Do These Exercises Every Day To Stay Fit For Life:

Most of us operate with some daily regimens, no matter how crazy our days get. For example most of us have a set wake up time, morning and/or evening hygiene procedure, breakfast time and sleep time. Including a set exercise regimen in the day helps to take the pressure off of always making time to get to the gym.

A daily cardio regimen that gets the heart rate up will provide two benefits. First it will burn calories to keep the weight off, and second it will exercise the heart, to keep it strong and pumping efficiently. Putting cardio time in at least 15 minutes a day will be a life boost and as a bonus, it will provide energy for you throughout the day. Some suggestions are running or power walking, swimming, cycling and energetic dancing. If you’re at work, taking the stairs between floors is a great cardio opportunity that will also help to build and tone the glutes and hamstrings.

Any exercise that works the core muscles including the area from the rib cage down to the pelvic bone is a daily must. This includes planks, Pilates roll ups and single knee bends. If you’re in an office setting, seated abdominal contractions will work those muscles, although the preference is to do the above mentioned, possibly in the morning before heading out. To perform seated contractions, you should sit in a way that extend your spine tall, as if you have string on your head lifting your body out of your waist. You should also feel your core is engaged to maintain this posture. As you exhale, press your navel towards your back, inhale as you return to a tall spine position. Repeat 20 times.

Isoprene Plank

Roll-up

Single Knee Bends

Exercises to work the big muscle groups including the buttocks (glutes), thighs (hamstrings and quads), calves and arms (triceps, biceps and deltoids) are imperative for metabolism and maintaining balance so that the back is not at risk for injury because of compensating for movement and strength these muscles should offer. You can focus on one muscle group a day. Below is an example:

• Monday – doggie style leg lifts for the glutes and ham strings
  

  Leg Lifts

  

• Tuesday – elevated small plies for the quads and releves for the calves
• Wednesday – triceps kickbacks for the triceps
  

  Tricep Kickbacks

  

• Thursday – overhead incline presses for the deltoids and shoulders and pec flies for the chest
  

  Overhead Incline Presses

  

  Pec Flies

  

• Friday – Wide legged squats for the inner thigh (adductor) and side leg lefts for the outer thigh (abductor)
• Repeat series

At work resistance tubing will get these exercises in with overhead triceps presses, side arm raises, side leg lifts, and side walks. Side arm raises are shown with weights which can be substituted for resistance tubing.

Side Arm Raises

Side Leg Lifts

Lastly, daily stretching exercises will reduce injury exposure and allow your other exercises to be more impactful. If you can kick higher and reach further, you will increase your heart rate leading to more calories burned.

And with a heart monitor that tracks calories burned, you will be able to gauge how well your daily effort is impacting your health and offsetting calorie intake. Taking these daily opportunities in bite size pieces can make all the difference in keeping you healthy and active, which will improve the quality of life.