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Exercise is one of the most efficient and effective ways to optimize your health. However, with a wide array of options to choose from, it’s not always clear which workouts can be more beneficial than others.
Staying fit is important, and there are lots of ways to do it at home with simple and basic exercises. As life becomes more hectic and stressful due to work and deadlines, it becomes more important to take time out for yourself and focus on your health.
Working out doesn't have to mean going to a gym or hiring an expensive personal trainer – there are lots of ways to improve your health at home.
Easy At-home Exercises to Get Started
Here's a look at six easy at-home workouts to help you commence your fitness journey:
1) Jumping Jack
Jumping jacks are a great way to get the heart rate up and work out several muscles at the same time. You will benefit from stronger bones, better cardiovascular health, and even weight loss. This workout can also improve flexibility and balance — as well as relieve stress.
How to do jumping jack?
- Stand with your feet together, arms fully extended and hands by your sides.
- Bend your knees slightly; straighten, and push through the balls of your feet while straightening your knees to jump up.
- Spread your legs to wider than hip-width apart as you do so.
- As you return to the ground, bring your feet together, and put your hands back at your sides with your arms fully extended.
2) Plank
It’s a simple exercise for beginners to get rock-hard abs. It can be done in many different ways, and planks are great for strengthening the shoulders, arms and back.
How to do it?
- Begin face down with your forearms and toes on the floor.
- Engage your abdominal muscles, drawing your navel towards the spine.
- Keep your torso straight and rigid and your body in a straight line from the ears to tbe toes with no sagging or bending. This is the neutral spine position.
- Your shoulders should be down and not creeping up towards the ears.
- Hold this position for ten seconds.
- Release to floor.
3) Cross Crunch
The cross crunch targets the abs and obliques. It can help strengthen the core, sculpt the waist, and tone the abdominal wall. Modified versions of the regular crunch are important for challenging the muscles.
To do this exercise:
- Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Place the palms of your hands behind your head, with fingers pointing towards each other.
- Cross your right arm over to the left side of your body, bringing up your left knee towards that elbow.
- Touch the knee with your elbow, and return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
4) Side Plank
This exercise helps you build a strong core and better balance. It doesn't put pressure on the lower back or neck, unlike many core exercises. Side Plank is a balancing exercise, and it can help you sustain good posture and facilitate ease of movement.
How to do it?
- Lie on your right side, stacking your legs from hip to foot.
- Your right elbow should be under your shoulder, and make sure your head is in line with your spine.
- Engage your abdominal muscles, drawing in your belly button towards your spine while lifting your hips and knees off the floor.
- Keep your torso straight and not sagging or bent. Hold the position for 60 seconds, and repeat on the other side.
5) Squat
Doing squats with your legs and not your back can make you stronger and help you perform better in the gym. Squats are also one of the best exercises for shaping and strengthening the entire lower body, especially the backside.
Here's how you do a squat:
- Stand with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart and toes pointed forward.
- Bend your knees, and push your hips back as if you were sitting down. Sit back till you are in a squatting position, with your heels resting on the floor, chest up, and shoulders back.
- Try to reach a 90-degree bend in your knees.
- Straighten your legs to return to an upright standing position.
6) Lunge
Lunges are a powerful exercise that can help tone and strengthen the lower body. With good form and practice, this exercise can become a valuable part of your strength training or circuit training routine.
To do a lunge:
- Stand in a split stance, with the right foot about two to three feet in front of the left.
- Stand straight up, with shoulders back and down, and core engaged.
- Bend both knees and lower your body till the back knee is a few inches from the ground.
- At the bottom of the movement, your front thigh should be parallel to the floor.
- Your weight should be evenly distributed between both legs, and your back knee should point towards the floor.
Takeaway
There are several beginner exercises you can try out at home, which can help you lose weight without having to pay membership fees at a gym.
The aforementioned ones do not need a lot of expensive equipment and can be done by almost everyone.
