Good news for couch potatoes! you can become active and flexible by doing a few simple and easy exercises.
Seated on the couch, keep your stance (legs) slightly more apart than the width of your shoulders. Now get up and sit down or simply squat. Touch your hip to the couch once and then lift it up. Repeat for 15 to 20 counts and then alternate with leg extensions.
Again, while being seated, place your hands on both sides of your hips. Now put pressure on your hands to push up and lift your hips. Then, slowly try to lift both your legs and bring your knees toward your chest. Hold on to this position in the air for 15 to 20 counts. This works as a very good core exercise.
Next, bring your legs down and touch the ground with your toes. Again, place your palms down on both sides of your hips and exert pressure to lift up your hips and knees in the air. Don’t let your hips hit the couch or toes touch the ground, and hold this position for 30 seconds to one minute, in two to three sets. This exercise is very good for the core as well as triceps and wrist, elbow and shoulder joint mobility.
Sit on the couch and place your palms on both sides of your hips and lift them up. Now slowly extend your legs to full length and swing them in the air on both your right and left sides from the knee joints. This exercise works on the core as well as oblique muscles (abdomen).
exercise tips
- Leg Extension: You can do this exercise without a machine too. Extend your knees to the maximum on a straight line plane as you exhale. Ensure that the rest of the body remains stationary on the sofa seat. Pause for one second in the contracted position. Then, slowly lower your knees down by sending weights back to the original position as you inhale. Repeat this with squatting at least twice or thrice, for 15 to 20 reps.
- Lateral Raise: You don’t need to carry heavy weights or big dumb bells in your hands. You may or may not use smaller dumb bells. Sitting on the couch, spread out both your hands sideways at shoulder level and do the side lateral raise. Keep your torso in a static position and don’t swing it. Now lift your outstretched arms on your sides with a slight bend on the elbow and keep your hands slightly tilted forward as if pouring water in a glass. Continue to go up until your arms are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this and pause for a second at the top. Lower your arms back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale. Repeat the exercise 10 to 15 times in two-three sets.
- L-sit exercise: Again, place your palms on both sides of your hips and keep your legs straight together in front of you, from your lower belly. Now perform an L-sit exercise by lifting your legs in a horizontal position. In the process, your hips will also get pushed up into the air. Hold on to this suspended position for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
