Jumping jacks are a high-impact exercise which is not time-consuming
Staying physically active can strengthen your bones and muscles, helps you maintain a healthy weight, increases your ability to carry out daily tasks and improves your cognitive health. Adults who spend less time sitting and engage in any level of moderate-to-vigorous exercise reap some health benefits.
As much as exercising daily is essential and beneficial, it can be hard to follow a persistent workout routine in today's time. With work, home chores, and other responsibilities, physical health can often take a back seat. Lack of time is what leads us to try HIIT.
HIIT also known as High-Intensity Interval Training is a workout regime that focuses on vigorous physical exercise which is high in impact and less time-consuming than other workouts. Unlike exercising like sports, swimming, yoga, etc., this is a fast-paced regime that helps you burn more calories without investing too much of your time.
HIIT can sound vigorous and challenging to beginners. Hence, instead of engaging in HIIT sessions, you can start by practicing some of the most common HIIT exercises which are less challenging and still provide many health benefits. Continue reading this article as we list some of the best high-intensity exercises you can perform for a full-body workout especially if you are on a time crunch.
Here are some exercises to help you squeeze in a quick full-body workout:
1. Burpees
- Drop to squatting from a standing position
- Instead of standing up right away, hold a plank position
- Push yourself up, then get back to standing
- Take as many repetitions of this as you can, pause, and then repeat the set
- Try launching yourself from the squatting through into an upright position to increase the intensity
- Take off the pushup stage to make it easier
- Start with 4-5 and then build up to at least 10 daily
2. Squats
- Move into a crouching position while continuing from a standing position, then stand back up
- Perform this however times as you can
- Then, take a rest before performing the sequence once more.
- Start with 20 squats if you are a beginner
- Slowly build to performing a 100 squats daily
3. Jumping jacks
- Start by standing ahead and placing your arms by your sides
- Jump up, stretch your feet wider than hip-width apart, and raise your arms so they are almost touching (like a clap over your head)
- Re-jump while bringing your legs closer together and lowering your arms
- Repeat the cycle about 50 times with breaks if you are a beginner
- Build up to performing 30-30-30 daily
4. Lunges
- Start by putting one leg ahead of the body at a right angle
- Set the opposite leg back until the knee is barely off the ground
- The foot's sole should be bearing your weight
- Step up and down, then change feet, causing the legs to move in different directions
- Practice for 30 seconds to 1 min
5. Push-ups
- With arms outstretched, place the hands on the floor
- Your hands should be beneath the shoulders
- Legs should be stretched back
- Be positioned such that the body is in a straight line
- As the chest or nose approaches the floor, lower the body
- Go off the ground again
- If this is too challenging, start by laying down on your knees rather than stretching your legs out
- Slowly build up to performing it as described above
- Practice about 20 daily and build up to 40-50
These exercises are high in impact and also less time-consuming. These exercises will ensure better health and can be performed daily.
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