The misconception that an effective workout routine entails hours spent at the gym engaging in heavy exercises such as weight lifting has caused many people to shy away from exercising. The average person looking to start working out mostly wants a workout that is short, effective, fun, and easy to follow. The good news is that such exercises do exist and they can be done at home or the gym. Below are four well-known exercises, which are effective in working the entire body and would offer a good start to exercising. These simple exercise routines will help you get in the best shape of your life when done on a regular basis.
1. Pushups
Pushups are an effective form of exercise that allows you to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, back, and abdominal muscles all at the same time. When done on a regular basis, pushups in their different forms result in a toned upper body and stronger muscles.
If you are a beginner, start slowly by doing pushups against high unmovable objects such as a kitchen countertop. With time, progress onto lower stationary objects such as a bench until you can eventually do the pushups with your hands on the floor. The more pushups you do daily, the better the results.
2. Squats
A squat is a simple exercise routine that consists of an up and down motion of the body that resembles the motion of sitting and getting off a chair. Squats are very effective because they work just about every muscle in the lower body including the hips, thighs, buttocks, and calves. Squats have the advantage of burning fat, strengthening muscles, increasing endurance, preventing injuries, toning the lower body, as well as improving mobility and balance.
3. Walking
Walking is one of the cheapest and best exercises to begin with as an exercise routine. You can exerciser indoors on a treadmill or with absolutely no equipment at all other than a good pair of shoes. Beginners should start waling for 5-10 minutes a day and gradually move up to 30 minutes or 1hour per session. Aside from increasing the duration of the walks, the speed of walking should also be increased with time. While most people quickly term walking as an ineffective form of exercise, walking for just one hour can actually burn 500 or more calories. This translates to losing 1pound every week when undertaking 1hour walking sessions per day.
4. Interval Training
Adding interval training to any form of exercise can boost fitness, burn more calories, and help in weight loss. The principle of interval training involves varying the intensity of a workout so as to challenge the body and push it beyond its comfort zone. Interval training involves repeating the process of pushing up the pace of an exercise for a couple of minutes and then returning to normal speed for several minutes throughout the entire workout.
The above exercises can only help you get started with a daily workout routine. However, it may be helpful to consult a professional personal trainer who will teach you how to do the exercises the right way.
Author Bio
Cait Holmes is a health educator who discusses a variety of ways of maintaining proper health by publishing web content. Here you can find the best personal trainer that Cait recommends to her readers.
