The best exercises for women at home do not essentially require plenty of equipment other than your bodyweight. This happens to be great news for ladies who might not have things like kettlebells, dumbbells, resistance bands, etc. at home yet want to work out without having to go to their fitness centers or gyms and risking exposure to coronavirus.
Most times, women have to juggle between their professional, and personal responsibilities. Due to which they find it hard to find the time for their health and fitness. Here are the top 10 exercises for women to do at home and stay fit. You can choose to do these on your own or hire a professional fitness trainer.
1. Bridge
The bridge is one of the most effective exercises to get a sculpted butt. This exercise also helps keep your back pain-free and healthy. The bridge is one of the best exercises to strengthen your lower back, glutes & legs.
- Lie down on your back and bent your knees, keep your feet flat and arms extended on your sides.
- Raise your bottom and extend your hips.
- Slowly come back to your starting position & repeat.
2. Single Leg Stand
This exercise, as simple as it may sound, has several benefits. The act of balancing your body on one leg helps improves the flexibility of your leg muscles. This act of balancing also helps in increasing concentration and helps in fighting depression and anxiety.
- Shift your body weight on one foot & lift the other off the ground.
- Stay straight, and don’t lean your body.
- Stay in this position for one minute and repeat.
3. Side Plank
Planks & side planks are some of the best workouts for your core & abs. These exercises work on your deep core muscles and help in strengthening them. Having a strong core is an absolute necessity for overall fitness.
- Lie on the left side and keep both knees straight.
- Lean your upper body on your left elbow & forearm.
- Slowly raise your hips and form a straight line from the ankles to shoulders.
- Hold the position for 30 sec and repeat.
4. Lunges
The lunges, anyone that ever has been to a gym or has worked out has either done this exercise or has seen someone do ot. This is one of the primary exercises for toning and strengthening the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
- Stand with your feet and shoulder-width apart.
- Rest your hand on hips and take a giant step ahead with your right leg (don’t go far forward)
- Your left knee would go down to floor level.
- Repeat with the other side.
5. Jumping Jack
The Jumping Jack is a basic workout to start your daily fitness routine. Before you begin your workouts, it is important to warm-up and stretch to avoid injuries or soreness. The Jumping Jack activates pretty much all your muscle groups and is a great warm-up exercise.
- Keep both your feet together & hands straight by your sides.
- When jumping, raise both your arms over your head and your feet to the sides (a slight split).
- Reverse and return to standing position (in jumping position).
6. Squats
The squat is the quintessential workout when it comes to strengthening your things. When done with a good range of motion and proper form, the squat helps strengthen your knees, ankles, and hips glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and last but not the least, the core.
- Keep your feet shoulder-width and toes pointed out
- Stand tall with your stomach braced throughout
- Stay by sitting back & pushing your knees out
- Try to go as much low as possible without pain whilst keeping your spine straight (a slight bend forward would be a part of the natural range of motion)
- Start with 2 to 3 sets of 12-15 reps
7. Cat Camel Stretch
Doing stretching exercises are very useful to tone your muscle and prevent joint pains, muscle tears, muscle soreness, etc. The cat camel stretch is an exercise inspired by Yoga. This stretching exercise is a great exercise for the spine and the lower back.
- Kneel on all fours and round your back like a camel to make your head meet your pelvis. It is a camel position
- Lower and lift your head slowly so that your back is arched. It is a cat position.
- Repeat these movements smoothly and slowly 4 to 5 times.
8. Bending Windmill Stretch
It is a great exercise that works on your core, shoulders, gluteus maximus (glutes), and upper legs, giving you a full-body stretch.
- Bend forward and keep your back straight.
- Reach your one arm down & the other arm up when you twist the spine.
- Repeat
9. Push-ups
Push-ups are one of the first things that we learn when it comes to exercises. The push up is popularly known to be a chest workout. However, this workout activates a wider range of muscle groups like the core, triceps, chest and shoulders.
- Start with all fours & place both your hands on the ground so that they are wider and aligned with your shoulders and feet close together.
- Lift your hips and lower your body till your chest touches the ground and repeat the position.
10. Bridge Posture
The bridge pose is similar to the bridge. However, unlike the bridge, where you have to do 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps each, you must hold the bridge posture for longer in the bridge pose. This exercise helps in relieving lower back pain and is also known to help fight hypertension.
- Lie down on your back and arms by your sides and palms down.
- Keep your feet flat and knees bent. Keep your feet apart.
- Slowly lift your hip and hold this position for a minute and return to the original position.
Given the current scenario with us being stuck indoors and a deadly virus out on the loose, each of us needs to stay fit and healthy and build a strong immune system. Overall fitness is a combination of a good workout schedule, proper and balanced diet and ample rest, i.e. sleep. Focusing on these three things would guarantee you your good health. You can always consult professionals like nutritionists online and online fitness trainers & Instructors to help you in your fitness journey.