Written by: Imad Zeidan
They say, what fits your busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24, if you are healthy, you don’t need it: if you are sick you shouldn’t take it. You can’t change your genes, but you can give them a good run for their money
UK government guidelines suggest adults should do one & a half hours of exercise a week. While the figures show more than half of adults are achieving that, more than a quarter don’t even do 30 minutes of exercise a week.
Public Health Minister, Anna Soubry, said: “It’s fantastic that more than half of English adults are doing the recommended amount of physical activity, but She is shocked that more than a quarter are not getting even 30 minutes of exercise a week” she quoted “We were all inspired by the Olympics and as part of its legacy we want to encourage everyone adults and children to get active and get healthy and they will to do everything they can to help people lead longer, healthier lives, which is why for the first time ever, the government have given local authorities increased and ring-fenced budgets to tackle public health issues in their local area.”
Exercise and physical activity play a crucial role in how you feel about yourself? There are lots of ways to be active – and you may not need a personal trainer or a gym membership. Some people may not have the extra money for a personal trainer or gym memberships so don’t give up on getting fit just because times are tight. Find out how you can get started or refresh your workout routine without going broke. … If walking alone doesn’t sound fun to you, this little home workout routine might provide the motivation you need
Bodyweight exercises can help you stay fit at home, or on the road with little or no equipment. Here are a few of the best bodyweight exercises for maintaining muscle strength and endurance, or creating a great interval training routine at home. Mix and match the exercises to create the perfect workout for travelling, home fitness or simply adding a bit of variety to your typical exercise routine.
Start with a light warm up for a few minutes. This can be walking, marching in place or stepping side to side. The goal of the warm up is to get your blood circulating, your body temperature rising in order to prepare for higher intensity exercise and lubricating your joints and muscles to avoid any injury.
Push Ups
Begin in push up position, on knees or toes. Perform 4 push ups, abs in and back straight. On the 5th push up, lower halfway down and hold for 4 counts. Push back up and repeat the series – 4 regular push ups and 1 halfway–5 or more times.
Pull Ups
The pull up exercise does require some basic equipment, or some creativity (go to a playground or find a low hanging tree branch, for example), but it’s a great, simple way to build upper body strength.
One-Leg Balance / Squat / Reach
Stand on one leg and balance it as long as you can. If this is too easy, add a slight squat motion and if still too easy, Place an object on the floor, several feet in front of you (a book, perhaps), and slowly squat down, and reach out with one arm and touch the object and slowly return to an upright position. Stay on one leg at all times. Repeat on the other leg after a minute or so.
Tuck Jump
The tuck jump exercise ranks near the top of the list for developing explosive power using only an athlete’s body weight.
Chair Dips
You’ll need two chairs, (or a bed and a chair or a counter, etc…) for this great triceps exercise. Place two chairs facing each other, about 3 feet apart. Sit on one chair with your hands palm down and gripping the edge of the chair. Place your heels on the edge of the other chair and hold yourself up using your triceps. Slide forward just far enough that your behind clears the edge of the chair and lower yourself so your elbows are at 90 degrees. Do as many repetitions as you can.
Wall Sit
With your back against a wall, and your feet about 2 feet away from the wall, slide down until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. Hold the position as long as you can. This is great for ski conditioning.
Abdominal Crunches
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Curl up slowly so both your shoulders lift off the floor a few inches. Hold for a count of 2 and return to the start position. Tip: Don’t tuck your chin to your chest; keep your head up.
Superman
Lie on your stomach with your arms and legs stretched out. Raise your arms and legs off the ground a few inches, hold a few seconds, and then lower. Alternate your arms and legs as an option. Repeat.
Reverse Crunch
Lie on your back with your hands out to your sides, and bend your knees. Bring your knees toward your head until your hips come up slightly off the floor (don’t rock). Hold one second and repeat.
Plank Exercise
Get into push up position on hands and toes, or on elbows and toes. Contract your abdominal muscles (and core). Keep your back straight (don’t collapse in the middle) and hold this position for as long as you can.
Squat-Thrusts
Stand with feet together. Squat down and place your hands on the floor next to your feet. In an explosive movement, jump feet backwards into a push-up position, jump feet back between hands and stand up.
Jumping Jacks
The basic jumping jack is a good cardio and strength training exercise.
Side Jumps
Stand with feet together. Jump to the right several feet, keeping knees bent and landing in a squat position. Jump back to the left and continue jumping from side to side. Use a small object to jump over if you like (book, pillow etc…).
Mountain Climbers
Start on your hands and knees and get into in a sprinter’s start position. Keep your hands on the ground and push off with your feet so you alternate foot placement (run in place) as long as you can. Be sure to keep your back straight, not arched.
Wall Squat-Thrusts
Lean into a wall with your hands and keep your feet shoulder width apart several feet from the wall. Slowly lift one knee up toward your chest and back and then the other leg. As you improve your fitness, increase your leg lift speed and move your weight onto the ball of the rear foot.
Backward Stride
Stand with feet together. Stride backward with one leg, while raising the arms to shoulder level. Lower the arms to your side and repeat with the other leg. Pick up the pace for more cardio.
Jumping Lunges
Start in the lunge position – one foot forward and one foot back. Bend your knees and then jump up high and switch leg positions. Use explosive, but controlled movements.
Walking Lunges
Start at one end of the room and take a long stride forward with the right leg. Bend down so the forward knee is directly over the toes and at a 90 degree angle. Rise up and repeat with the other leg across the room.
You can get a full body workout anytime, anywhere if you are motivated.
