Get the top 7 basic exercises to do at home for fitness beginners! Learn basic, effective workouts to improve your strength and health without using any gym equipment.
Exercise is well-known to be beneficial to your health. However, it is not always clear where to begin — or how to prevent injury-causing workout blunders. Whether your neck and back are uncomfortable from working from home or you’ve simply spent too much time on the couch, it’s critical to develop an exercise program that keeps your body safe.
Functional fitness, or basic workouts that use many muscle groups at the same time, is an excellent method to keep active while reducing pain and injury risk.
What makes functional fitness unique
While weightlifting and aerobic exercises address specific health demands, functional fitness aims to lower your risk of injury while conducting regular activities.
“Think in terms of your daily routine,” advises Andy Gallardo, Kaiser Permanente’s Director of Employee Wellness and certified Functional Strength Coach. “Every day, you move in a variety of ways, from crouching in the garden to reaching up when grocery shopping. Functional fitness helps you maintain your strength and flexibility as you go about your daily life.” Simply defined, it is about preparing your body for daily activities.
Functional fitness, like most forms of exercise, benefits your mental health as well. Gallardo further notes that it is suitable for people of all ages.
“Although younger people are more flexible and less prone to injury, functional fitness is beneficial to everyone. “It’s especially beneficial for people in their forties and beyond,” he adds.
7 simple functional fitness workouts.
You may be familiar with most functional fitness routines, which are simple to perform at home and typically require little to no equipment. Examples include:
- Squats work your legs, stomach, and lower back.
- Lunges for the upper legs and gluts.
- Planks work your core, back, and shoulders.
- Push-ups work your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.
- Pull-ups strengthen the biceps, triceps, forearms, wrists, shoulders, and core.
- Shoulder presses work your core, shoulders, and back. To help prevent damage, use sand-filled weights instead of dumbbells.
- Stackers for the entire body. Not acquainted with stackers? Here is what to do:
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and pretend to hold a basketball straight out in front of you.
- Bend your waist to reach and tap the outside of your left heel.
- Then reach back up and across your body to the right, as if you were putting a box on a shelf just above your shoulder.
- As you rotate across your torso, your left heel may lift off the ground as your hips pivot to the right.
Remember that proper form is essential when performing any workouts. If you’re working out at home, you can always look online for videos and step-by-step visuals that demonstrate how to perform these exercises correctly. Make sure you use a trustworthy supplier. And if something hurts, always stop and get assistance.
Tips For A Successful Fitness Routine
To get the most out of functional fitness, you should incorporate it into your daily routine, just like any other workout. “Move every day,” explains Gallardo. It’s his number one tip. But remember to:
- Warm up and cool down: “Begin with a warmup to help circulate blood to your muscles. “Some jogging in place and light stretching are excellent ways to prepare your body for action,” explains Gallardo. “And after your workout, go for a walk and do more light stretching or yoga to help your body cool down.”
- Maintain proper posture to avoid injuries.
- Mix things up – variety is crucial. Mix and match exercise every day to keep your workout interesting and allow different muscles to relax.
- Know your boundaries – Before beginning your new exercise program, consult with your doctor to discuss your specific needs. Everyone is different, so take it slow and listen to your body as you design an exercise that works for you.
Looking for more ideas? Explore our mind-body wellness centre for other guided workouts and activities.
