Exercising for only a few minutes a day can help you get back in shape while staying at home!
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Here are five simple exercises that, if repeated once a day, gradually increasing the intensity, can give excellent results in a short period of time. Arm yourself with a rug and you’re ready to start!
1. Upper abdominal muscles
Put your back on the floor, lift your legs and bend your knees, put your hands behind your head with open elbows, raise your chest and head without bending your neck, but by contracting your stomach.
Lift up as much as possible and exhale during the contraction phase. Return to your initial position and repeat the exercise 30 times.
2. Lower abdominal muscles
Put your hands under your buttocks and lift your legs off the ground while keeping them flat: they should be stretched out and about 8 inches above the ground.
From this position, lift one leg up until it forms a 90° angle with the body. Lower it very slowly, then the other leg. Alternate legs 10 times and repeat the series 2 more times.
Alternatively, if this exercise is too complicated, you can do the ‘bike’ exercise. You're still lying on your back. Put your hands or fists under your buttocks, and pretend to ride a bike; lift your legs off the ground, starting to pedal. Stretch out your legs to stimulate the area between your lower abdominals and thighs.
3. Abdominal obliques
Lie on your back, bend your knees and put your feet on the ground, cross your right foot on the opposite knee and put your hands behind your neck.
Lift your left shoulder up and try to bring it in the direction of your left knee, but without too much help from your hands, which should only serve as a support for the neck.
Slowly perform the twisting movement and control your breathing: exhale when you ascend during the contraction and inhale when you descend.
Repeat with the opposite shoulder until you have completed 2 sets of 10 repetitions on each side.
4. Lateral abdominal muscles
Lie on your left side, legs straight. Place your weight on your forearm and lift your pelvis off the ground. Lower and lift your pelvis while keeping your abdomen taut. Do 10 repetitions, then change sides.
This exercise will work the abdomen, buttocks and legs.
Another alternative? In the plank position, turn your pelvis to the right, return to the central position, then turn it to the left and return to the centre. Repeat the exercise 20 times.
5. Tone up the whole body!
To work all the abdominal muscles, the plank is the perfect exercise: it works not only the abdomen, but almost all the muscles in the body.
Here's how it works: lie on your stomach, put your forearms and the tips of your toes on the ground. Always keep your back straight, shoulders parallel to your elbows and buttocks slightly elevated. Hold this position for 30 or 40 seconds. Rest and repeat the exercise 3 times.
With a balanced diet, a healthy lifestyle and these simple exercises, you will be able to eliminate the abdominal fat we all hate so much!
To get a demonstration of the exercises, just watch the video above.
Have a good workout!
