The skies have been grayer these days, no thanks to the seventh-month burnings and hot spots in the forests in Sumatra. Are the hazy days giving you an excuse to stay home for health purposes? Well, don’t let the calories from all the heavy party food seek permanent residency in you! Here are some simple exercises that do not require much space, time or fancy equipment. All you'll need is your usual exercise outfit and good sports shoes.
Do the Hula
Equipment required: Hula hoop. You can easily buy this at shops selling gym and exercise equipment. Toy stores like Toys “r” us sell basic hoops for under $10.
Hooping encourages your whole body to work out, especially your stomach and torso muscles. Even if you’re not adept at the hula, practice makes perfect and you'll soon discover the satisfaction of keeping the hoop on your waist for minutes! It's a fun game to play at parties too.
Stair Climbing
Do you live in a HDB flat or high-rise apartment? Give your leg muscles a good work out by climbing from the very top floor to the lowest floor, and back up! It is good training for your stamina. Eventually, you'll find yourself reflexively choosing the stairs over the elevator or escalator in your daily life, an excellent practice that keeps obesity at bay. Start slow, and add on a few more flights of steps with each try.
Skipping
Equipment required: Skipping rope. Again, you can get this from exercise equipment or toys shop. You can even make your own rope out of lots of rubber bands.
Skipping is a high-intensity exercise that makes you burn a lot of calories and perspire a lot. It is also a full-body work out and really puts your arm and leg muscles to hard work! However, it would be intimidating for beginners, who may have to stop early out of exhaustion. You may wish to combine this exercise with stair climbing or jogging to strengthen your stamina and leg muscles so that you can lengthen your skipping duration in a shorter period of time.
If you don’t have a rope, try “ghost jumping,” rotating your wrists and jumping on your toes like you would in skipping, but without the actual rope. For beginners who find their feet constantly tangling with the rope, this may be a more effective way of skipping.
Be sure to wear proper exercise foot wear, and use the correct jumping technique. Jump on your toes (not your whole foot), and don’t jump more than an inch off the floor or you may hurt your feet. Keep the work out interesting by skipping to your favourite songs.
Abdominal crunches
Equipment required: An exercise mat, or a mattress that doesn’t sag.
This is similar to sit-ups but more advanced. It is great for tauter stomach muscles and slim waists!
Lie on the mat with your feet and knees together, and pull your legs in so that your calves are almost vertical. Put your hands on your chest or behind your head. Take a deep breath, then pull your torso up slowly towards your knees. Raise your head off the ground, then your neck and finally your chest. The small of your back should still be against the mat. When your chest is raised, hold yourself there for a count of one, then lower yourself back in a slow and controlled movement. Repeat this and you should soon feel a satisfying burn in your stomach muscles.
Push-ups
Push-ups aren’t just for men! They’re perfect for ridding those stubborn flab in the upper arms, and they help to maintain stronger chest muscles. Start off by lying down on your stomach. Your toes should be towards the floor, ready to lift your lower body off. Your palms should be flat on the floor parallel to your chest. While keeping your back straight and your head parallel to the floor, push against the floor and slowly raise yourself up until your arms are straight. Focus solely on using your chest and upper arm muscles. Lower yourself to the ground slowly (starting position), and repeat.
Tricep Dips
Equipment: Some form of support that is about as high as your thighs e.g. bed, chair, bench
Triceps are the muscles in your upper arms, and once again, working out these muscles can prevent unsightly “butterfly” arms!
With your back facing the support, places your hands on the edge, fingers facing forward, and bend your knees at a 90 degree angle. You should seem like you are sitting on an invisible chair with your arms stretched backwards, hands pointing forward. Slowly lower your body, keeping your back straight, then just as slowly, raise yourself back up. If done right, you will feel the strain in your upper arms.
Calf raises
Stand on the edge of a stair step, or a low raised platform. Your heel should be facing outward facing from the step, with only your toes balancing on the edge, while the rest of your foot is suspended in mid air, but parallel to the ground. For stability, place yourself next to a wall or a counter that you can hold on to when you feel like stepping off. Raise your body up on tip toes, hold for a count of one, then lower yourself so that your feet are parallel to the ground again. Concentrate efforts on your calf muscle, not your toes or knees. If done right, you'll get toner and sexier calf muscles in the long run!
Jog on the spot
You don’t need a treadmill to jog at home. Put on clean, running shoes (so you don’t dirty your floor), turn on the telly or your ipod, and start jogging. If you have a smart phone, and wish for those treadmill features that keep track on things like heart beat and speed, you can download some for free. A search for jogging apps should turn up quite a few good ones that you can select from based on your need.
Aerobics, yoga and other workouts from an exercise video
Thanks to Youtube, you don’t even have to purchase exercise videos. Choose one for your favourite type of workout. Read the reviews, and watch it to ensure that it’s something you can do and would like to do, then get started! If you do not have prior experience, choose a simpler workout for beginners. Without the presence of a professional instructor, you may hurt yourself if you perform advanced moves inappropriately.
Alternate, or combine the above, and you will have a fun and effective indoor routine come rain, haze or shine!
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