Whether you’re stuck working from home or spend nine hours and then some at the office, your work schedule can be a real bore. Great excuse to skip the gym, right? Wrong! A sedentary lifestyle can lead to serious health consequences including type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, sky-rocketing blood pressure, and even higher incidences of some forms of cancer. An exercise program doesn’t have to include extra planning, exorbitant time commitments and an expensive gym membership. You can get up, get moving and get a darn good workout simply and effectively at home, at work on break or anywhere else the urge hits you!
You may not be able to get the gym to do cable flies and dumbbell chest presses, but you can pump-up and build flexibility in your shoulders, chest, and arms with push-ups. Lie face down on the ground, with bent arms supporting your body. Proceed to push up to arm’s length. Pause, then lower to starting position. Perform 20 repetitions. Target your chest by doing a set of push-ups with your arms out as far as possible. Shoulders and biceps are especially worked when you do push-ups with your arms set at about shoulder width apart. Try targeting triceps by bringing arms in as close as possible with elbows facing outward. Do 20 reps of each of these push-ups and you’ll feel a great upper body pump!
Build flexibility in your back with toe touches. Stand with legs together and arms overhead. Proceed to bend over carefully and extend fingers to toes. Pause, then, rise to starting position. Perform 20 repetitions. Add a little extra resistance to this exercise by holding a small weight or a couple of books overhead while performing it.
Of course, crunches are excellent for working abdominals and building core strength. Add bent knee leg lifts to your repertoire and you’re bound to have a six pack. Lie face up with legs together and the upper body raised supporting the forearms. Proceed to raise the right leg up. Pause, then lower and raise the left leg. Perform 20 alternating repetitions with each leg.
Work your core muscles, especially obliques with side bends. Stand with the right hand behind the head and the left hand on the left thigh. Proceed to bend to the left, lowering the left hand down the thigh. Pause, then rise to starting position. Perform 20 repetitions, then, switch hand positions for another set bending to the right.
Nothing tightens, tones, and builds glutes like lunges. You can do stationary lunges, or you can perform walking lunges during break time back and forth across a parking lot or up and down a corridor. Perform 20 alternating repetitions with each leg forward.
This whole routine can be performed at home, in your back yard or at work one or more times a day. It is also a great warm-up routine in the morning before you shower and hit the road. Exercise is easy, no excuses! Get up! Get moving! It’s contagious!
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
