5 Amazing Morning Exercises To Jumpstart Your Day

There have been many studies supporting that working out in the morning delivers amazing benefits to your health and well-being. Aside from enhancing your body’s metabolism, a morning workout can also increase your physical and mental energy throughout the day. However, not everyone has the time or willpower to wake up extra early and drive to the gym in order to complete a workout. Is there a better solution?

A great idea to get rid of these excuses is to consider adopting a calisthenics routine. Calisthenics is a form of exercise that only uses your bodyweight as resistance, without any added weight or equipment. This makes it very convenient because you won’t need to drive to the gym or buy any expensive machinery to work out. The space required is also very minimal which means you can do the following exercises inside the house as soon as you wake up.

Jumping Jacks

Young happy women jumpingThis is a super simple exercise that even kids can do. In fact, you’ve probably done it before, at least once in your life. The great thing about this is that everyone can do it so you really have no excuse to skip this exercise! While this may seem like a basic exercise, the jumping jack actually delivers multiple benefits to your body.

Jumping Jacks are full-body exercises that train large muscle groups in your body. It strengthens your calves, glutes, and your legs as a whole. By performing jumping jacks, you actually burn calories, get cardio benefits, and build muscle all at the same time. There is also research that jumping can even deliver bone-building benefits to your body.

This is a great exercise to do in the morning because it increases your heart rate and improves your circulation. It can be a warm-up, a part of an interval training exercise, or performed on its own. Another benefit of this workout is that don’t need a lot of space in order to do jumping jacks. To perform the jumping jack correctly, check out the following tips:

Start by standing up straight, your shoulders relaxed and your arms on your side. Next, jump with your legs spread apart and simultaneously extend your hands over your head. Land softly and repeat the jump without pause. Do this for 1 minute, rest for 15 seconds. A minute of jumping jack approximately burns 8-10 calories so the longer you do it, the more calories you burn!

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Lunges

adult-woman-training-legs-doing-inverted-lungesAnother great way to train your lower body is to perform lunges. By doing lunges, you get the chance to improve your lower body strength, balance, and flexibility, as well as increase your muscle symmetry.

This exercise is also especially good if you spend your entire day sitting in the office because it is also helpful in improving your spinal health. This is because instead of adding weight or compressing your spine, lunges do the opposite. This makes it great for people suffering from back pain. To do lunges correctly, check these techniques:

Stand up straight and look forward with your shoulders back and relaxed. Step forward with your right leg as you lower your hips until both your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. You must ensure that your right knee is directly in front of your ankle while your other knee should not be touching the floor. Make sure that your upper body is straight the entire time and not leaning forward. Your core muscles must also be engaged during the move. Push back up with your weight on your heels. Repeat this for one minute and switch legs. Do 5 minutes for each leg for a total of 10 minutes.

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Chair Dips

woman-doing-dips-workoutOne common excuse for not exercising is because you often do not have equipment like free weights in your house. By doing this exercise, you can actually train your upper body just by using a chair! This exercise trains the muscles on the back of your arms. This also targets your forearms, chest, lower back, and shoulders.

Sit on the edge of a stable chair or bench and place your palms on either side of your hips, with your fingers pointing forward. Then shift your weight onto your palms while lifting your butt forward, off the seat of the chair. Lower your body by bending your elbows until your arms create a 90-degree angle. Push yourself back up by straightening your arms and repeat the move without pause. Your knees can be bent while doing this or you can also straighten them to make it harder. Do two to three sets of 10 reps each.

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Squat Jumps

adult-woman-training-legs-doing-squat-and-jumpingSquat jumps are great for training your glutes and your leg muscles. The difference with regular squats is that it has a plyometric element to it with the explosive jump. This is a good workout to burn major calories while building muscle on your lower body. Aside from the heart-healthy benefit, it can also help you improve your balance, mobility, and overall body strength.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your head looking forward. Next, lower down your hips just as you would do a regular squat, but when you go back up, jump up explosively while engaging your core. Make sure that you use your whole feet to jump and not just your toes. When you land, land on your heels going back to the squat position. And repeat the move without pausing in between jumps.

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Mountain Climbers

hiking-on-mountain-top-trailIf you only have to choose one exercise to train your entire body because you are pressed for time, this exercise is an ideal choice. This is a multi-tasking exercise that trains and strengthens your entire body while giving you a cardio workout. It is considered as a compound exercise because it targets multiple large muscle groups simultaneously – the muscles in your arms, your chest, your shoulders, your abdominals, your hips, and your legs. This exercise can also help increase your coordination, agility, endurance, and blood circulation.

To do a mountain climber, lower your body in a plank position. Your arms should be a little wider than your shoulders and your palms should be facing down so it supports your upper body. Next, pull your one knee in towards your chest but make sure you do not lift your hips up. Then, you must quickly move it back to starting position and alternate this motion with your other knee. As the term suggests, it should look like you are climbing a mountain. The faster you do this, the higher the intensity will be. You can burn around 10 calories per minute by doing mountain climbers.

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About the Author:

Rebecca SmithRebecca Smith is a content writer at Bodyweight Training Arena. She started calisthenics at age 26 as a means to lose weight and tone her body. After completing her first successful muscle up, the amazing feeling inspired her to train further and become a full-time calisthenics instructor. Rebecca also holds a Management Degree and a Diploma in Nutrition.