Hari Raya is one of the festivals where you will be served with scrumptious traditional delicacies. Who would say no to mouth-watering rendang, lemang and ketupat with peanut sauce? It is hard to control the temptations. Even if you are the person who watches your calories intake, Raya is the time you make a little exception and enjoy good food. Stepping on a scale a few days or a week later, you will notice that you have gained some weight. Well, put on your sportswear. Let’s get back in shape! Lose the Raya weight with these five simple workout moves.
1. High Knees
This simple exercise works on your calves, hamstrings, shins, quads and the abdominal muscles. Stand up straight with your hands hovering at waist height and palms facing down. Bring your right knee up towards your right palm, lower the leg back to the ground immediately and repeat with your left knee. Alternate the knees in a hopping motion and do not forget to engage your abdominal muscles each time you bring the knees up to touch the palms.
2. Jumping Jacks
Jumping jacks, also known as star jumps, target your arms and lower body while providing an effective cardiovascular workout. When performed vigorously, a person can burn approximately 8 to 10 calories per minute doing jumping jacks, depending on their weight and intensity. Stand straight, then jump to a position with your legs spread wide and hands touching overhead. Return to the starting position with your feet together and arms at your sides. Completing each jump properly is important for maximizing calorie burn—spread your legs widely and reach all the way up (you can end each jump with a hand clap too). Did you know that jumping jacks not only boost your heart rate but also contribute significantly to improving overall cardiovascular endurance?
3. Mountain Climber
Clamber your way to achieve stronger core, legs and upper body. Targeting almost every part and muscle group of your body, mountain climber is definitely a total body workout.
Get into a plank position. Bring your knees in to your chest alternately, as if you are climbing a mountain. Switch knees from one leg to another and while doing that, crunch all the way in. You can speed up and hop faster to achieve better result.
4. Alternate Lunges
Lunges will work on your core, hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings and the hard-to-reach muscles of the inner thigh. Lunge down (one leg positioned forward with knee bent 90 degrees while the other leg is positioned behind). Make sure your body is straight and the position of your knee does not exceed the toes. Go back to standing position then change to the other leg. As you lunge and pushing back, squeeze your bum in order to get a total lower body workout.
5. Push-Ups
Push ups require strength and engagement from various parts of body as your chest, shoulders and triceps are simultaneously working.
Position your hands shoulder-width apart. Let your body go all the way down. Make sure your elbows are about a 45-degree angle to your body when bending your elbows and lowering your body towards the ground, Then, push up with your chest. Try to do as many reps as you can.
These five moves will constitute a set. Each move need to be done for forty seconds followed by a twenty second rest. You can do four to six sets per workout session. Rest for one whole minute between sets. Make sure that you warm up before performing these workout moves in order to avoid any injury. Find your own rhythm of breathing, move at your own pace and slowly build your endurance.
Ready to try these exercises? Is there any simple workout move that you would like to add to the routine? Don’t forget to wear comfortable clothes for sports; you can find it at Zalora Malaysia.