With the Christmas spirit in the air, pleasant weather and a full social schedule, people love Decembers. This also happens to be the time your social media feed gets flooded with vacay goals. The pressure to fit into your bikinis and bodycon dresses is intersected by a race against time to wrap your work quickly (to facilitate your leave), leaving you with no time to attend a fitness class. Fret not, here's a series of simple exercises, which can be done almost anywhere and anytime without any need of special equipment or assistance. The sequence of exercises is designed to work the entire body to help you tone up, get in shape and keep the extra pounds off.
Floor push-up
Place your palms on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and in line with your shoulders. Place your toes on the floor. Keeping your body in a straight line from your knees to the shoulders, lower the body towards the floor by bending at the elbows. When the body is a couple of inches from the floor, push yourself upwards to the starting position where your arms are straightened.
Beginners: 1 or 2 sets of 10 reps; Advanced: 2 or 3 sets of 20 reps
Tricep dips
Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the edge of a sofa/bed, etc. Your feet should be placed 3-4 feet away from the edge of the sofa/bed, etc. Slowly bend at the elbows and lower your torso towards the floor. Stop when your tailbone is a few inches off the floor, straighten your arms and push yourself back to starting position.
Beginners: 1 or 2 sets of 10 reps; Advanced: 2 or 3 sets of 15 reps.
Standing twists
Stand with feet placed shoulder-width apart and your hands placed on the back of the neck. Without moving your feet twist the body to the right side twisting from the waist. Then turn and twist to the left side. Repeat twisting from side to side. Do not twist so fast that you experience dizziness. If you feel dizzy stop.
Beginners: 1-2 sets of 20 reps each side; Advanced: 2 sets of 30 reps each side.
Wide stance squats
Place your feet wider than shoulder-width with your toes pointing outwards at about
45-degree. Inhale and lower your hips downwards by bending at the knees. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor. Exhale and stand upwards to starting position. Balance is important in this exercise and squat by lowering your hips downwards and not by pushing your knees too far forward. If your knees pain stop.
Beginners: 1-2 sets of 20 reps; Advanced: 2 sets of 30 reps
Standing long lunges
Stand with your front foot about 3 feet ahead of your back foot with your toes pointing straight ahead. The back leg has the toes on the floor and the heel is raised. Bend the front knee to lower the back leg toward the floor. When the back knee almost touches the floor stop and straighten the legs to starting position. Do not rush or you might lose balance.
Beginners: 1-2 sets of 10 reps of each leg; Advanced: 2 sets of 20 reps of each leg
Burpee
From a standing position go to a crouching one. Bend your knees and jump into a plank with your legs back and palms on the floor. Immediately get back to your feet and hump with your toes pointed down and fingers upwards.
Beginners: 1 set of 20 reps; Advanced: 2 sets of 20 reps
Hyperextensions
Lie on the floor face down on your tummy.
Place your hands behind with your knuckles on the tailbone. Exhale and lift your head and shoulders
a few inches off the floor. Do not lift the legs. Inhale and lower your body to the starting position on the floor.
Beginners: 1-2 sets of 10 reps; Advanced: 2 sets of 20 reps
Crunches
Lie on your back with the feet in the air and legs bent at the knees. Your palms are placed under the skull. Exhale and lift your head and shoulders upwards contracting the upper abdominals. Inhale and lower back to the floor. Do not move the legs.
Beginners: 1-2 sets of 15 reps; Advanced: 2-3 sets of 25 reps
Reverse crunches
Lie on your back with your legs raised
to 90-degree and your upper hands placed under your hips palms facing down. Without lifting the upper body, raise your legs and lift your tailbone upwards away from the floor.
Do this exercise slowly.
Beginners: 1-2 sets of 10 reps; Advanced: 2 sets of 20 reps
Pedal and twist
Lying on your back place your palms under the head. Slowly pedal your legs inwards and outwards towards the body. Simultaneously as you are pedalling twist the upper body with the right elbow towards the left knee and the left elbow towards the right knee. Continue with slow rhythm and maintain balance.
Beginners: 1 set of 15 reps each side; Advanced: 2 sets of 30 reps each side
