~body weight exercises~

You don't have to belong to a fancy gym to exercise.

There are so many different ways to exercise using no equipment at all.

Besides running for cardio, here are a few of my favorites that I like to do.

Shoulders and arms:

Tricep dips: Get seated near a step or bench. I use the bottom of my stairs. Sit on the floor with knees slightly bent, and grab the edge of the elevated surface {in my case, the bottom step}  and straighten the arms. Bend them to a 90-degree angle, and straighten again while the heels push towards the floor. 

Core:

Side plank:  Roll to the side and come up on one foot and elbow. Make sure the hips are lifted  and your core is tight. Hold for 30-60 seconds.

Each time increase by a 10 seconds or so.

Remember to breathe.

Bicycle: Lie down with knees bent and hands behind the head. With the knees in toward the chest, bring the right elbow towards the left knee as the right leg straightens. Continue alternating sides.

Just like riding a bike in the air.

For your legs:

Squats: Stand with the feet parallel and about shoulder width apart. Slowly squat down bending the hips and knees until the thighs are at least parallel to the floor, like you are going to sit in a chair~keep your back straight.  Make sure your knees don't go over your toes. Make sure the heels do not rise off the floor. Press through the heels to return to a standing position. 

lunges: Stand with the hands on the hips and feet hip-width apart. Step the right leg forward and slowly lower your body until the right knee is close to or touching the floor and bent at least 90 degrees. Do not let your knees go over your toes, this means keeping your back straight. Return to the starting position and repeat with the left leg. Try stepping back into the lunge for a different variation.

Start with 15 on each side.

Chest:

push ups:With hands shoulder width apart, keep the feet flexed at hip distance, and tighten the core. Bend the elbows until the chest reaches the ground, and then push back up (make sure to keep the elbows tucked close to the body).  Do as many as you can like this, try for 15 for starters. If you need to, you can drop to your knees.

Remember to track how many calories you burn during your workout, so that you can reward yourself by eating those calories! If you don't have a way to keep track a good rule of thumb is to multiply 5 calories per minute of working out. If you work out for 30 min. You can calculate 150 burned. I usually aim for 60 minutes, as I like to eat! 

via

Melaine