50 Lazy Day Exercises to lose 50kg and Keep it Off Everyone has days when they d sooner just stay in bed (or at least not do very much in terms of activity). These exercises represent a good compromise between doing nothing and doing something. One of the ABCs of weight loss is CDE: Consistent Daily Effort. Here s some options for effort without excessiveness. 1 Wall squat (isometric hold) Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and break at the knee so there is a slight bend in your knee when you stand upright (don t lock your knees). Draw your abs (abdominal muscles) in. Lean on the wall with your back and shoulders flat against it. Keep your shoulders drawn back. Position your feet so they are approximately 1.5 steps out from the wall. Slowly and with control, bend at your knees and lower your hips back and down until your knees are at 90 degrees. You must control the movement through the heels of your feet, making sure they remain completely flat throughout the exercise. Remain in this position for as long as you can without collapsing! Tip: This is a great exercise to do while you re waiting for the kettle to boil at home or waiting for the photocopier at work. 2 The prayer Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands together in front of your chest so your fingers are facing upwards like you re praying with bent arms. Push your hands together tightly and hold for the desired amount of time. Relax and repeat.
3 One leg balances Place a finger on your belly button and a finger on the base of your sternum. Increase the distance between these fingers by standing tall and lengthening your spine. Raise one foot off the ground, maintaining the distance between your fingers and trying to keep your hips horizontally aligned throughout. Hold the position for a few seconds until steady and then swap feet. Tip: Close one or both eyes during this movement to increase the difficulty. 4 Wall push ups Start standing with your hands and feet shoulder-width apart. Your body should be in perfect alignment throughout. Stand several steps away from the wall. Lower yourself by bending your elbows out to the side until your arms reach 90 degrees. At the end of the movement your nose, chest and hips should all be centimetres from the wall. Squeeze your pecs (chest muscles) as you push up and straighten your arms out. 5 Couch push ups Start standing with your hands and feet shoulder width apart. Your body should be in perfect alignment throughout. Stand several steps away from the couch (or kitchen bench something about that height). Lower yourself by bending your elbows out to the side until your arms reach 90 degrees. At the end of the movement your nipples should be almost touching the couch/bench. Squeeze your pecs (chest muscles) as you push up and straighten your arms out. Tip: This is a great exercise to do while you re waiting for the kettle to boil at home or waiting for the photocopier at work.
6 Prone cobra lying on the ground Lie face down and place your palms down underneath your shoulders, keeping your hipbones on the ground. Press up through your arms as though doing a push up, but only moving your upper half. Push as high as you can go without straining your back and see if you can straighten your elbows without lifting your hips off the ground. 7 Four points Start on all fours, hands underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips. Find your neutral spine. Imagine you have two glasses of water on your shoulders and two on your hips. While maintaining a neutral spine, slowly reach your left arm forward and your right leg behind you. Inhale, pause and reach out further. Exhale and return, then switch sides. Keep your torso stable by switching on your abdominals. 8 Scissor legs Lie on your back, legs bent, hips raised. Place a foam roller under your pelvis and stretch both legs towards the ceiling. Inhale and open the legs, bringing one forward and the other back. Exhale to close. Hold the sides of the roller and do repetitions in each direction. 9 Helicopter legs Lie on your back, legs bent, hips raised. Place a foam roller under your pelvis and stretch both legs towards the ceiling.
Inhale and bring one leg forward and one leg back. Exhale, circle legs in opposite directions and then bring them back together. Hold the sides of the roller and do repetitions in each direction. 10 Open shut them Lie on your back, legs bent, hips raised. Place a foam roller under your pelvis and stretch both legs towards the ceiling. Inhale and open the legs out to the sides. Exhale to close them. Tip: Tie a resistance band together around the middle of your thighs if you want to make this more difficult. 11 Bicycle legs Lie on your back, legs bent, hips raised. Place a foam roller under your pelvis and stretch both legs towards the ceiling. Reach one leg down to the floor, then bring it back in towards your chest as the other leg stretches down. Keep cycling and breathe out on each rep. 12 Standard squat Start in a normal squat position with your legs shoulder-width apart and break at the knee so there is a slight bend in your knee when you stand upright (don t lock your knees). Draw your abs (abdominal muscles) in. Slowly and with control, bend at your knees and lower your hips back and down until your knees are at 90 degrees. You must control the movement through the heels of your feet, making sure they remain completely flat throughout the exercise. Exhale as you come out of the 90 degree position and rise back up to the Start position. Option: - When you reach the 90 degree halfway point of the movement, hold for 3 seconds, then go back to the top. This will make the exercise a lot more
challenging. 13 Seated balancing leg lifts Sit on a Swiss ball with both your legs bent at 90 degrees and your feet placed on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Remain upright with your shoulders drawn back and down and your stomach drawn in. While maintaining your posture and straight hips, and without leaning to one side, raise one leg off the ground and straighten until it s parallel to the ground. Hold for the desired time then bring back down. Raise your opposite leg in the same way, without shifting weight to your other hip, and repeat. 14 Recliners on Swiss ball (roll outs, spine face up) Sit upright on a Swiss ball with your legs bent at 90 degrees. Slowly walk your feet forward in front of you and slowly lean back, lowering yourself as you go, making sure your stomach is drawn in to brace your core. Proceed forward until your head and shoulders are resting on the ball and your hips are parallel to the ground. Pause, then walk your way back up to seated again. 15 Single leg balance on Swiss ball supine (face up) Start by lying face up on the Swiss ball with your head and shoulders resting on the ball and your hips up and parallel to the floor, keeping your feet shoulder width apart. Raise your arms straight out to the side. While you maintain this position, raise one leg off the ground and straighten it out until it s parallel to the floor. Make sure you squeeze your glute (butt) muscles together to keep your hips up and straight. Don t allow your hips to fall to one side. Lower your leg back down and repeat with the opposite leg. Your hips should remain up the whole time.
16 Swiss ball hip raise supine (lying face up, head on ball) Start as you did in exercise #3. Slower lower your hips to the ground. Once your hips are just above the floor, squeeze your glutes and raise your hips back up until they re parallel with the floor again. Keep your stomach drawn in throughout the movement. 17 Swiss ball sit-ups Lie back on the ball, resting on your lower back and feet on the ground. Reach with your arms over your head towards the ground, stretching your torso out. Squeeze and contract your abs, raising your head and arms, and with a Mexican wave movement, curl the rest of your torso off the ball until you are almost upright. Pause and lower with control. Make sure you exhale on the up phase of the movement. 18 Russian twists (body weight) Start as you did in exercise #3. Clasp your hands together and straighten them in front of your chest towards the ceiling. Keep your hips up by squeezing your glutes and drawing your stomach in. Rotate your upper body so it peels off the ball and you end up on the point of your shoulder. Pause and then rotate back around until your go right over to your other shoulder. 19 Rollaways (kneeling) Kneel on the ground approximately half a meter from the Swiss ball. Lean forward resting your forearms and hands on the ball.
Roll the ball forward by extending your arms out and at the same time move your hips forward and down toward the ground. Go as far forward as you can and make sure your body stays in a straight line. Pause when you re stretched out, exhale and then return back to the start position. Don t stretch out too far to feel your lower back. 20 Prone hold on Swiss ball Start as you did in exercise #8. This time while keeping your forearms and hands on the ball, raise your knees off the ground, bringing your hips up and straightening your legs out. Your body should be in one straight line at this point. Now hold this position for an extended amount of time. 21 Prone hip extensions (lying over the ball raising legs) Lie with your stomach on the ball and your hands and feet on the ground, with both shoulder width apart. Lift both legs as high as you can making sure not to dip your torso down or bend your elbows. As you raise your legs turn your feet out slightly and hold for a second as you clench your glutes, and then lower slowly to the ground. 22 Frog s legs Lie with your hips and pelvis on the ball and your hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart. Your feet and thighs should be straight out behind you and parallel to the floor. Bend your knees at a 90 degree angle so that the bottom of your feet are facing the ceiling. Place your heels together as if you were a ballerina. Lift both feet as high as you can, making sure not to dip your torso down or bend your elbows. This exercise can either be done at a slow and controlled pace or as a fast pulsing action.
Tip: Vary the tempo of the movement according to the music that is playing at the time (eg fast pulses for the chorus and slow and controlled movements for the verses of the song). 23 Core climbers Start in a push up position on the ground or with your hands on a bench. Raise one leg off the ground and tuck your knee up to your chest. Make sure you don t rotate your hips. Bring your leg back down to the ground and perform with your opposite leg. Remember to keep good posture throughout to maintain your core. 24 Lying leg raises Lie on your back with your arms by your side and palms facing down. You re your stomach in to engage your core and raise your legs to vertical. Slowly lower your legs to the ground and if your back arches or completely flattens, lower no further. Once your legs are as low as they can go, hold the position for as long as you can then raise them back to the start position. 25 Side plank Lie on your side with your legs straight. Prop yourself up by placing your elbow directly under you shoulder with your forearm out and forward. Raise your hips and brace your core. Keep your neck neutral and hold this position for a desired amount of time, then lower yourself back down and change sides.
26 Resistance band twists Tie a resistance band around something approximately at the height between your belly button and your chest. Stand away from the wall to add resistance in the band. Make sure the band is parallel to the floor. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold the band with both your arms stretched out in front of your body and your elbows slightly bent. With your torso, twist away from the wall so your shoulders follow and your hands are at 90 degrees from your starting position. Bring back to the start slowly and twist back again. Perform for desired number of repetitions and then switch sides. 27 Resistance band standing straight arm pull down Tie or wrap the resistance band around something high above your head about as high as your hands are when you lift your arms straight up above your head. Hold the two ends of the band in front of your face. While keeping straight arms and a braced core, pull down on the bands with your arms to bring them down beside your body. Once your arms are by your side, slowly raise them back up to your head height and repeat. Make sure your arms remain straight the entire time. 28 One leg lying pelvic thrusts Lie on your back with your hands on the ground. Bend your knees to 90 degrees and make sure your feet are flat. Raise your left foot and cross it over to rest on your right knee. With your right heel, push into the ground and lift your hips as high as you can, clenching your glutes as you lift. Slowly lower and repeat.
29 Swiss ball lying hip raise (feet on ball, shoulders on the ground) Lie on your back with your legs bent at the knees and the soles of your feet on the ball approximately 30 cm from your butt. Keep your feet slightly apart and your hands by your side. By pressing your feet into the ball, lift your backside and keep the ball still. Raise your pelvis up off the ground until your body reaches a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. At the top, clench your glutes and then slowly lower until you brush the ground, then raise again. 30 V-sits Sit on the ground with your knees at 90 degrees and your back straight. Raise your feet off the ground, bring your thighs to your chest, extend your legs out towards the ground as well as to your torso, and lower back at the same time. Stop just before your legs or back touch the ground. Use your abs to sit up again and raise your legs so you finish with your thighs at your chest. 31 Crane Balance on one leg with both your hands behind your back keeping your knee almost straight. Bend at your hips tilting your chest forward towards the ground aiming to keep your back long and straight while you do it. Once you reach close to horizontal to the ground, raise back up. Tip: This is a good everyday movement to incorporate into your life. Every time you drop something or even just need to bend over to pick something up, try doing a crane to do it. You will soon find that it becomes almost second nature and is a great way to exercise without even realizing it.
32 Walking lunge Start with your feet side by side and shoulder-width apart. Draw your stomach in and draw your shoulder blades back to keep your posture and build core strength throughout the exercise. Use your front leg to do most of the work and move up onto the toes of your back foot for balance. Make sure you keep the pressure through the heel of your front foot. Bend at your knees and with control lower your hips straight down towards the ground. When your front knee reaches a 90 degree angle drive up using your front leg, and bring your back leg beside your front foot. Move forward into the next step using the same leg. 33 Woodchop Hold a light weight in both hands with your arms straight. Bend down and place the weight outside your left calf. Look forward and keep a straight back, pushing your backside out behind you. Sweep diagonally across your body finishing with your arms up above your right shoulder. Sweep back to the start. Perform all reps on one side then swap. 34 Plank hold elbow to hand movement Start in a normal plank hold position, leaning on your elbows and toes. Make sure your elbows are directly under your shoulders. While in the plank position, with your left arm, come off your elbow, place your hand where your elbow was, and push yourself up, using your other hand to assist you on the way up. Pause on both hands, then lower back down onto your elbows one at a time. Swap each hand.
35 Swiss ball dumbbell chest press Sit on a Swiss ball with a dumbbell in each hand. Walk yourself out until your shoulders and head are resting on the ball and your feet are shoulder-width apart, your hips up and your body in a horizontal line. Place your elbows out to the side and at 90 degrees so your fists are facing the roof. While you maintain your body in the start position, push the dumbbells straight up, straightening your arms out. Touch the dumbbells together at the top and then lower them back down. 36 Swiss ball seated dumbbell press Sit tall on a Swiss ball with a dumbbell in each hand. Bring your hands up to your shoulders with your elbows rotated outwards so the dumbbells are resting at your shoulders. Keep your stomach drawn in the entire time. Press the dumbbells straight up above your head, straightening your arms out and touching the dumbbells together at the top. With control, lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders ready for the next repetition. 37 Standing Arnie alternating curl and press Start standing shoulder width apart with a dumbbell in each hand. With one arm, perform a bicep curl by bending your elbow and bringing the dumbbell all the way up to your shoulder. Your palm should be facing your shoulder. Now perform a shoulder press with the same arm, twisting your hand as you go so when the dumbbell is above your head your palm is facing forward. Lower back down with control and change arms.
38 Lying double arm pull over (bench) Lie on your back on a bench, low stool or coffee table, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Make sure your arms are fully extended above your chest. Keep your elbows slightly bent. Keeping your arms locked in the same position and moving mainly through your shoulders, lower both dumbbells over your head until they are horizontal. Engage the muscles under your arms to raise the dumbbells back up to the start position. 39 Lying double arm pull over (Swiss ball) Start as you did in exercise #33, but this time lie on a Swiss ball with your head and shoulders resting on the ball. Move as you did in exercise #33, making sure you keep your stomach drawn in and don t arch you back too much. 40 Tricep bench dips (feet on the ground) Start by sitting on a chair or bench. Place your legs straight out in front of you on the ground. Place your hands beside your body and grip the edge of the chair or bench. While holding onto the chair or bench, slide off it so only your arms support your body and your legs are still straight. Keep your shoulder blades drawn back and bend at the elbows to lower yourself down until your reach 90 degrees at the elbow joint. Then rise back up by straightening your elbows until your arms straighten out again. Tip: You can perform this exercise with bent legs to make it slightly easier.
41 One arm row (weighted) Mount a bench with your right hand at the front and right knee at the back. Keep you left foot on the ground, with your knee bent and leg in line with the right. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand. With your back straight and hips square, lift the dumbbell up and outside your shoulder. Raise your elbow as high as you can, then lower and repeat. 42 Lumbar stretch lying Lie on your back. Lift your right leg and bend your knee. Grab the outside of your knee with your left hand. Stretch your right arm out to the side, palm up. Pull your right leg across your body and try to lower it to the ground. You ll feel it in your right glute and lower back. Hold for required time, then change sides. 43. Hip glute stretch Go to the bottom of a lunge and place your back knee on the ground. Slide your front foot forward and drop your knee out to the side to create a 90 degree angle in front of your body. Place your hands on the ground on either side of the foot. Lower your chest towards the ground. Lean further to increase the stretch. Hold for required time, then change sides. 44. Hip flexor and oblique Start in a lunge position with your back knee resting on the ground. Lunge forward and slightly arch your torso backwards to accentuate the stretch in your hip flexor. Take the arm that is opposite to your front leg up and diagonally backwards,
so you add your side and underarm muscles to the stretch. 45 Hamstring leg circles (towel) Lie on your back with one leg extended along the floor and the other reaching for the ceiling with a resistance band around your foot. Hold on to the ends of the band with both hands, locking your elbows into the sides of your body and creating tension in the band. Circle your leg across the other leg, down and around in a circle to come back to the start. Let the band support your leg and by anchoring your pelvis, you will be able to focus mobilisation in the hip joint. Do all the repetitions in one direction, then switch. 46 Thread the needle Start on all fours with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement. Inhale and lift your right arm up to the ceiling, rotating your spine to the right and opening through your chest. Exhale and dive the right arm under your torso, rotating your spine to the left. Keep your pelvis stable and use your abdominals to support you. 47 Pikes to swan Press your hands and feet into the floor, raising your backside up into the air. Make sure to maintain a neutral spine and keep good posture through your back. Inhale as you press your hips forward, swooping through into a plank hold and extended swan, where your buttocks are lowered and your chest lifts up. Keep your arms and legs straight and activate your abs. Inhale and press your hips back through the plank and into the swan.
48 Pelvic curls Lie on your back, arms by your sides, palms facing down and feet on a foam roller. Exhale as you lift your hips up, keeping the roller still or slightly pulling underneath you. Hold for a breath in, then exhale as you roll down. 49 Chest lifts Lie on your back, feet flat on the floor, with the base of your shoulder blades on a foam roller. Inhale and take the chest back over the roller. Exhale to engage the upper abdominals and return to the start. 50 Knee stretches Kneel on all fours, hands under your shoulders and shins on a foam roller. Exhale, flex your hips and roll the roller under you. Inhale as you roll it back behind the hips. Note: all of the exercise equipment mentioned is available for purchase on my website, www.sallysymonds.com.au. Simply look under Retail Services and then Exercise Equipment. 1