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In the wake of the pandemic, more and more people have taken up exercise, and rightly so. An expensive gym membership isn't the most logistically sound choice for newcomers looking to get into fitness or environmentally conscious people. If you want to build muscle, stay healthy, and do your bit to protect the environment, here are some quick, eco-friendly exercises you can do from your own home.
Best Eco-Friendly Exercises To Do at Home
1) Push-Ups
If you're looking for the perfect all-round exercise, look no further than the push-up. Push-ups are compound movements that predominantly target your chest and work your triceps and shoulders. Moreover, you can perform variations of push-ups to target different parts of your chest.
To perform a push-up, follow these steps:
- Lie flat on the floor, with your arms stretched and elbows locked. Keep your palms parallel to each other, a little further than shoulder distance.
- Isolate your chest using the mind-muscle connection. While targeting your chest, push with maximum force against the ground.
- Ensure that your body is parallel to the ground when you push upwards.
- Perform the reverse movement. Slowly start to lower yourself to the ground until you are a few inches away. Repeat the steps to perform as many reps as you can.
2) Squats
The squat is another excellent exercise that targets several body parts. When performed correctly, it can train your quadriceps, glutes, calves, hamstrings, and even your core. Like the push-up, the squat is also a compound movement with several variations.
To perform a squat, follow these steps:
- Plant your feet firmly onto the ground, slightly further than shoulder distance. Place your arms in front of you.
- Bend your knees, arch your back, and flex your chest. This will ensure proper mobility and allow a full range of motion.
- Before doing a repetition, it is essential to visualize the motion. Visualize your feet digging into the ground; this will keep your feet firmly planted.
- Begin the motion by bending your knees forward and moving your hips back. Then, use your glutes to go down while keeping your arms extended and your core engaged.
- To complete a full repetition, pause when the back of your thighs are parallel to the ground and reset to the starting position to repeat for more reps.
3) Planks
The plank is a great full-body movement that you can perform at home without equipment. While the world has a love-hate relationship with planks, it's an exercise that every fitness enthusiast should be capable of performing. It's great for your core and a fantastic way to end your workouts.
To perform a plank, follow these steps:
- Lie flat on a surface and plant your arms right under your shoulders, as one would for a push-up.
- Drill your toes into the ground and flex your glutes to keep them locked. Ensure that you do not extend your knees more than what is required for this exercise,
- Do not flex your neck and spine; instead, look at the floor, a few inches away from yourself.
- Engage your core and keep your body locked. Hold this position for as long as possible.
4) Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks are a fun and exhilarating way to spruce up your workouts. They're simple, environmentally friendly, and require no equipment. You can either perform them as a warm-up or after your workout to get your heart rate going and burn extra calories.
To perform jumping jacks, follow these steps:
- Stand upright, with your feet parallel and straight and your arms by your side.
- Bend your knees as you begin to jump in the air.
- While jumping, ensure that your legs stretch out just beyond shoulder distance.
- Your arms should stretch out and over your head.
- Reset and repeat.
5) Burpees
If you want to burn a significant amount of calories while aiding in the endurance of your muscles and body, burpees are precisely what you need. They're explosive, rapid, get your heart rate up, and they're the perfect combination of intense jumping jacks and strenuous push-ups.
Burpees are a rather difficult exercise to perform, so you'll need a fairly good amount of experience with other exercises like push-ups, squats, and jumping jacks, along with endurance and stamina, to do a good burpee.
To perform a burpee, follow these steps:
- Get into a standard squat position, and position your knees slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Go down, as you would for a squat, and aim for a soft landing. While coming up, perform an explosive high jump. Remember to raise your arms above your head.
- After ensuring a soft landing, shift the weight onto your arms and kick your feet back.
- As you fall to the ground, place your arms into a push-up position, and do a push-up before jumping up to reset for another rep. Perform these in sets of a minute each.
6) Walking/Running
No home workout list is complete without walking and running. In all fairness, you can completely get by with just these two exercises, as they are more than enough to sustain a healthy lifestyle. They provide all the available benefits that the exercises mentioned above offer. They increase your heart rate, burn calories, reduce stress, and can even release endorphins. Walking or running, whichever you decide to perform, is a stellar option.
7) Yoga
Yoga, much like walking and running, is an exercise with universal appeal because it can be performed anywhere. Yoga enables one to get in touch with one's mind and body and has a calming effect on oneself. Daily yoga sessions can increase flexibility and endurance and promote better sleep and core strength.
8) Lunges
Lunges are simple yet powerful, and you can perform them without any equipment. These compound movements focus on your quadriceps, back, and glutes. Lunges lay down the foundation for strong and capable legs and may even assist in improving your squat.
To perform lunges, follow these steps:
- Enter a split stance with your legs, and position your arms on your hip.
- Straighten your torso and retract your shoulders.
- Bend your knees until your rear knee is a few inches from the floor and your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
- Push back up to your starting position, and repeat for more reps.
Takeaway
Not only are the exercises mentioned above easy to follow, but they are also doable without any equipment. Working out without any equipment is eco-friendly and saves time and money. Beginners can kickstart their fitness journey at home and create a solid foundation of muscle growth and knowledge.
