Fitness expert Meenakshi Mohanty tells you how to get back in shape from the comfort of your home.
Do you find gym boring?
Is travel on the cards and you'd ruefully have to say goodbye to your workout?
Is it difficult for you to leave home due to any personal reasons?
Don't let any of these or other factors keep you from pursuing the goal of a fit body.
Presenting some awesome workout that builds your core muscle strength and gives your body the most wholesome workout.
1. Start your day with Cobra power
Slither in to feeling your intimidating best each morning, with the Cobra exercise.
Don't let the name scare you.
It is, in fact, a simple exercise that works wonder for your back and flexing the muscle in the abdominal region.
Lie prone on a mat, hands placed exactly below the shoulders on each side.
Extend your legs, with toes pointing away from the body, gently exhale as you pull the chest away from the floor, arching your lower back.
Hold for 5+ seconds, inhale while descending, and then repeat.
2. Front plank for a rock-solid body
The beauty of planks lie in its simplicity and giving the prefect workout to the body.
Lie on your stomach, elbows close to the body and directly under the shoulder. Rise gently while keeping the torso stiff.
Be mindful of neither sagging the lower back, hiking the hips, nor keeping the knees bent.
Continue to breathe normally while holding the pose for 5+ seconds; repeat.
3. Side planks for building your abs and lower body
A slight variation to the above exercise, side planks can do wonders for your abs and lower body.
Lie on one side of your body this time, the leg exactly atop the other and the bottom elbow exactly below the shoulder with arms stretched out to make a 90 degrees angle.
Bend your knees slightly to be in a comfortable position, resting the hips and knee on the ground, head and spine aligned together.
Rise gently and contract the abs to maintain a stiff posture while knees still kept on the ground. Hold for 5+ seconds and inhale while lowering the body.
4. Unleash the core power with bent knee crunches
Lie on the floor with knees bent, hands placed gently behind the head.
Contract the abdominal muscles while exhaling and pulling the body up towards the thighs. Inhale as you uncurl to the initial pose.
Instead of rapid repetitions, the focus should be on maintaining the right posture at all times.
5. Reverse crunches for washboard abs
Working out from the comfort of one's home doesn't mean that we need to say goodbye to those washboard abs that we dream of.
In fact, reverse crunches is one of the best exercise to help your advance on the ambition.
Start with lying on your back, knees bend, arms spread out on each side.
Exhale gently to lift up with legs, supporting it further by contracting the core muscles.
Ensure that the raised legs form a 90 degrees angle in the air.
Breathe normally while holding this position and exhale to further contract the core muscles and raise your hips up the ground.
Try and avoid changing the initial 90 degrees angel as you continue to curl up. Subject to your comfort, hold briefly, and inhale while returning to the original position.
That's all the secret exercises you need to stay committed to your fitness goals from the comfort of your house.
A word of caution: Should you experience any pain during any of the poses, please stop immediately and consult a doctor.
If you are starting out or feel like it is time for you to push the envelope on your physical training, it is better to connect with a fitness trainer who can customise the regimen to meet your specific targets.
