How do I Choose the Best Easy Exercises at Home?

Choosing the best easy exercises at home will require you to identify your fitness needs. For weight loss, easy home workouts include aerobic activity such as running on a treadmill and riding an exercise bike. To tone your muscles, you might try calisthenics such as sit-ups, squats and push-ups. Increasing your muscle mass requires lifting large amounts of weight, for which you might need to buy dumbbells and barbells. To increase your flexibility, toe touches and side stretches are good options.

If your primary goal is to lose weight, easy exercises at home might consist of utilizing an aerobics video, riding an exercise bike, running on a home treadmill or even just jogging in place. To burn fat, you will want to do some form of cardiovascular exercise that increases your heart rate. Choose an enjoyable form of aerobic activity, and do it at least three to four times per week, for a minimum of 20 minutes each time. This will help increase your metabolism and will burn fat more quickly.

To gain greater muscle tone, easy exercises at home might include calisthenics that work the arms, chest, abdominal muscles, buttocks and leg muscles. For toning the chest and arms, push-ups are quick and easy to do at home. You can tone the abdominals by doing sit-ups. If you want to tone your buttocks and thighs, you can do squats. Lunges will work your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves.

If your goal is to increase muscle mass, you will need to create a space at home that allows you to safely lift large amounts of weight. You can place a bar inside a door frame for chin-ups. You might want to invest in adjustable dumbbells and barbells along with enough weight to gradually increase the amount you lift from week to week. For bench presses, you might want to purchase a bench designed with safety features for working out alone at home.

To increase your flexibility, be sure to first warm up your muscles. An example of easy exercises at home for flexibility are toe touches, either while sitting or standing. To stretch your calves and hamstrings, a small step or a phone book may be used. Place your foot on the step, and lean forward slightly as you reach your heel toward the floor. Hold onto a chair or a wall for balance, if necessary.

For upper-body flexibility, side stretches are an option. While standing, reach one arm straight above your head and over to the other side of your body. To stretch your chest and arms, clasp your hands together behind you, and lift your arms as high as possible. For an upper back stretch, clasp your hands in front of your body, straighten your arms, and round your upper back. To stretch your lower back, lie on your back, pull your knees to your chest and hold them there.