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Exercise is a difficult choice to make: do you fit in a workout, or spend some time catching up on chores at home? Is a workout as important as snagging a few extra minutes of sleep in the early morning? So many of us struggle to start an exercise routine. After all, working out is hard, sweaty and sometimes just plain painful when we aren’t strong. Yet getting your body moving doesn’t have to be an exhausting physical challenge; you can work in a workout each morning with a few gentle, easy moves.
Before you hit the shower each morning, try a round – or even three, if you’re feeling up to it – of 10 to 20 reps of the following moves. Each of these exercises is gentle on the body, incorporating stretching and yoga-inspired moves to warm up your body. Once you’ve mastered these moves, you’ll feel confident and ready to tackle a more challenging workout on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.
The Stretch Sit-Up
Get your core muscles warmed up by rolling upward to a seated position. Begin by laying on the floor, legs together and straight on the ground with your arms extended behind your head. Reach your arms up and begin to rise, lifting your upper body and back off the floor as you fold towards your feet. Try to touch your toes; release and roll back down to the floor.
The Forward-Fold Squat
Your legs and hamstrings get a little action with this move. Stand with your feet placed just a little wider than your shoulders. Lower gently into a squat, keeping your knees from falling over your ankles. Straighten your legs into the original standing position, folding your upper body forward towards the ground. Place your hands on the ground; return to the squat position with your body upright.
The Walkout
Continue your core and lower body momentum as you combine a squat, a plank and a push up (if you’re up for it). Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders and squat. Reach down and place your palms on the floor, then walk your hands out in front of you until you’re in a straight, flat-back plank. Walk your hands back to your feet and stand up. If you’d like to add a challenge, perform a push-up while in your plank before returning to standing.
The Twisted Stretch Sit-Up
This move adds a little twist to the first move, the Stretch Sit-Up. Perform your Stretch Sit-Up, rolling upward from laying down. Before you begin to lay back down, twist your torso to the right. Roll back down to your starting position; when you rise upward a second time, twist to the left. Repeat, alternating each side.