Everybody and their mother knows that “I don’t have time!” is the number one excuse for lack of exercise. We get it. You’re busy.
But don’t fool yourself. You aren’t exercising for anybody but yourself. If you REALLY wanted to make it happen, you would find a way. And I am here to help.
You can start off slow and work your way to 30 minutes of exercise a day. That’s what health experts say is the minimum requirement for a healthy lifestyle.
If you don’t have time or money to go to a gym, don’t fret. You have a home (I hope). Inside your home, you have space (again, I hope).
In this article, we are going to cover 3 simple bodyweight exercises that’ll work your full body.
When complete, you can also give your core even more of a challenge with 5 minutes of Plank Rotations.
Push Ups For Chest
You knew this was going to be on the list. Why? Because there’s no other way around it – pushups are by far the greatest bodyweight exercise on the planet. A little bit of space on the floor can be your best gym in the world with your body as the machine and the resistance.
Pushups help you build upper body strength and endurance in a pushing movement. It targets your chest, anterior shoulders, triceps, and stabilizing muscles.
Try including some challenging push-up variations in your routine. Grab a pair of pushup stands or medicine balls for elevated pushups. Place your feet on a chair or a swiss ball, move your hands close and wide, utilize explosiveness with clapping pushups or attack your muscles with isometric holds.
If time is a factor, pushups will become your best friend.
Bodyweight Pulse Squats
Remember that spot where you did your pushups? Find it again because bodyweight pulse squats are up next – zero equipment required for intense results.
There are a few things that are important here. Proper form is first and foremost. This exercise needs to be properly executed to be effective. Create a mental checklist in your head while doing the exercise to ensure you’re covering all important points. Here are some things to remember:
- Keep your head and chest up – always look forward,
- Place your weight on your heels to mid-sole.
- Hinge your hips back and sit back, preventing your knees from going past your toes.
- Keep your back straight.
- Push off the mid-soles of your feet.
- Keep your arms straight out in front of you or crossed in front of your chest.
- Remember to breathe!
Bodyweight pulse squats will help you build lower body strength and endurance. They target your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, core, and stabilizing muscles.
Pick a number you think you can do and go for it. Maintain a consistent pace and always maintain proper form.
Cross Body Mountain Climbers
Nope, you don’t need an actual mountain for this, just that same old spot you’ve been doing the last two exercises. Mountain climbers are simple and very effective for cardiovascular training and toning of the upper and lower body. It will help bring your heart rate up very quickly!
Here’s a great demonstration of the exercise by Fitwirr:
Assume the pushup position with your arms extended and slightly past shoulder-width. Draw your stomach in to stabilize your core and keep your body straight. Now you’ll start bringing your knees to your chest one at a time. To really burn the core you could do cross-body mountain climbers bringing your knee to the opposite elbow instead of just the chest.
If you’re looking to challenge your core, even more, I listed some incredible Core Strengthening Exercises that’ll leave your abs burning.
Summary:
I’m looking forward to the day we can officially and permanently strike “No Time” off of the excuse list. Since that day probably won’t come any time soon, we have to do what we can. If you want to live a long and fulfilling life, you need to take some time to exercise. If you make it a priority, you will find a way to fit it into any busy schedule. Use the three simple exercises to do at home as a place to start!
