It may happen that you are looking for motivation to exercise, you are ready to start, you just need to change into your sportswear and... at this point you feel like you don’t want to do it, because it would be good to put on a sports bra, a T-shirt, shorts to make it comfortable to exercise, and then you have to take a shower, the training takes a long time...
The list of adversities goes on and on. We know this from experience, which is why I have an exercise for you that requires no effort, just a bit of willingness and a minute that you can spend exercising literally anywhere. Movement makes the body produce endorphins, or happy hormones. Sometimes all it takes is a little exercise to give your body extra relaxation.
Exercises you can do when you’re not motivated
King of the gluteal and thigh muscles – the squat. Did you know that everyone is capable of doing squats while brushing their teeth, pouring water into the bathtub, or waiting for something? By doing squats and other body movements with your hands at the same time, you exercise your psychomotor coordination. Rest assured, it is doable for everyone, although the beginnings can be uncoordinated. Back to the essence of the exercise: wherever you are, you can do 20 squats or instead, if you prefer, you can do a half squat – hips pushed back, feet parallel to each other, hip-width apart, arms extended in front of you, hold for 30 seconds.
Did you know that flexing muscles without making a movement is called isometric training? You can exercise anywhere and no one will notice!
20 squats a day – does it make sense?
If you think it doesn’t, let’s quickly calculate whether you are right. Imagine doing 20 squats while brushing your teeth in the morning and 20 in the evening. A day is 40 squats, a week is 280, and if you didn’t lose motivation for a year and only did 40 squats every day, a year would come out to 14,560! I think you’ll see a difference, though: in such small daily doses you won’t feel the workout, yet your body will be slimmer and more muscular.
Twist in a standing position
Another exercise you can do anywhere, waiting for anything, with just literally a minute to spare: twist in a standing position – it’s not too demanding, while having a great effect on your abdominal muscles, especially the so-called “sides”. With this exercise you will slim your waist and strengthen your muscles.
Stand in an upright position, place your hands on your neck, intertwine your fingers. Raise the left knee to the right elbow while twisting the body to look behind you. Alternate the twists on one side and on the other.
Remember not to bend your body at the waist and keep your elbows and hands in the same position on your neck. In this exercise, the movement is performed by the legs, abdomen and internal muscles of the body.
Couch triceps
Another exercise when you lack motivation can be done while watching TV, during a break at work, listening to podcasts, or sitting at a table. The only thing that is essential is a bed, sofa, armchair or chair. Slide off the object you are sitting on, rest your hands on the edge of the seat, place your palms parallel to your thighs, with the fingers of your hands pointing towards the floor. Bend your arms as far as possible at the elbows while lowering your hips towards the floor, then straighten your elbows. This is a great exercise for the triceps muscles – it’s the muscle that gravity likes to affect.
Remember to keep your back close to the chair/couch at all times in this exercise. Let the feet be about 50 centimetres from the buttocks.
An express workout that takes no time at all while positively affecting the whole body
Take a look at the three exercises above. Literally 3-4 minutes a day is enough to take care of your thigh, abdominal and arm muscles, slim your body and strengthen your muscles, and that’s not all. See more.
Since we were in a sitting position a moment ago, let’s stay in it a little longer. Sit on the edge of a chair, hold yourself up with your hands, join your feet and knees together. Move your feet once to the left and then to the right side of the chair, gently touching the floor with your toes – don't put your feet down on the floor and you will get much better and faster results. Simple, isn’t it?
How about practising with your phone in hand?
Let’s be honest: each of us uses our phone a minimum of a dozen minutes a day – if not several hours – every day. How about changing your position and look at the latest news while lying down? Try it!
Lie on your back, bend your knees, bring your feet together, let them be quite close to your buttocks. Spread your knees as far apart as possible and then bring them together. This exercise models the inner thigh muscles wonderfully. If you actually add playing on your phone to this activity, you will relieve the strain on your spine and neck, your shoulder muscles will do isometric work – they will exercise in stillness and thus you will gain several benefits without feeling the exercise. You’ll make a virtue of necessity and won’t waste any time.
Exercises with the phone II
You can also exercise while lying on your stomach. Support yourself on your elbows, put some medium-heavy object between your feet, perhaps a half-litre bottle of water. Bend your legs at the knees so that an object does not fall out from between your feet. By performing this exercise correctly, you strengthen the biceps femoris (back band) and gluteal muscles. It is a great exercise and requires no outfit, no shoes and no special preparation. You can use your phone, read a book or, if you are advanced, even type on your laptop while doing this activity.
The 5-minute express workout when you lack motivation to exercise
If you’re not a fan of single exercises, I have a super workout plan for you that is short, fast and effective.
Set yourself a stopwatch or timer for a certain arbitrary time, like 5 minutes. You have a choice of two versions of the express workout:
- You do each exercise for 55 seconds, giving yourself 5 seconds to change the exercise and rest.
- You do each exercise for as much time as you feel like, and you can repeat all the exercises several times until you run out of time.
And here is a set of express exercises to boost motivation:
- Jumping jacks
- Skip A – run in place with knees raised high.
- Front lunges – remember to keep the knee in front of the foot.
- Sumo squat jumps – two small jumps and a third ending with a sumo squat.
- Jumps in support – position yourself in support, legs wide, perform jumps towards your chest and back.
Did you know that the sumo squat engages many more muscles than the classic squat?
Sumo squat – how to do this exercise correctly?
Make a wide straddle, feet pointing outwards and thighs parallel to the ground.
All of the above exercises are worth trying when you are not motivated to be physically active. Sometimes it only takes a moment to stimulate the body and want even more. There are times when you only have time for a little activity and there is no room for a long training session. Don’t worry, every move counts, even those that take a minute. The effects will be visible after a few weeks.