10 Simple Exercises To Help You Stay Fit Always

Let stick to the basics.

We know regular exercise is good for optimizing health especially during this COVID'19 pandemic, when there is no much physical activities. But with so many options and limitless information available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with works. But not to worry, Wellness with Maya got your back and body!

Check out the 10 exercises you can do for ultimate fitness. Combine them into a routine for a workout that’s simple but powerful and sure to keep you in shape for the rest of your life. After 30 days — although you can also do them just twice to thrice a week — you should see improvements in your muscular strength, endurance, balance and body shape. Plus, you will notice a difference in how your clothes fit.

Let get set to the 10 exercises that rocks your body. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so we will stick to the basics.

1. LUNGES

Challenging your balance is an essential part of a well-rounded exercise routine. Lunges do just that, promoting functional movement, while also increasing strength in your legs and gluts.

• Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms down at your sides. 

• 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. Ensure that your right knee doesn’t extend past your right foot. 

• Push up off your right foot and return to the starting position. Repeat with your left leg. 

• Repeat 14 times.

2. PLANK

Plank exercise is about helping you to keep balance and setting your muscles the right position . This exercise help strengthen the abdomen, back and shoulders.

• Lie on the floor with your toes and forearms on the ground.

• Keep your body straight and hold as long as you can.

• You use a timer here, for the first time start with 30secs, then increase to 45secs or 1min. The highest you can go is 4mins, advisably.

3. SITUPS

Although, they get a bad rap as being too basic, sit up is an effective way to target your abdominal muscles. If you have lower back issues, stick with a crunch, which requires just your upper back and shoulders to lift off the ground.

• Start by lying on the ground on your back with your knees bent, feet flat, and your hands behind your head. 

• Keeping your feet glued to the ground, begin to roll up from your head, engaging your core throughout. Don’t strain your neck during the upward motion. 

• When your chest reaches your legs, begin the controlled phase back down to the starting position. 

• Repeat 12 times or more.

4. SQUATS

Squats increase lower body and core strength, as well as flexibility in your lower back and hips. Because they engage some of the largest muscles in the body, they also pack a major punch in terms of calories burned. To ladies that wants to shape their butts, this is the exercise you have been waiting for.

• Start by standing straight, with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and your arms at your sides. t

• Brace your core and, keeping your chest and chin up, push your hips back and bend your knees as if you’re going to sit on a chair. 

• Ensuring your knees don’t bow inward or outward, drop down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, bringing your arms out in front of you in a comfortable position. Pause for one second, then extend your legs and return to the starting position. 

• Repeat 14 times or as much as you can go.

5. PUSHUPS

Drop and give me 20! Pushups are one of the most basic yet effective bodyweight moves you can perform because of the number of muscles that are recruited to perform them.

• Start in a plank position. Your core should be tight, shoulders pulled down and back, and your neck neutral.

• Bend your elbows and begin to lower your body down to the floor. When your chest grazes it, extend your elbows and return to the start. Focus on keeping your elbows close to your body during the movement. 

• Start by going 5 times, then increase to as many as possible.

6. JUMPING JACKS 

This is a really interesting work out for the whole body, it assist weight loss and improves cardiovascular function. It also helps to tone your arm muscles and reduce flabby arms.

• Start with standing up your feet together and your hands by your sides.

• Jump up and split your leg to a convenient position and at the same time raise your hands and clap over your head.

• Return to your starting position and repeat the action again. Start slowly and then increase your phase.

• Repeat 20 times or more.

7. LEG RAISE

This helps you to tone your abdominal muscles and reduce fats in that area, also help shape your thigh and reduce lower back pain.

• Lie down on your back and put your hands beneath your hips for support.

• Then, lift your legs up until they form a right angle with the floor.

• Slowly bring your legs back   to the flor and repeat the exercise at least 10 times or more.

8. WALL PUSHUPS

This exercise is majorly for your arms. It reduce your flabby arm and strengthen the workload of your arms muscles.

• Stand in front of the wall one big step away from it. 

• Then put your hands out straight towards the wall and lean against it.

• Slowly bend your elbows and press your upper body towards the wall. 

• Push back and repeat at least 12 times.

• Remember to keep your body straight.

9. TRICEPS DIPS

This also works for the arm muscles, the triceps, but not just that, it works out your butt too, making it come out rounder and firm.

• For the starting position, sit on a chair. Then move your hips off the chair with your hands holding the edge of the chair.

• Slowly bend and stretch your arms to make your body go up and down. 

• Repeat at least 12 times.

10. DONKEY KICKS 

This exercise helps to work out your thighs and butt. And it’s so simple and doesn’t require much energy.

• Start on all fours with your knees under your butt and your hands under your shoulders.

• Then lift your leg and squeeze your butt as much as you can.

• Go back to the starting position and repeat the exercise at least 12 times, i.e. your repeat for the right leg alone, then go for the left alone. 

Spice it up

These fundamental exercises will do your body good, but there’s always room to keep pushing it. If you notice yourself breezing through and barely breaking a sweat, focus on progressive overload by making each move more challenging by:

• increasing the number of repeat 

• tacking on a jump to moves like squats and lunges

Another way to switch it up? Turn the routine into a time-under-tension workout, completing each move for a set amount of time instead of for a set number of repeat.

Do you find this part of our Wellness Apple 🍎 helpful? Kindly share and subscribe to stay updated on our blog post.