In a previous article, we discussed why exercising at home is essential for a remote worker. Besides improving your physical fitness, having a daily exercise routine at home helps you sleep more soundly at night and reduce stress levels.
If you’re still hesitant to exercise because you don’t know how to start or are concerned about needing to purchase exercise equipment, don’t worry.
Here are eight easy exercises for beginners that you can do while working remotely- and they only require little or no exercise equipment.
Squats.
Have you been experiencing back pain lately due to sitting all day? If so, then one of the easy exercises you should definitely do is squats.
This exercise is meant to strengthen your core and lower body while increasing the flexibility of your lower back and hips. And since the muscles engaged in squats are some of the largest, it also burns plenty of calories.
To do a proper squat, here’s what you should do:
- Stand up straight, with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Brace your core and keep your chest and chin up, then push your hips back and bend your knees like you’re sitting on a chair.
- Ensure your knees don’t bow inward or outward, and drop down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Bring your arms out in front of you in a comfortable position. Pause for one second, then extend your legs and return to your starting position.
- Complete two sets of ten to fifteen repetitions. If you’re up for a challenge, try three sets of twenty repetitions.
Push-ups.
Want to work on your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core in one exercise? One exercise you should try then is push-ups.
Here’s how to do a standard push-up:
- Start by lying on the floor with your chest and stomach flat on the ground. Next, straighten out your legs, while keeping your palms at chest level and bent at a forty-five degree angle.
- Exhale as you push from your palms and heels, bringing your torso, chest, and thighs off the floor.
- Pause for one second in the plank position while keeping your core engaged.
- Inhale as you slowly return to your starting position.
- Complete two sets of ten to fifteen repetitions.
Bridge.
Another simple exercise you can do at home is a bridge. This exercise works on your back and core and is a perfect warmup for more complex exercises.
To do a bridge, follow these steps:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and arms extended by your sides.
- Raise your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
- Squeeze your core and pull your belly back towards your spine.
- Hold this position for twenty to thirty seconds.
- Lower your hips and return to your starting position.
- Begin with ten repetitions. As you progress, aim for three sets of twenty-five repetitions. If you’re using this as a warmup, do two sets of fifteen repetitions.
Sit-ups.
A simple but effective exercise that can improve your core strength is sit-ups. Besides this, this exercise improves your posture by working on your neck, lower back, and gluteus muscles.
To do a proper sit-up, follow these steps:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet anchored.
- Tuck your chin into your chest to lengthen the back of your neck.
- Interlace your fingers at the base of your skull. Then cross your arms with your hands on opposite shoulders or place your palms down alongside your body.
- Exhale as you lift your upper body up to your thighs.
- Inhale as you slowly lower yourself back to the floor.
- Strive to do at least two to three sets of ten to fifteen repetitions of this exercise.
Crunches.
Perhaps the most common abdominal exercise for strengthening one’s core, crunches differ from sit-ups since they focus on different muscles. While sit-ups work on several muscles, crunches focus on your abdominal muscles.
The setup for crunches is similar to sit-ups:
- Lie down on your back.
- Bend your legs and stabilize your body.
- Cross your hands to opposite shoulders, or place them behind your ears without pulling on your neck.
- Exhale as you lift your head and shoulder blades from the ground.
- Hold for one second, then inhale as you lower back to your starting position.
- Start with one set of ten to fifteen repetitions, then add another as you get used to the exercise.
Planks.
If you’re looking for an exercise similar to sit-ups and crunches that isn’t as hard on your back, you can try planks. Besides working on your core, planks work on your entire body, making it a very efficient exercise.
Doing a plank may sound simple enough, but holding it is a different story. There are two kinds of planks: the low and the high. For a high plank, you need to do the following:
- Get into the top or starting position of a push-up.
- Keep your palms and toes firmly on the ground, your back straight, and your core tight.
- Note that a saggy back or bottom could lead to back pains post-plank, so ensure you’re doing the correct form. Don’t let your head sag too.
- Keep this position steady for one whole minute.
For a low plank:
- Lower your forearms while maintaining the same position and form of a high plank.
Jumping Jacks.
One of the most familiar exercises is jumping jacks. After all, everyone has done this exercise at least once at school. Jumping jacks are a great cardiovascular exercise and improve muscle strength and endurance.
Doing this exercise is very simple:
- Stand straight with your legs together and your hands at your side.
- Slightly bend your knees, then jump into the air.
- While jumping, spread your legs about a shoulder-width apart and stretch your arms out and over your head.
- Jump back to your starting position.
- If you’re just starting out, start with one set of ten jumping jacks alongside your other exercises. As you become more proficient, you can try one set of twenty-five.
Lunges.
This exercise is best for improving your quads and glutes. To do this exercise, here are the steps you should follow:
- Start by standing with your feet parallel to each other.
- Step forward with your right leg, landing with your knee bent and over your toes.
- Allow your back knee to drop toward the floor, and swing your left arm forward to balance yourself.
- Push off your right front foot to return to your starting position.
- Do two sets of ten repetitions for each foot.
Time to Get Those Gains!
Getting fit and healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. All you need is enough space to do your exercises and the drive to continue doing them regularly.
Already got the perfect body but not the perfect online job? Don’t worry; Remote Staff’s here to help. Our job portal has a wide range of online jobs for you to choose from. Good luck!
