Let’s face it, we all dreamed of having a summer body at least once. But given the hectic schedule, we have every day, we can hardly cook ourselves a great meal, let alone have time for the gym.
Coming home from work leaves us battered and drained to be any more productive. All we feel like doing is lying down and resting. Yet, our body aches and we don’t find comfort in our mattresses any longer. Soon enough, the sunlight creeps through our windows or the blaring alarm dictates the cycle to start over again on a new day.
So, how are we to get around this busy life and unmotivated lifestyle? Did you know that all these could be solved simply by exercising bit by bit every day?
When you exercise, your heart pumps faster, and as a result, your muscles receive more blood and glucose to stay energized. Doing so every day ensures you have proper energy circulation in your body instead of being lethargic.
Moreover, exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, a hormone within our system. Endorphins are the feel-good drug of our body and thus it’s secretion gives us a positive attitude for the rest of the day. Also, you know how we always complain of back pain? Endorphins reduce our reception to pain. The more reason for us to get the hormone flowing.
This brings us to work out, but we already established the fact that we don’t have time for the gym. But what we didn’t tell you is that you don’t need to go to the gym or require fancy equipment to have a toned summer body. All you need is patience and perseverance.
Having a summer body is quite simple- just maintain a healthy diet and work out routinely. You don’t have to be a gym member. Simply follow the exercises we listed in this article to get yourself started.
Push-ups
There are various types of pushups, each targeting specific muscles of your body, but vastly centered around your chest. While some variations can work up your shoulders and triceps as well, why not only start with the traditional pushups- the one we are all familiar with.
One of the fundamental benefits of pushups is developing upper body strength. Your triceps, pectorals, and shoulders feel pumped. Maintaining proper form can also toughen your lower back and core. They can take a toll on your body at first, so don’t lose motivation if you can’t pull off more than a handful at the first go.
If pushups seem too difficult for you, try a different modification. Perhaps placing your feet on an elevated platform will help your body push up initially. Don’t lose hope if you can’t perform more than 3 in the beginning. Gradually increase your reps as you see fit.
Pushups are one of the few exercises which show quick results. Once you get the hang of it, why not go for a 100 pushups challenge. You can do 10 sets of 10 reps or any combination you like. After a week, you will see a positive change in your body structure and posture, and will also be highly energized for any work.
Squats
Squats make several different muscles work simultaneously. Contrary to popular belief, squat doesn’t only work on your lower body but also your upper body, and the muscles it focuses on are used every day while working or simply walking. Hence, squats enable you to work more rigorously as your muscles develop.
With the increased growth of your muscles, the chances of injury reduce. It also helps you to perform your daily activities with more vigor. Squats also improve your core muscles as it works your abdominal muscles.
There are variations of the exercise each targeting a particular muscle in your body. For starters, simply go with the most basic one and work on your lower body and core. The exercise will guide you itself later on.
Start with 3 sets of 10 reps each. If you get well acquainted with this pattern, spice it up by increasing your reps up to 50 gradually.
Planks
Planks look quite easy but trust us when we tell you, they are not. As an alternative to crunches, planks increase strength and stability.
It’s is advisable to do planks rather than crunches as the latter can hurt your back due to constant contact with the floor. In contrast, planks don’t result in back pains. Rather, this simple exercise works on your whole body instead of just the core.
As you use all your limbs and stretch out your abdomen, planks have an impact on the entire body and therefore, is more efficient. This is a great way to reduce all the back pain from work and straighten
your posture.
If you’re experiencing back pain from sitting at an office desk all day, here’s some good news: Planks can help improve your posture!
By strengthening your back, chest, shoulders, neck, and abs, this exercise makes it easier to keep your shoulders back and your lower back in a neutral position while sitting or standing — two vital components of good posture.
Planks also help you develop isometric strength in your core muscles, which gives you the power to keep from hunching while standing or sitting for long periods. Just like the other exercises, there are variations of planks as well which can be used to target your side muscles.
To begin, start slow. Try this exercise for 10 seconds and gradually extend the timeframe. Once you reach up to 60 seconds, that should be enough. Make sure you don’t put too much stress on your abdominal muscles.
Pull-ups
Pull-ups are a great way to build functional strength. This exercise also uses your entire body. Instead of using any sort of equipment, pull-ups develop upper body strength in a natural way.
Pull-ups benefit you in several ways than just one. As a result, you save yourself time from doing other exercises since this alone targets many areas.
However, you might need to buy a pull-up bar and install it at home to get started. Or you can simply find a high platform to hang unto and pull yourself up.
Regular pull-ups immensely help to structure your body. Within a month, you’ll see a V-shaped figure hopefully. But they are not as easy as they seem.
If you find it difficult to pull yourself up, use support initially. It may take longer to get habituated to this exercise, but once you do, your upper body strength will be truly remarkable.
Final Words
It’s alright to not have the time to go to the gym, but there are other ways of working out. You can buy a new car, a new house, and a lot of other things, but you can’t get yourself a new body. So take care of the one you have and chisel out that summer body you always dreamed of.