Exercising is essential for long-term health, but it can be extremely challenging for busy people to work into their everyday routine. That’s why Jennifer Miree Cope says at-home workouts are so great.
Working out at home requires a minimal amount of equipment and can be completed in a short amount of time. If you don’t know where to start, read on for tips on completing some of the best home workouts for busy people.
Yoga
There are so many benefits to yoga. It helps to reduce anxiety, relieve stress, keep you stretched out, and helps you build strength and stamina, too. The best part about yoga is that it doesn’t take a lot of time, and you can do it from just about anywhere.
Start with a simple yoga mat and a room with a TV and enough space to move around a bit. You can pull up plenty of free guided yoga sections on sites such as YouTube. These will walk you through what to do, whether you’re an experienced yogi or are new to the practice.
Calf Raises and Chair Dips
You can build muscle strength at home without any equipment at all.
Calf raises are a great way to strengthen your soleus and gastrocnemius muscles. You can do these sitting or standing, and they can be done at any time.
To work on your triceps muscles, simply grab a stationary chair and do some chair dips. You’ll just squat in front of the chair, resting your hands on the seat, and then push your body up and down like a reverse pushup with your legs straight out in front of you.
Squats and Lunges
Squats and lunges are a great way to build core strength. You’ll be using the weight of your body to provide the resistance, so you won’t even need any fancy equipment or weights.
Neither of these exercises will require you to have a lot of room to move since you’ll mostly be doing these in place. Not only will they strengthen your core muscles and lower body, but they’ll also help you burn fat.
Squats involve you “squatting” straight down by bending your knees while keeping your upper body straight. Lunges involve taking one long step forward while bending your back knee close to the ground.
Multiple sets of 10 of each of these exercises are great for busy people.
Pushups
Pushups are a classic high school gym exercise, but they’re great for busy people to do at home as well. As Jennifer Miree Cope explains, pushups are great for building strength throughout your body — in your upper body, lower body, and core.
Not only will you be building muscle strength with this simple exercise, but you’ll also be burning fat and calories as well. Pushups require your entire body to do properly, which makes them one of the best at-home exercises for busy people.
About Jennifer Miree Cope
Jennifer Miree Cope graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1985 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Renowned for her passion and talent as a landscape designer, Jennifer’s associates often praise her for being organized and thorough. When not hiking in the mountains of North Carolina, attending University of Alabama sporting events, or exercising, Jennifer is often volunteering with one of the many charitable endeavors supported by Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama: STAIR tutoring, Holiday House, or the Children’s Fresh Air Farm.