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Sweat it out! 10 workouts to stay fit this monsoon

Don't let the monsoon come between you and your fitness regime.

Sagar A Pednekar, a fitness expert at Gold's Gym tells us just how to stay in shape in the comfort of your home.

It doesn't take a lot to stay fit.

Few simple stretch exercises, sit-ups, waist- and knee-bends in your drawing room can flex your muscles enough to keep you going.

Yoga is another method of exercise which can be performed indoors and it is known to help reduce respiratory problems during monsoon.

Here are some of the combinations of stretches and body weight workouts that you can perform anywhere without any dumbbell and barbell.

Let's get started, shall we?

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Squats

The squat is the big daddy of all exercises.

It targets your quadriceps (front of you thigh muscles).

And it is a movement used in your day-to-day life.

Hence squats improve the functional strength and is one of the best exercises for fat loss.

Here's how you do it:

• Stand with hip width distance between your legs with toes slightly pointing outwards.
• Inhale and sit down pushing your hips behind till your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Exhale and get up back to the starting position.

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Push-ups

Push-ups target the upper body muscles -- primarily the chest, shoulders and triceps.

They also help improve the upper body functional strength.

Here's how you do it:

• If you are a beginner, place your knees on the floor.
• The distance between your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders.
• Inhale and drop your shoulder within the palms such that the elbow and shoulder is in one line.
• Exhale and push your body up back to the starting position.
• For the advanced users, take the knees off the floor.
• Everything else remains the same.

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Burpees

This is a good functional training workout that targets multiple muscle groups together.

This also helps to raise the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR ) and hence helps lose fat faster.

Here's how you do it:

• Stand with your legs hip-width apart.
• Inhale and go down into a full squat position.
• Exhale and hop behind into push up position.
• Inhale and come back into a full squat position.
• From squatting position hop up in air till you stretch your body completely.
• This completes single burpee.
• Do a set of minimum 10 burpees.

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Mountain Climbers

This one's an effective body weight workout.

It helps to improve your cardiovascular conditioning and also helps to make your core strong.

Here's how you do it:

• Get on to the floor in the push-up position.
• Start hopping with alternate legs, such that your knees come close to your chest.
• Breathe normally.
• Perform this for at least a minute.

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Warrior One Pose (Virbhadra Asana)

This one's a yoga pose that helps to improve body balance.

It focuses majorly on lower body, especially the front part of the thigh.

It helps to condition your core and also improves the flexibility of the spine.

Here's how you do it:

• Stand with both legs together and hands beside your body.
• Inhale and step behind with one leg.
• Ensure that the front leg should be bent making a right angle at knee joint.
• Both the arms should be raised up with palms touching each other.
• Maintain an arch in the back.

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Warrior 2 pose (Virbhadra Asana II)

Also a yoga pose, this one helps tone up your lower body and improve upper body flexibility.

Here's how you do it:

• Stand with both the legs together and hands beside your body.
• Inhale and step behind with one leg.
• Ensure that the front leg should be bent making a right angle at knee joint.
• Now turn your body sideways with arms raised in line with the shoulders.
• Hold the pose for 10-15 counts, relax and start it again with other side.

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Snake/Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

This one helps improve the flexibility of your lower back as well as in stretching your abdominal muscles.

Here's how you do it:

• Start with a push up position.
• Drop your knees on the floor.
• Keep your feet flat to the floor.
• Drop your chest down, tuck your elbows inside.
• Now, lift your chest off the floor such that the navel is touching the floor.
• Hold this pose for 10-15 seconds and then relax.
• Repeat this least 4-5 times.

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Tadasana

This yoga pose improves body balance, stability and helps in muscle co-ordination.

It also helps stretch the upper back and the abdomen muscles.

Do you need any more reasons to practice this pose? :-)

Here's how you do it:

• Stand with feet together and hands beside you.
• Inhale and raise your arms overhead, touching palms together.
• Balance on any one leg whereas the other leg should be folded and resting on the first one.
• Hold this position for at least 30 seconds and repeat 4-5 times.

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Abdominal crunches

Abdominal crunches target your abdominal muscles.

Crunches help you tone your abs.

450 of them each day and you'll probably look like this!

Here's how you do it:

• Lie down on the floor, with hands folded behind the head -- this is your starting position.
• Exhale and lift your upper body half way up crunching the abdomen.
• Inhale and go back to the starting position.
• Easy enough? Repeat at least nine more times.

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Side plank

The plank targets the sides, that is, the obliques.

Here's how you do it:

• Lie down sideways on the floor.
• Lift the body sideways off the floor.
• Balance the entire body weight on the elbows and feet.
• Hold the position for at least a minute.
• Repeat it 3-4 times.