump board exercises, single- or double-leg hops
Runners: include split jumps at the start or end of runs
Yoga sculpt/home workouts: bodyweight or weighted jumps
With consistent, properly scaled practice, jump training can make a significant impact on strength, bone health, and overall longevity.
Strength training is the ultimate essential in our exercise handbag, and I know we are all sick of hearing about it.
When we lift against resistance, our bodies adapt in two powerful ways: first, our nervous system learns to recruit muscles more effectively, and second, our muscle fibers rebuild stronger after micro-damage from lifting. The result? Greater strength, endurance, and resilience.
For women, the benefits go beyond toned arms or defined legs. Strength training protects our bones, balances hormones, boosts metabolism, and reduces the risk of disease and injury. It helps during puberty, supports fertility, smooths perimenopause, and preserves independence in our later years.
The key is consistency: 3–4 sessions per week, challenging enough to reach muscular fatigue. Whether it’s weights, bands, or bodyweight, the principle is the same—progressive overload. This is what keeps us strong, capable, and confident at every age.
We often think the workout itself is the most important part of exercise. But the truth? The bookends, your warm-up, cool down, and recovery, might matter just as much.
A warm-up primes your muscles, joints, and nervous system, reducing injury risk and preparing your body for the exact type of movement you’re about to do. Specificity is important! We don’t want to be warming up with a jog when we are about to do an upper body workout.
A cool down helps shift you out of fight-or-flight mode into rest-and-digest, where true recovery happens. Breathwork is one of the simplest tools here, helping reduce cortisol and calm your system.
And then there’s recovery: sleep, light movement, rest days. Exercise is just the stimulus; recovery is where adaptation and progress actually happen.
If you want your exercise handbag essentials to truly work for you, don’t forget the bookends.
My goal is to simplify. What are the absolute necessary contents, or foundational elements, to bring in your handbag? We all might approach them a bit differently and put our own unique style on them, but we should all have them in our exercise handbags.
In health & happiness,
Kelsy