Mom, can you spare 30 minutes?

The best gift you can give your mother -- a 30-minute workout!

Photograph: Kind courtesy Rediff Archives

Whether you are a working-mom, stay-at-home mom or work-from-home mom, motherhood is a full-time job by itself.

There's little time for yourself in between the demands of the office and the family; especially time to give to your own health and fitness.

Mothers are the lifeline of every family, and so, we need (and want) our moms to be fit and strong.

Thirty minutes is all you need for a full body workout; and the benefits are many.

For starters, a 30-minute routine will keep you motivated enough to workout regularly, besides helping you to lose weight, improve memory and reduce stress.

All you need is an appropriate space, which can either be an area in the office or at home. You can do each exercise for one minute, rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat the cycle.

Jumping Jacks

Why do it

Any fitness expert would stress on the importance of warming up before moving on to more intense exercises.

Jumping jacks are a great way to warm up.

A one or two minute jumping jack exercises can loosen your muscles with more flow of oxygen into the bloodstream.

It helps improve your flexibility and increase stamina. It also helps you tone your body.

How to do it right

• Stand straight, keeping your feet together and hands straight at your sides.
• While jumping, raise your arms above your head and spread your feet apart to the sides.
• Jump and come back to the standing position. You can even modify the jumps to make the exercise fun.

Squats

Why do it

Squats help in building muscles and strengthening your lower back muscles.

Not only does it help you lose weight, but also keeps the body toned. Squats also improve your good body posture.

How to do it right

• To do squats properly, focus on a single point and keep the spine in its natural state.
• Focus on concentrating your weight on the heels of your feet.

Planks

Why do it

If you need to lose calories fast, planks can help you by boosting your metabolism. It also improves your body balance and strengthens your core.

How to do it right

• Get into a push-up position and place your elbows perpendicularly under the shoulders.
• Hold for at least 30 seconds.
• If you want to do a 30-minute cardio workout, include moving planks to infuse cardio into your abs workout.

Lunges

Why do it

Lunges work effectively on large muscles like quadriceps and hamstrings, while strengthening the buttocks and legs.

This exercise is a great way to improve your hip flexibility and core strength. However, make sure you are adept with the basic front lunge before you move on to its other variations.

How to do it right 

The upper body should be kept straight and one leg should be put forward by lowering the hips until both the knees are perpendicular to each other.

Burpees

Why do it

Burpees are a powerhouse combination of squats, planks, push-ups and jumps -- in short, all your core-strengthening exercises.

Some would consider it a complete workout in itself since it makes you strong, improves body balance, and burns calories like nothing else.

How to do it right 

• Start by standing and then lowering your body into a squat.
• Then, place your hands on the ground, kick back your feet and do a push-up; the chest needs to be placed forward to come back to the original position.
• Further, raise your arms and jump in the air. This exercise should be done 15 times in one repetition.
• If you’re doing several repetitions of burpees, instead of taking rests in between reps, go slow at a steady pace.

How to cool down

Cooling down is as important as warming up.

Cooling down exercises help your body to smoothly transition from workout mode to a state of rest.

They reduce the strain on your heart muscles from exerting itself to slowing down to a normal pace.

Cooling down prevents possible dizziness and other discomfort that may arise from a sudden stop.

Some good ways to cool down include walking and simple stretches.

The author Bhavya Sharma is health and fitness expert at UrbanClap.com.