The 20 Minute Workout – Simple, Effective At-Home Exercises

The benefits of exercising greatly outweigh the minute cons. Getting in perfect shape, cutting the risk of developing deadly diseases like cancer and heart problems, keeping stress and mental ailments at bay, improving concentration, and getting glowing skin are just a few of these benefits. However, going to a health club or a gym is a luxury that not all of us are able to enjoy. While some of us are strapped for time, the sky-scraping membership fees manage to put the rest of us off. The fact that these clubs are full of scary looking machines doesn't help the cause either. Does that mean it is goodbye to exercise for us? With a plethora of benefits to be enjoyed by including simple, at-home exercises to our routine, it certainly doesn't have to be!

No fancy equipment, no large expanses of space, no fad and rad dieting that doesn’t even let you look at that tempting bar of chocolate, let alone have it. Whether your fitness goal this year is to lose the flab and get those abs, improve your overall posture, get toned or be your healthiest self ever, all you need to do is exercise for 20 minutes daily right in the comfort of your home. This home workout is ideal to stay fit and lose the extra weight that you might have picked up over the years.

So, all you busy moms, set your alarms 20 minutes early, and start reaping the long-term benefits of including these simple but fail-proof exercises to your daily schedule. Super skinny jeans, here we come!

• Spot Jogging: It is always advisable to start your exercise regime with a simple cardiovascular exercise that warms you up, and prepares your body for what is to follow. The last thing you want to do is pick up an injury, and warm up exercises help you avoid that. Spot jogging is one of the simplest yet most effective ways of getting started. Keep it simple – no jerky movements, no high knees. Do it for 3-4 minutes.
• Star Jumps: You’re a star and you know it! How about including a star jump to your exercise routine now? Start with your feet together on the ground. Then, jump and spread your hands and legs while you are in the air to resemble a 5-pointed star. As you land, bring your legs back together. Remember to bend your knees slightly to make the impact on your knee joints softer. Repeat 50 times. This is old school but a dynamic cardio exercise for sure!
• Crunches: A potent weight-loss schedule is incomplete without including crunches to it. While there is a lot of debate over the efficacy of some exercises, crunches are always reliable. Crunches have always worked and they always will. Lie flat on your back and bend your knees. Place your hands on the sides of your head – fingers touching temples and elbows facing out. Concentrate on a point in the ceiling and crunch your waist to raise your torso, all the while keeping your neck in line with your spine. Remember to keep your abs contracted while performing this exercise. Do 2 reps of 15 each.
• Reverse Crunch: Start with the same position as crunches – lying straight on your back. Keeping hands palms-down on your sides, bend your knees towards your chest, and bring your hips off the floor. Raise, hold, release. Do 2 reps of 15 each.
• Wide Leg Squat: Stand with your legs spread beyond your shoulder limit. Squat down as far as you comfortably can, hold, and return to the initial pose. Do 2 reps of 10 each.
• Triceps Dip: Stand in front of a chair or couch, facing away from it. Support yourself with both hands on it. Then, bending your knees, lower your body, making use of only your arms. Do 2 reps of 10 each.
• Step Up: Another traditional exercise that works on more than one muscle group during one bout. While you can use a stepper for this one, a stair at home or a low (but sturdy) stool will be just as good. Stand in front of the stepper, stool or stair and step up. Alternate the leg used to step up. Return to position with the opposite leg. Do 2 fast reps of 15 each.
• Combat: Start in a straight, standing position, and then drop to a crouch, followed by thrusting your legs straight behind you and balancing on your toes. Jump up, pulling your legs in, back to the crouching position, and then stand back straight. In quick succession, do the entire set 10-12 times.