Staying active and working out is very important for your health. Not only can working out strengthen your body and help you lose weight, but it can also reduce the risk of disease as well as improve mental health and mood. You don’t need to spend hours in the gym every day to see results, either. There are a lot of exercises you can do right at home or in just a short amount of time that can help tone and tighten your body. Here’s a list of some of the best workouts to get in shape that will help you look and feel your best.
1. Walking
Walking is one of the best workouts to get in shape because you can do it almost anywhere. You don’t need any special equipment except for a good pair of shoes. Walking is a form of cardiovascular exercise that strengthens the heart and burns calories. This is an exercise that can be done by those new to working out as well as exercise experts. A brisk walk can burn up to 500 calories per hour, making it an especially effective exercise for weight loss. You can go for a walk around the neighborhood, around your office building during a break, or on a treadmill.
2. Swimming
Swimming is widely known as one of the top workouts to get in shape. This type of exercise is low impact, which means it’s easy on the joints, and the water provides resistance to help you build strength. Swimming is a full-body workout, so it can help tone all your muscle groups. It’s also a cardiovascular exercise that builds up your heart and helps you burn calories. If you’re not interested in swimming laps, look into a water aerobics class. These classes show you how to do workouts using the resistance of water to tone your muscles while burning calories.
3. High-Intensity Interval Training
One of the most popular workouts to get in shape is high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. The nature of this type of exercise helps your body burn a lot of calories in short periods of time. There are a lot of exercises you can do during your HIIT workout. For example, you can sprint at top speed for about 30 seconds and then do a slow jog for a 60-second recovery period. You can do similar workouts with cycling, jumping rope, and others. The key is spiking your heart rate and then recovering in small intervals. HIIT boosts both aerobic and anaerobic fitness.
4. Push-Ups
When done correctly, push-ups can be one of the greatest workouts to get in shape. Push-ups strengthen the shoulders, chest, triceps, and core muscles all at once. Because your core and pelvis are in a suspended position, you have to use your own strength to stabilize your body. If you’re new to working out, you can start doing push-ups against the kitchen counter. As you get stronger and more used to the exercise, you can transition to a desk, then a chair, then the floor with bent knees, and finally the floor on your toes. Regularly doing push-ups can help strengthen and tone your upper body and core muscles.
5. Lunges
If you’re looking for workouts to get in shape that focus on your lower body, you should try doing lunges. Lunges strengthen the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. This exercise works because it mimics and exaggerates a regular movement: walking. If you do them correctly, lunges can strengthen and tone your lower body as well as help improve your balance. To do a lunge correctly, take a big step forward while keeping your spine in a neutral position. Bend your front knee roughly 90 degrees, keeping your weight on your back toes. Finally, drop the knee of your back leg to the ground.
6. Abdominal Crunches
Do you want to strengthen and tone your core? If so, abdominal crunches are one of your best options for workouts to get in shape. A standard abdominal crunch is done while lying on your back with your feet flat on the floor. Use your fingertips to support your head. Then, press your lower back down and contract your abdominal muscles. Your head should raise first, followed by your neck, then shoulders, and finally your upper back. Make sure you don’t stick your chin out or hold your breath to avoid strain. If you want to work out your obliques, do the same motion but rotate your spine toward one side as you curl off the ground.
7. Bent-Over Row
The bent-over row is one of the great workouts to get in shape because it works all the major muscles in your upper back along with your biceps. It’s very important to do this exercise properly to avoid harm. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and flex forward at your hips, tilting your pelvis slightly forward. Make sure you engage your abdominal muscles and extend your upper spine for support. Then, hold a barbell or dumbbell in each hand beneath your shoulders roughly shoulder-width apart. Lift both hands toward the sides of your body by flexing your elbows. Pause in this raised position, then slowly lower the weights again.
8. Squats
Squats are another one of the effective workouts to get in shape that work multiple muscle groups. This type of strength-training exercise primarily targets the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Using proper technique is vital for this workout. To do squats correctly, keep your feet shoulder-width apart with your back straight. Bend your knees and lower your rear while keeping your knees over your ankles as much as possible. The motion should mimic how you would sit in a chair. As you get stronger, you can gradually add weight to further strengthen and tone these muscle groups.
Weight Loss Tips from Hines Street Pharmacy
These are some of the best workouts to get in shape. If you are working out with the goal of losing weight, you need to also pay attention to the foods you eat. There are a number of weight loss diet programs that can help you run a caloric deficit and can be combined with your workout routine to effectively lose weight. Take a look at the best personalized diets for weight loss that, when combined with the right workouts, can help you lose weight and get in shape to become the healthiest, happiest version of yourself!
