Exercise is defined as any bodily movement that makes your muscles work and enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall wellness. There are various forms of physical exercise, including swimming, walking, jogging, running, cycling, and dancing, to name a few. People of all ages can improve their health and fitness by incorporating moderate amounts of physical activity in their daily lives.
Physical activity is very important and exercising daily has been shown to have numerous health benefits, both physically and mentally. Here are a few ways in which exercising regularly aids our well-being:
● Exercise helps us to
maintain a healthy weight. It also helps with maintaining muscle mass and
weight loss. It is crucial to supporting a fast metabolism and eventually,
burning more calories per day.
● Exercise has been
shown to improve our mood, regulate stress and anxiety, and reduce feelings of
depression. It increases the production of endorphins, which are known to
induce positive feelings.
● Engaging in regular
physical activities increases energy levels since it improves both the strength
and efficiency of our cardiovascular system to get oxygen and nutrients to
our muscles.
● Exercise plays a
pivotal role in building as well as maintaining strong muscles and bones. At a
younger age, physical exercise helps build bone density, in addition to helping
prevent osteoporosis later in life.
● Exercising regularly
improves blood flow to the brain and boosts brain function and boosts memory
and thinking skills. It stimulates the production of hormones that help to
enhance the growth of brain cells. It also helps reduce the chances of
Alzheimer’s disease.
● Regular exercise helps
with relaxation and better sleep quality and helps us feel more energized
during the day. It helps improve sleep quality in people with insomnia and
other sleep disorders.
● Exercise reduces the
risks of chronic diseases, especially those pertaining to the heart. It lowers
blood cholesterol level (LDL), increases good cholesterol (HDL), and lowers
blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of a heart attack. It lowers the risk of
type 2 diabetes.
● Exercise helps in
boosting skin health. Moderate exercise on a daily basis can provide
antioxidant protection and promote blood flow, which protects our skin, makes
it healthier, and delays signs of aging.
Workout Sessions
Working out is a form of physical activity. It
refers to a session of specific physical exercises or practice to improve
fitness. When you finish a good workout, you don’t merely feel better, you feel
better about yourself.
Former Washington Redskins coach, George Allen
says “workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is
the badge of a winner - the mark of an organized, goal-oriented person who has
taken charge of their destiny”.
No matter your age or athletic ability,
understanding the importance of strength training, and working out is the key
to flexibility, mobility, improved performance, and lower injury risk. Anyone,
at any fitness level, can and should work out, and it doesn’t have to take
hours at the gym. For moderate exercise, 15-20 minutes of exertion each day is
enough to complete a full-body strength-building workout. Doing it is easy,
once you get started and stick with the basics. You don’t even need any of the
fancy gym equipment to get started with a healthy workout routine.
Here are some basic exercises that are simple but powerful, and
when strung together in one session, become a complete, whole-body workout.
- Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks are an efficient total-body workout. It works our heart, lungs, and muscles at the same time. It also involves abdominal and shoulder muscles. Jumping jacks are good for bone health too.
How to Do a Jumping Jack | Boot Camp
Workout
How to do: Start by standing with
your legs straight and your arms at your sides. Jump up and spread your feet,
while bringing your arms above your head. Jump again while lowering your arms
and at the same time bringing your legs together. Repeat the jumps.
Complete 3 sets of 10
reps.
- Squats
Squats increase our
lower body and core strength, as well as flexibility in our lower back and
hips. Since they engage some of the largest muscles in the body, they play a
major role in terms of calories burned.
Bowflex® How-To |
Squats for Beginners
How to do: Start by standing straight, with your feet
slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms at your sides. Brace
your core, while keeping your chest and chin up. Now, push your hips back and
bend your knees, like in a position as if you are going to sit on a chair.
Pause for one second, then extend your legs, and finally, return to the
starting position.
Complete 3 sets of 20
reps.
- Pushups
Push-ups are a go-to
exercise for bodybuilders. They are one of the most basic, yet effective
bodyweight moves due to the number of muscles that are recruited to perform
them. They effectively work the muscles in our shoulders and chest.
How to Do a Basic
Push-Up | Chest Workout
How to do: Start in a plank
position, with your core tight, shoulders pulled down and back, and your neck
neutral. Next, bend your elbows and begin to lower your body down to the floor.
When your chest is close to the floor, extend your elbows and return to the
start.
If you can’t perform a
standard pushup with good form, drop down to a modified stance on your knees -
it’s still equally effective.
Complete 3 sets of as
many reps as possible, however, don’t strain or over-exert yourself though.
- Lunges
Challenging our body
balance is an essential part of a well-rounded exercise routine and lunges do
just that. They promote functional movement, while also increasing strength in
our legs and glutes.
Bowflex® How-To | Lunges for Beginners
How to do: Start by standing
straight, with your feet shoulder-width apart, and keep your arms down at your
sides. Next, take a step forward with your right leg and bend your right knee
as you do so, stopping when your thigh is parallel to the ground. Finally, push
up off your right foot and return to the starting position. Then repeat the
same with your left leg. This is one complete rep.
Complete 3 sets of 10
reps.
- Situps
Situps are a
multi-muscle exercise since they work the abdominals as well as other muscles
including the chest, hip flexors, lower back, and neck. It builds strong core
muscles which help in improving posture.
How to do: Lie down on your back,
bend your legs and place your feet firmly on the ground to stabilize your lower
body. Place your hands behind your ears without pulling your neck with force.
Pull your upper body up toward your knees, and exhale as you lift. Then slowly,
lower yourself down, returning to your starting point, and inhale as you lower.
Complete 1 set of 10
reps at a time.
- Planks
Plank helps build
strength in the core, shoulders, arms, and legs, as well as tones our abs. It
helps in building upper body strength. Planks are an effective way to target
the whole body, especially your abdominal and low back muscles.
Bowflex® How-To |
Planks for Beginners
How to do: Start in a pushup
position, with your hand and toes firmly planted on the ground, keeping your
back straight, and your core tight. Keep your chin slightly tucked and your
gaze exactly in front of your hands. Stay in this position and take deep
controlled breaths while maintaining tension throughout your entire body, so
that your abs, shoulders, triceps, glutes, and quads are all engaged.
If you feel too much
strain on your wrist, you can also do a plank on your forearm.
Complete 3 sets of 30
seconds hold.
- Burpees
Burpees are a
super-effective whole-body exercise that provides cardiovascular endurance and
muscle strength.
Bowflex® How-To | Burpees for Beginners
How to do: Start by standing
straight, with your feet shoulder-width apart, and keep your arms down at your
sides. Keeping your hands in front of you, start to squat down. As your hands
reach the floor, pop your legs straight back to a pushup position. Then jump
your feet up to your palms by hinging at the waist, getting your feet as close
to your hands as you can get. Finally, stand up straight, bring your hands
above your head, and jump. This is one full rep.
Complete 3 sets of 10
reps.
- Mountain Climbers
This exercise mimics
the motion mountain climbers make as they climb steep peaks, instead, it’s done
on the soft, flat surface of the ground. These are total-body workouts and help
in building strength in our core, back, arms, and legs, including our heart.
How to Do a
Mountain Climber Plank | Abs Workout
How to do: Start by putting both
hands and knees on the floor. Then place your right foot near your right hand, and extend your left leg behind you. Now in one smooth motion, switch your legs,
keeping your arms in the exact same position. Switch your legs back and forth
in the same way.
Complete 3 sets of 20
reps.
- Crunches
Crunches focus solely
on working the abdominal muscles, which makes it a popular exercise among
people who are trying to get six-pack abs. It is also ideal for strengthening
the core, including lower back muscles and obliques, it also improves balance
and posture.
Bowflex® How-To |
Crunches for Beginners
How to do: Lie down on your back,
bend your legs and place your feet firmly on the ground to stabilize your lower
body. Cross your hands to opposite shoulders. Lift your head and shoulder
blades, and exhale as you rise. Slowly, lower, return to your starting
point, and inhale as you lower.
- Warm-Up Exercises
Warm-up exercises can
be done at the start of the workout routine. They get your body ready for weight-bearing exercises and ease your muscles into exercise mode. They
increase blood flow and oxygen and help ease muscle tension and pain. Warm-up
increases flexibility and lowers the risk of injury.
Dynamic warmup focuses
on actions similar to the movements you will do while working out. They can
help build strength, mobility, and coordination, which can help boost our
workout performance.
Bowflex® Bodyweight Workout | How to Warm Up for Your Workout
- Cooldown Exercises
Cooldown exercises are
most effective at the end of the workout to ease out of the strenuous workout
session. Cooldown exercises and stretches bring your heart rate, body
temperature, and blood pressure levels back to their normal levels before you
continue carrying on with your usual activities. Static stretching lowers your
chance of injury, promotes blood flow, and reduces stress on your heart and
other muscles.
Fast 5 Minute Cool
Down and Stretching Workout for Busy People
Exercise During The Pandemic
Physical activity and maintaining an exercise routine during the
Covid-19 outbreak have become immensely crucial for our physical as well as
mental well-being.
While being fit won’t prevent you from
catching the virus, it can boost your immune system hence, reducing the risk of
illness. Regular exercise can aid in the management of chronic conditions, such
as high blood pressure and diabetes. It can also help ease depression, and
regulate stress and anxiety. You can take charge of your mood and well-being
and retain a sense of control during these days of great uncertainty, by
finding new ways to get moving and stay motivated and on track with your
exercise goals even when your normal routine is disrupted.
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