Start on Your Journey to a Fitter You: 10 Best at-Home Exercises to Help You Get Moving without Any Equipment

Start on Your Journey to a Fitter You: 10 Best at-Home Exercises to Help You Get Moving without Any Equipment

If the idea of a home workout makes you yawn, think again! When executed correctly, using only your own body weight, these versatile moves can help you create a total-body at-home workout that fits your needs and abilities. The following series takes you through a variety of choices for exercising at home.

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Exercising at Home

Any movement that helps in burning calories in the body is called an exercise. You can find various options when you want to exercise. Here, the different home exercises and the perks of regular exercise are listed.

Importance of Exercising

For most people, exercising comes to mind only when they start to gain weight. Exercises should be part of everyday life. If you cannot accommodate a workout plan throughout the week, at least thrice a week is a good idea to exercise. Find here the perks of exercising regularly.

#1 It Increases Your Energy Levels

Exercising helps in building your muscle strength and helps in improving endurance. Exercising helps in supplying oxygen to the tissues and this helps in the proper functioning of your organs. Your cardiovascular system works great with regular exercises. Your lung health improves a lot with regular workouts. Studies prove in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, exercises help in boosted energy levels. The same is the case in people who suffer from chronic illnesses.

#2 It Keeps You Happier

If you are looking for a real stress buster, and want some emotional uplift, then exercising is the answer. While exercising, various brain chemicals are released, which helps in elevating your mood and keeping you happy. You can do anything, a gym session, brisk walk, swim, or do yoga. When exercising regularly, you stay in shape, and this again helps in boosting your confidence levels. This also helps in improving your self-esteem. Together these perks keep you happy.

#3 It Improves Sleep

Finding it difficult to sleep well, even if you hit the bed on time? When you do exercises, you get physically tired, and it helps in sleeping on time. Your body temperature increases while you work out, which is said to improve sleep quality. A study that involved individuals who engaged in 150 hours per week exercise session enjoyed an increase in sleep quality up to 65%. In elders, with sleep disorders, the regular exercises proved to be advantageous to stay asleep throughout the night.

Top 10 Exercises You Can Do at Home without any Equipment

Exercising at home has a plethora of benefits. You can create a schedule to suit your requirements and time availability. You do not need any exercise equipment for these. Most important of all is that you need not spend any money on them. Your health is at your hands, and here are 10 best home exercises for you, which can be done in the comfort of your home.

#1 Surya Namaskar

Surya Namaskar is a set of 12 asanas. It has to be repeated 12 times, which means one gets to do 288 poses. Surya Namaskar burns 13.90 calories approximately, per round. Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation involves all the major joints of the body. It improves the functioning of the heart, lungs, and joints. It aids in blood circulation and stimulates the nervous system. Performing Surya Namaskar everyday helps in improving the flexibility of the body, and it can be done in the early morning and evening. The key is to avoid the UV rays that can cause damages to the skin. This set of 12 asanas helps in attaining healthy BMI.

The 12 steps or postures of Surya Namaskar are: Prayer Pose, Raised Arms Pose, Standing Forward Bend Pose, Lunge Pose, Plank Pose, Eight Limbed Pose, Cobra Pose, Downward Facing Dog Pose, High Lunge Pose, Standing Forward Bend, Raised Arms Pose, and Prayer Pose.

Yoga, in general, is a great option to reach your fitness goals without equipment. This is a free-range exercise that can be done at home without the need for any equipment. Various Yoga Asanas can be tried to suit your goals and physical fitness levels. The asanas help in stretching muscles and help just like the aerobic exercises to sweat. But the best thing is that various major parts of the body get the required flexibility and fitness with the continuous practice of yoga asanas. Yoga asanas also help in improving the quality of your mood.

#2 Dance Fitness

If you are into dancing then you can even do a bit of dance fitness daily. Dance fitness is often called Zumba, which is a patented dance exercise. You don't need any equipment to do this. You can simply put off some pumping music and dance to it. If you are new to dance as a fitness exercise then it is recommended that you put on a dance fitness video or a Zumba video and follow the instructor. You can find several such videos on Youtube for free. Within 3 - 5 sessions you will get the hang of it and will be able to do it yourself then.

#3 Jumping Jacks

This is a cardio exercise that helps in targeting the whole body. This can be done every day, and it helps in making your heart stronger. This exercise while helping in losing weight, does not stop there. It elevates the mood and makes you flexible. It also increases stamina and helps in beating stress. To do this workout, stand straight. Your arms should be on your side, and the feet should be together. Raise your arms while you jump. Your feet should be apart when you are jumping. Come back to the original position immediately. Repeat the exercise.

#4 Plank Hold

If you want to work on your abdominal area and build your abs, then Plank holds is what you need to do. This is the best exercise for beginners, who want to get into shape and stay strong. This exercise also helps in strengthening the shoulder, and the back too. This exercise can be done in multiple ways, and you can get benefited in different forms. To do this, start with the pushup position. Your elbows should be at 90 degrees to your body, and the weight should be on the forearms. From head to toe, it has to be a straight line. You can hold to this position based on your comfort. It is a good idea to start by holding on the position for a few seconds initially and gradually increase it. Repeat the exercise for 5 to 10 sets.

#5 Squats

This is a good exercise to be done every day. If you are looking forward to building and strengthen your core muscles, then squats are a good choice. Again, squats can be done in multiple variations, for different forms. When you are doing squats stand straight. Your back should be straight. So should be your shoulders and chest. Bend the knees and squat down, and keep your feet in line. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor. The knees should go beyond the toes. And look straight. Compared with any other cardio exercises, the squats can be effective. It can also tone your butts. You can do this 25 times per day, initially. If you want to increase the count, do it gradually. This exercise helps in eliminating belly fat.

#6 Burpees

If your goal is to burn fat and stay healthy, burpees are the best way to do it at home. In the range of exercises that don’t need equipment, burpees improve your heartbeat and help you reach the fitness goal with ease. Start with the standing position. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor and start squatting. Your palms should be placed on the floor. Move your feet as far as you can to the back. Keep the arms extended, and when your feet touch the land and jump back to the hand. Then jump into the air. Immediately jump and squat down. Repeat this.

#7 Lunges

Like the other exercises listed here that do not require equipment, and can be done with ease, lunges are another option to workout your body. This helps in strengthening the core. It can help in strengthening the lower body and improve the mobility of the hips and knees. To do this, bend the knees to 90 degrees, and lower the hip. Your upper body should be straight and you need to stay relaxed. While on this position, step forward to bring a knee to the front. Bring the weight on the heels and return to the original position.

#8 Pull-Ups

This exercise focuses on the upper body. This pulling exercise can be performed with home gym equipment too. But you can use any grip to perform this, and the use of any bar or exercise machine is never mandatory. You use your arms to pull yourself up while doing this exercise. You can experience a cliffhanger moment when you do pullups or the chin-ups. You can burn calories, lose weight and strengthen your torso. Hold to any grip, and stand straight. Pull yourself up and hold on to this position. Get back to the original position. Repeat the process.

#9 Crunches

This is another exercise to strengthen your core and abs muscles. This exercise also concentrates on the oblique. To do this, you need to start with lying flat on the floor. Bend the knees flat to the floor. Place your hands behind the head loosely. Now slowly lift your body and bring the right shoulder to the left knee. Your elbow should be across the body. Your knee should touch the elbow. Get back to the original position. Repeat with the right knee and left shoulder.

#10 Russian Twist

This is an exercise that will help in losing belly fat and toning the entire abdomen. It also helps you to keep in shape and maintaining body balance. For doing this exercise, you need to sit with the torso and lean back to 45 degrees. Bend your knees, and lift your feet, and this should look like a V-shaped body between the thighs and body.

Top #3 Things to Do to Stay Healthy

Your health depends on multiple factors. Three of them are at the top of the list. The food you eat, the quality of your sleep, and your exercise schedule. Take a peep into these.

#1 Eat Right

Your productivity, cognitive performance, and decision-making capacity are directly linked to the foods you eat. To eat right, don’t miss your breakfast. Replenishing the sugar levels, and powering up the muscles depends on your breakfast. Your food should include complex carbs, proteins, and good fats. Whole grains, poultry, meat, and eggs are a few examples. Include lots of fresh seasonal fruits and veggies in your meal plan. Seeds, nuts, olives, and avocados are healthy fats you can choose. Eat a balanced meal and do not cut down too much of calories, if you want to stay healthy.

#2 Sleep Right

Lack of sleep does not only have an impact on physical energy levels. It also hampers focus and decision-making capacity. If you want to know how far it is true, it is essential to speak to a new parent. A parent of the newborn often gets to sleep very little and is emotionally deprived due to it. The toll of lack of sleep can be seen in productivity and less efficiency. It is necessary to sleep at the same time daily. Create a schedule for sleep, and most importantly stick to it. Do not take tea, coffee, and alcohol a couple of hours before sleeping. When you suffer from sleep deprivation, you can see that your stress level goes higher. You need adequate rest to perform at work, and stay healthy. Use a comfortable mattress to sleep well. Ensure your bedroom isn’t used for other purposes, and wind off the unfinished work before you hit the bed. It proves that your planning and efficient implementation of the same at work and home helps you to sleep better.

#3 Exercise

Source www.cnet.com

Exercising for 30 minutes to one hour is what you need, to stay fit as a fiddle. Exercising keeps your body active, toned, and in shape. It also helps in beating sleep disorders. Regular exercise helps in improved sleep quality, and also makes you feel happy. It eliminates stress. Frequent exercising is one of the habits of successful people. Daily exercising helps you to stay active throughout the day, and this means your efficiency levels go higher. When you deny yourself any of these three, it only means that you care less for yourself. The lack of balance in eating, sleeping, and working out will lead to a bunch of ailments. Stick to a routine, to eat, sleep and exercise right. This is the key to a healthy and successful life.

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Choose Exercise that You Enjoy

One reason people find their exercise programme falls by the wayside is boredom. If going for a walk gives you pleasure, turn it into daily health and fitness opportunity. Walking with a friend can make it even more enjoyable and by committing to walk with them, you are more likely to do it and less likely to let other things stop you. Some people enjoy going to a gym for strength training exercises, where again, going with a friend may help you keep that commitment. But if you don't enjoy the gym, then you could try exercising at home. Try new activities to keep yourself interested and motivated.