Are you willing to lose weight? 20 minutes daily exercise can help you burn off some extra calories.
Are you one of those who want to lose weight but don’t get time to join the gym? Do you want to burn calories at home but don’t have enough machines? Here are some easy home exercises that will help you burn calories in just 20 minutes!
Objectives
This article will help you learn:
- the importance of workout
- easy home exercises to lose weight
- additional tips you can use to lose your weight faster
- myths about exercise
Why should I exercise?
We all are aware of the fact that physical activity is crucial for healthy living. But because of our hectic schedule, it becomes difficult to maintain fitness. So, here I’m discussing easy exercises that don’t require much time, any equipment and can easily be done at home.
Firstly, let’s exploit some benefits of workout:
- Lowers your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
- Improves your mood and mental health.
- Keeps your metabolism elevated even after the workout which helps to burn calories even at rest.
- Makes you active and energetic.
- Helps you sleep better.
- During the workout, you inhale more oxygen which helps in maintaining oxygen levels in your blood at an appropriate level.
- Lowers the risk of diseases.
- Strengthens your bones and muscles.
- Maintains your weight.
Easy home exercises
Regular exercise is essential for healthy living. Even if you have a busy lifestyle, taking 20 minutes out to keep you fit isn’t difficult. Thus, make exercise a part of your daily routine and observe a noticeable change in your body.
Here are some easy yet effective exercises to lose weight and stay fit:
Plank
Plank is believed to be the best belly-flattening exercise. It helps you achieve a better posture. Likewise push-ups, planks also require holding your body stiff as aboard. Additionally, this can be done anytime, anywhere and in any suit.
Steps
- Facedown with your forearms and toes touching the floor.
- Your elbows must be directly under your shoulders and your forearms should be facing forward.
- You should be looking at the floor.
- Keep your body in a straight line.
- Make sure your shoulders are down, not creeping up toward your ears.
Time
Certainly, hold your body in this position for at least 60 seconds.
Mistakes that should be avoided
- Don’t arch your back. If you do so you are not engaging abdominals and putting more weight on your arms.
- Stop sagging your hips. If your hips are sagging it’s a sign that you should stop your plank. If your hips are sagging from the beginning then separate your legs a bit wider.
- Don’t tilt your head. Your neck must be straight, in line with your body. Thus, you should be looking down on the floor.
Push-ups
Push-ups work best for your chest. Furthermore, they work the triceps, pectoral muscles and shoulders. However, these can be done anytime and anywhere.
Steps
- Lay down on your chest and stomach flat on the floor.
- Place your hands s bit wider than your shoulders on the floor.
- Hold your body stiff on all four; arms and toes.
- Pause.
- Lower your body. Your chest must be nearly touching the floor. Your arms should be at a 45° angle.
- Pause.
- Push your body back up. Here, your hands should be at a 90° angle.
- Repeat.
Time
Hold your body for at least 3 secs in both positions. Initially, do 5 push-ups per day. Once you get hold on it, you can increase the number.
Mistakes that should be avoided
- Place your hands properly. Your hands should be right at a 45° angle, underneath your elbow then back up at 90°.
- Don’t sag your lower back. It can be harmful for you and your push-ups will be worthless.
- Don’t push your hips towards the ceiling. This makes the exercise much easier and doesn’t work your abs.
- Do a full push-up. Most people bend a little, it’s not a push-up it’s cheating.
- Don’t be fast. Rather, do it slowly to make your push-ups effective. Focus on quality instead of quantity.
Squats
Squats target your lower muscles, such as; back of the thigh, front of the thigh, buttocks, etc. Additionally, they also target your core muscles, such as rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae. Like push-ups and plank, squats can also be done anywhere, anytime and requires no equipment. They help in getting an attractive posture.
Steps
- Stand straight. Make your feet apart, wider than your hips.
- Put your hands straight in the front.
- Bend your knees the way you sit on a chair. Make your upper body is as straight as possible.
- Straighten your legs and stand straight again.
- Repeat
Time
Make 3 sets. Repeat the above-mentioned steps 10-15 times in each set. Hold that position for at least 3 secs.
Mistakes that should be avoided
- Don’t make your heels coming off the floor. This makes squats less effective.
- Your set-up should be tight. Your squat is of no use if you don’t tighten up your body during set-up.
- Don’t rotate your knees in or out.
- Don’t squat too low. It’s better only lowering to 90°
- Don’t squat too fast. Instead do it slowly, it makes it more effective and lowers the risk of getting injured.
Lunge
Lunges work best for your thighs and hips. Moreover they are also effective for maintaining glutes, quads, hamstrings and core. Furthermore, it is the easiest exercise and best for beginners. However, you might need loose-fitting cotton or polyester pants for this exercise.
Steps
- Stand straight with your feet-hip width apart.
- Put your right leg a step forward and lower your leg till it makes a 90° angle. Make your right thigh parallel to the ground.
- Your left leg should also be making a 90°angle.
- Put both of your hands on your right knee.
- Press your right heel on the floor and get back to the beginning position.
- Repeat the same with your left leg.
Time
Do 10-15 reps per leg.
Mistakes that should be avoided
- Don’t bend your upper body. Keep it as straight as possible.
- Don’t rush. Do your lunges slowly.
- Don’t take big steps in the beginning, as it can cause pain in your knees. Instead, start with small steps. Gradually increase your lunge distance once you get used to it.
Sit-ups
Sit-ups target your chest, lower back, hip flexors and neck. It’s not true that they directly target your stomach fat. However, they are still believed to be effective and strengthen your core.
Steps
- Lie down on the floor
- Bend your knees to 45°
- Cross your hands and put them at the backside of your head. You can also place them behind your ears.
- Curl your body up to the knees as much as possible. Inhale while doing this
- Slowly go back to your initial position. Exhale while doing this
- Repeat
Time
In the beginning, make 10 reps. Gradually increase the number of your sit-ups once you get used to them.
Mistakes that should be avoided
- Don’t lift your feet. Doing so will make your sit-up worthless
- Don’t put your feet too wide. The distance between the two legs should be hip-width apart
- Don’t rush. Do it slowly
Crunches
Crunches are best for abdomins. Furthermore, they are similar to sit-ups. Unlike sit-ups, they don’t require curling up to your knees.
Steps
- Lie down on the floor
- Bend your knees at an angle of 45°, hip-width apart
- Cross your hands on shoulders
- Contract your abs. Inhale
- Exhale and lift your upper body
- Slowly go back to your initial position. Exhale while doing this.
- Repeat
Time
Begin with 15-25 reps. You can increase your crunches once you get used to them.
Mistakes to be avoided
- Don’t lift your feet. Doing so will make your sit-up worthless
- Don’t put your feet too wide. The distance between the two legs should be hip-width apart
- Don’t rush. Do it slowly
Burpees
Burpees help you move every inch of your body. It is believed to be an effective exercise for maintaining your overall body. It can be done anytime, anywhere but might require a workout suit.
Steps
- Stand straight on the floor.
- Keep your hands in front of you and start to squat.
- Once your hands touch the floor, pop your legs straight back, like a push-up position.
- Do push-up.
- Get back to your initial position of the push-up.
- Jump your feet up, as close as possible, to your palms by hinging at the waist.
- Stand straight, bring your hands above your head and jump.
- Repeat.
Time
Do 3 sets, having 10 reps in each set.
Mistakes that should be avoided
- Don’t land on your heels. Rather, land on the balls of your feet. Landing on heals can put a great impact on your ankles and knees which can cause injury.
- Burpees involve a lot of movement and are done quickly, therefore chances of mistakes and risks for injury increase. Make sure you hold a proper push-up position.
- Start with easy burpees. As burpees are difficult, there is a higher risk of getting injured. Exclude push-ups in the beginning.
- Put your arms gently on the floor when getting into a plank position. Not doing so can cause serious injuries, like shoulder pain or swollen shoulder.
- Don’t be extra fast. Although burpees require fast movements or else they’ll be worthless, but don’t be too fast, it can cause injury.
Tips
- Warm-up before the workout s necessary. It helps get in form.
- Listen to music. Doing this helps you engage more in your workout.
- Stay hydrated.
- Track your progress. It’ll help you get better day by day.
- Don’t do any kind of exercise after having food, instead walk, it helps in digesting the food.
Additional tips to lose weight
- Replace your intake with a healthy diet
- Drink detox water
- Maintain a proper sleeping and wake up routine
- Involve in as many physical activities as possible
Myths about exercises
- Losing weight means fitness
Fitness not actually means losing weight but to have a healthy body. Try to stay hydrated, feel better, increase your energy and relieve stress.
- The best time to exercise is morning
No, anytime you feel good and energetic, you can workout. No matter it’s morning, evening or night!
- More sweating=more weight loss
Sweating has nothing to do with burning calories. Your body cools itself down by sweating. It simply means rehydrate yourself.
- Daily exercise means more fitness
It’s a myth, since your body needs to relax and recover. You can skip workout with no worries.
- You should put 100% efforts in every workout
No doubt, you must try your best, but every session not require maximum levels of energy, effort and speed. Being sore everyday could be a sign that you’re going too hard and overtraining.
Before you Leave!
We all agree upon the need and importance of exercise in our lives. We all are so busy in our lives that we don’t get time to exercise. Even if we do, we become lazy and are never willing to leave our comfort zone. However, one must try to at least give 20 minutes to workout. This isn’t only good for maintaining your figure, but also benefits our internal organs and systems. Try out these exercises and inform us about the outcomes!