20 minutes. Every day. That’s all you really need to stay fit and healthy. Imagine these unfortunate scenarios for a bit: you are about to attend a really important party. You scrounge your closet for some clothes that you want to wear. And you find out that all of your best outfits no longer fit you. It’s an absolute tragedy, right? Here’s a worse scenario: you find yourself unable to perform little things that you used to take for granted just because you aren’t fit enough to do them. Maybe you have to take more rests than you should be taking while traveling because your body can’t keep up with you. Your entire vacation is compromised as a result.
That’s why you always want to be doing whatever you can to stay fit and healthy. It’s not just for how you look, but also how you feel. Yes, being in tip-top shape is going to be good for you on an aesthetic level. You’re just going to look better. But what really matters is how being fit and healthy makes you feel on the inside. Yes, you are a lot healthier and you will be better equipped to handle the things that life may throw your way. But you also gain a new sense of confidence whenever you know that you’re fit. And that’s something that money can’t buy.
All it takes is for you to engage in healthy exercise for at least 20 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week. That’s really not asking for too much considering all of the time that you might spend on your phone just lounging around. Here are 7 exercises that are designed to help you get rid of unwanted fat in just 20 minutes a day.
1. Jump rope.
Jumping rope is a great cardiovascular activity for someone who doesn’t want to have to run too far or for someone who doesn’t have bikes or rowers at their disposal. All you really need is a rope for you to jump continuously through. It’s a great way to get the heart pumping and the muscles warm.
2. Push-ups.
A pushup is one of the most basic ways to build upper body strength. You first start in a plank position with your arms fully extended and your thighs and belly off the floor. Then you descend as you hinge at your elbows letting your chest drop to the floor. Then, use the same muscle groups to propel the body right back up to a starting plank position.
3. Squats.
A squat is one of the most basic foundational movements that anyone can incorporate into any exercise. It’s great for building leg and core strength. The movement starts with the body in a fully erect standing position. Then, the person hinges at the hip and knees as the hip creases descend to a bottom squat position. The movement ends when the body is returned to a fully upright standing position. Add more difficulty to this movement by making use of weights or loads.
4. Lung3s.
Lunges work similar muscles as squats except they help isolate the movement to a single leg. And so you are really forced to recruit muscles from a specific leg to correct any imbalances that you might be missing out when you perform a squat. To lunge, you need to have one front leg on a 90-degree angle. And extend the back leg backward before returning it back to a proper standing position.
5. Running.
Running is a cardiovascular activity that recruits your legs and your core muscles. Running is one of the most popular exercises in the world seeing as how simple it is. All you really need is a good pair of running shoes and a road that you can run safely and freely on.
6. Planks.
A plank is another great compound movement that recruits a lot of your muscle groups when done correctly. Ideally, in a plank position, you would be face down on the floor using only your toes and your forearms as support. There should be a straight line drawn from your heels to the top of your head. This exercise works your basic core muscles and it teaches you proper breathing.
7. Stretching/Yoga.
And lastly, you are always going to want to make sure that you stretch out your muscles and joints if you want to maximize your fitness. Stretching has many great benefits for promoting health and wellness. For one, it aids in helping you recover from rigorous workouts. Next, it also primes your muscles and it gives you the necessary range of motion that you need to go hard in your workouts. And lastly, it promotes safety as it aids in injury prevention for a lot of active people.
