Decatur Parks & Recreation Department

5 Simple Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

Your most useful piece of fitness equipment is always close by. Yes, we’re talking about your body. Bodyweight exercises, also known as calisthenics, are beneficial to people of all ability levels.

First off, they’re free and convenient, so you can save the roughly $500-$1000 you’d be paying in yearly gym fees, while also being able to work out whenever you want. Second, calisthenics are incredibly effective forms of exercise, and you’ll start seeing results from only a few short sessions. Using bodyweight improves both your endurance and strength, making these exercises a cross between strength-training and cardio. Finally, the versatility and flexibility of calisthenics means you can target a variety of different muscle groups in a matter of moments.

This Monday, try to boost your fitness routine with these 5 simple bodyweight exercises you can do anywhere.

Arm Circles

A simple way to warm up your arms and shoulders, and improve flexibility and range of motion.

1. Stand with your arms extended by your sides, perpendicular to your torso.
2. Slowly move your arms in clockwise circles about 1 foot in diameter for 20—30 seconds.
3. After, reverse the movement, going counterclockwise.
4. Make bigger or smaller circles to target different areas of your shoulders, triceps, and biceps

Calf Raises

One of the most convenient exercises, calf raises can help strengthen and tone your calf muscles with minimal effort.

1. From a standing position, raise yourself up on your toes, making sure to keep your heels on the floor.
2. When your toes are fully extended, hold for a second before returning to the starting position.
3. Repeat the motion until you start feeling a warmth in your calves.

Squats

The squat targets the lower-body muscle groups, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart (a little wider is okay, too).
2. Slowly crouch by bending your knees until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor.
3. Remember to keep your heels firmly on the ground, and make sure they do not rise off the floor.
4. Push through using your heels to return to standing position.

Plank

Strengthen your abdominal muscles and improve your balance with this classic core-building exercise.

1. Lay on your stomach with forearms on the floor in front of you.
2. Extend your legs behind you and raise your body so that you’re supported by your toes and forearms.
3. Keeping your body straight, tighten your abdominal muscles and hold the position for 30-60 seconds.
4. Each day you do the plank position, aim to extend the length of your hold.

Push-up

With proper form, the classic push-up hits nearly every muscle above the waist. There are many different variations on the push-up, so do the one that is right for you.

1. Start in a plank position: both hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, arms locked at the elbow, back straight and aligned with hips, and feet shoulder-width apart. Try to think of the body as one giant line.
2. Your chest/nipple should be directly over your thumb nail. Fingers should be splayed, and your hands should be in a comfortable position on the floor.
3. Inhale as you slowly lower your chest down to the floor, and exhale as you push the palms of your hands into the floor, bringing your torso, thighs, and chest off the ground.
4. Return to starting plank position and pause a second before the next repetition. Aim for 3-4 sets of 15 reps.

5 Healthy Reward Ideas for Exercise Well Done!

Healthy Fitness Reward Ideas

You’ve stuck with it and now it’s time for you to enjoy a well-earned exercise reward in celebration of keeping up your physical activity routine. Pick Monday to give yourself the gift of self-care.

It’s time for reflection. Take a moment to contemplate how far you’ve come in your fitness journey. Have you gotten stronger, made and achieved fitness goals, achieved a healthy weight, or done all four?  It’s definitely time for an exercise reward – so treat yourself with some modest and affordable indulgences today!

When you take good care of yourself, you nourish your body and soul. Here are some low-cost fitness reward ideas to help you get started:

• Bubbles Galore! – Take a nice hot bath and mix it up with some fun bubbles.
• Visit a Museum – Exercise your mind! Take in some ancient history or modern art.
• Restorative Yoga – Take twenty minutes and stretch it all out.
• Whip up a Spread – Make something delicious and healthy.
• All Hands on Deck – Book a massage to relax your hard-working muscles.

Exercise rewards in the form of self-care are a great way to thank yourself for all of the hard work you do. Use Monday as a way of acknowledging your accomplishments and being grateful for all that you’ve been able to achieve.

5 Fitness Challenges to Get the Whole Family Moving

There’s nothing like a little friendly competition to bring the family closer. So why not turn your plain-old, ordinary exercises into a family fitness challenge.

Experts recommend individuals spend at least 150 minutes per week exercising or being active, so we’ve compiled a list of exercises that can easily be converted into fitness challenges for you and the whole family to do together. Completing one or two of these challenges a week will help you satisfy that weekly workout requirement. Group challenges inevitably motivate you to push yourself a harder, and they can even help you squeeze out an extra rep (or two or three).

The cherry on top is that these fitness challenges don’t require any hardcore workout equipment; all you need is maybe a few chairs, some floor space, and a few willing participants. Below are five of our favorite:

Mountain Climbers:

Begin in plank position, hands under your shoulders, arms straight, head looking forward. Keeping your back straight, bring one knee to your chest, then back to plank. Repeat with the other leg, increasing speed as you go. See who can last the longest!

Jabs:

A great way to get out frustration and pent up energy, jabs are a good workout for even the most devout pacifist. To start, get into a “fighting stance” — abs tight, hands in fists guarding your chin, shoulders relaxed, hips should-width apart. On an exhale, punch straight with one arm without locking the elbow. Return to starting position and repeat. Who will get tired first?

Bicycle Crunches:

This one will have everyone feeling the burn. Tighten up those abs with this grueling bicycle crunch challenge. Lie on your back with your feet on the floor, knees bent, hands behind your ears. Press your lower back into the floor, engage your abs, and lift you head, shoulders and upper back. At the same time, twist to bring your right elbow to your left knee while simultaneously straightening your right leg. It’s like peddling a bike… only worse. First to 100 crunches wins!

Monday Mile:

Who will reach the finish line first? Speed walk, jog, run — it doesn’t matter how your family chooses to complete the task. Map out a cool trail through town or some other more rural paths. Along with your weekly Monday Mile, look for any charity walks or runs raising money for a cause that you and your family support.

Push-Up and Rotation:

If misery loves company, you’ll want the whole family here for this one. The push-up and rotation targets your abs, triceps, upper back, chest, and shoulders, making it a complete upper-body and core workout. Begin in a push-up position with your body off the floor. After one push-up, twist your body to the right and raise your right arm to the ceiling, into a side plank. Return to start and repeat on the other side. Set a timer for three minutes – who can do the most?