RISE AND SHINE AND SWEAT!
Addicted snooze-button-hitter? Brain screams ‘Noooo’ when the alarm bangs? Turned in late?
When life gets hard-pressed, we develop a tendency to put our personal health and well-being on low priority. Don’t surrender on your morning workouts just yet! Start off your day on the right foot and set a healthy tone for the day by sweating it out. A quick morning workout regime works just as fast at boosting your energy levels as your favorite morning cuppa. This particular ‘me-time’ is a great mood enhancer, which helps you keep your weight in place and also aids in better sleep.
Also, morning fitness routine leads to a reliable and emotionally stable mind, lowers the risk of being stressed and overweight, and makes you a better problem-solver.
START YOUR DAY RIGHT – AT HOME
Morning workouts at home are becoming more and more of a frequent choice for those looking to stay healthy (and sane). Sans stepping out of your front door, thanks to at-home exercises that require no tools or equipment, just a little space and free home workout apps and videos which are easily accessible, you can sweat it out from the comfort of your home and get as amazing and efficient of a workout as the ones performed in fitness studios. Reset the alarm and inch it up by just 15 minutes, simply roll out of bed and get going with your preferred moves to wake up your body that has been still and stiff the whole night.
Now let us get on with the workout…..
Word of caution - Do some mobility exercises and stretching to warm up before you start your workout to get the heart rate up a bit and some light stretching after the workout to cool down.
WORKOUT TIME
Time taken: Depends on your requirements
Equipment: None
Good for: Whole body
Place: Your humble abode
Using only your own body weight, these multifaceted moves can help you create a full body at-home workout that fits your needs and abilities.
Here are the 10 morning exercises to help you get into shape: -
JUMPING JACKS
A simple and easy-to-do move that is great for cardiovascular health and for toning of muscles. The move is a dynamic stretch for the arms, opens up the chest and helps boost up the heart rate.
How to perform –
- Stand with feet together and jump while spreading your arms and legs.
- Return to the first position and continue to repeat.
BURPEES
It is a full-body exercise, working most major muscle groups while also improving your cardiovascular fitness. The sweat-drenching exercise has to be performed in quick succession in order to reap its benefits.
How to perform –
- Begin in a squat position with hands on the floor in front of you.
- Kick your feet back to a pushup position.
- Immediately return your feet to the squat position.
- Leap up as high as possible from the squat position.
PLANKS
A plank is an effective bodyweight exercise that requires no equipment and can be performed just about anywhere. It’s a great exercise for strengthening your deep inner core.
How to perform –
- Get in a press-up position, and rest on your forearms rather than your hands.
- Keep your back straight and tense your abs and glutes.
- Hold onto this position without allowing your hips to sag.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
Mountain climbers are a compound exercise that works several joints and muscles at the same time, from your neck down to your feet. Also known as running planks, this move is great for building cardio endurance, core strength, and agility.
How to perform –
- Get into a plank position, making sure to distribute your weight evenly.
- Pull your right knee into your chest as far as you can and then pull it out.
- Then switch bringing the other knee in and pace up.
SQUATS
Squats is a lower body exercise which can be easily done without added resistance. They strengthen pretty much every muscle in your lower body, including your thighs, core, calves, glutes, hamstrings, and abs.
How to perform –
- First, stand tall with your feet spread shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your legs and lower your hips toward the floor.
- Return to stand while squeezing your glutes.
BUTT KICKS
Also known as bum kicks or butt kickers, these are powerful aerobic exercises that work your cardiovascular system and boost your muscle strength and endurance using only your own body weight as resistance.
How to perform -
- Stand straight with your legs slightly wider than your hips and bring one heel off the floor toward your glutes.
- Match this movement with the opposite-side hand coming up towards your shoulder, like you’re running.
- Repeat the movement.
DOUBLE LEG LIFT
Work your abs with this classic core-buster. This leg raise improves the strength and flexibility of your hips and lower back, apart from defining your abs.
How to perform –
- Lie faceup on mat, legs extended up toward ceiling so your body forms a 90-degree angle.
- Bring arms down by your sides and slowly lower legs as close as possible to mat.
- Slowly lift legs back to the starting position and repeat.
SINGLE-LEG GLUTE BRIDGE
The single-leg variety targets all three glute muscles—that’s the maximus, medius, and minimus.
How to perform –
- Lie face up with knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart.
- Extend left leg straight out, then press into right heel to lift hips straight up off mat.
- Keep knees in line and engage glutes as you lift.
- Lower down slowly, creating your own resistance, then repeat on the other side.
HOLLOW BODY HOLD
If you're looking for an exercise that will challenge your core completely, look no further than the hollow hold.
How to perform –
- Lie faceup with arms by your sides and legs extended straight.
- Lift shoulder blades and legs off the floor, keeping lower back pressed into mat throughout the exercise.
This type of push-up offers a little bit of everything targeting your entire body in some capacity.
How to perform –
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hinge at hips to bend over and touch the floor with your hands, then walk hands out to high plank position.
- Keeping elbows close to sides, bend elbows and lower your chest to the floor.
- Push back, then walk hands back toward feet.
PC - The Exercist
TAKE CARE OF CHAFING AS YOU PLAN A HOME WORKOUT PROGRAM!
