Do planks, and your body will say "Thanks!"
5 to 10 minutes of exercise will help boost your mood, during the workday! Exercise helps increase your circulation, relieves muscle tension (which can wear you down physically), and causes your brain to release endorphins. That's not all -- it also helps you take in more oxygen and fires up your metabolism.
Here are some quick and easy strategies to release anxious energy, re-channel your genius and find bursts of positive energy.
Bust a Move! 1. March in place 2. Jump rope 3. Power walk 4. Climb stairs 5. Do lunges and squats
6. Strike a yoga pose (like a plank pose!)
If you're looking for a beginner yoga pose that will boost your energy and warm up your core, plank your heart out!
Your body and mind will thank you.
Planking is an excellent way of challenging your entire body because doing them every day will burn more calories than other traditional abdominal exercises, such as crunches or sit-ups. The muscles you strengthen by doing this exercise on a day-to-day basis will ensure that you burn more energy even when sedentary. This is especially important if you are spending the majority of your day sitting in front of a computer. Also, making it a daily home exercise before or after work will not only provide an enhanced metabolic rate but it will also ensure that that metabolic rate remains high all day long (yes, even while you are asleep)!
Follow these simple steps to help you amp up your plank game:
1) Begin in the plank position with forearms and toes on the floor.
2) Keep your torso straight and rigid and your body in a straight line from ears to toes with no sagging or bending.
3) Your head is relaxed, and you should be looking at the floor.
4) Hold this position for 10 seconds to start.
5) Over time, work your way up to 30, 45 or 60 seconds.
Want more of a challenge?
6) One of the best ways to amplify a plank is to simply lift an arm or a foot.
7) Keep your abdominal muscles engaged, and do not let your stomach drop or allow for your hips to rise up.
8) To avoid letting your hips or buttocks rise up, tilt your pelvis to the floor. Remember to breath. Take slow inhalations and exhale slowly.