Adding exercise to your healthy eating regiment is a great way to tone up, boost your metabolism and get your endorphins flowing. Drop some pounds? Another potential bonus of your body-toning workouts.
Maintaining a healthy exercise routine throughout the year is ideal for enjoying these benefits all the time and making getting ready for beach season a bit easier. Regardless of your fitness level, these nine body-toning workouts will get your body in top shape in about 20 minutes a day, with no equipment required!
Helpful hint: Getting started is as easy as clicking the name of the move or the link in the description!
Keep these workouts handy and give them a go if you’re looking to tone up before summer.
Drop into some full-body engaging lunges to work multiple muscles groups simultaneously. You’ll tighten your legs, butt and hips, perfect for getting your body beach-ready. Lunges can be performed almost anywhere, too, making them an easy move to work in during the day, whether it’s during a break at work or part of your morning routine. Start with 8 to 12 reps as you get started with exercise. Click here to feel the burn >
For a fun and full-body, cardio exercise, simply start with 8 to 12 reps of jumping jacks to work most of the muscles in your body. If you’re pressed for time, jumping jacks are also easy to squeeze in just about anywhere. For a more intense workout, try doing intervals of 10 to 15 seconds of jumping jacks between other exercises like squats or lunges. That’ll really kick this body toning workout into high gear. Click here to feel the burn >
Feel super with this hero-inspired routine: It gets your back, glutes and hamstrings working in no time, supporting the muscles that weaken over time from sitting around at a desk all day. All that’s required is enough room to lay flat on the floor, and a few minutes of your day. Before you know it, you’ll be soaring like Superman and getting your booty in shape. Start by doing 8 to 12 reps and work toward 10 to 12. Click here to feel the burn >
Another great exercise for firmer buns is hip raises, which target the hinging of the hips. Hip raises isolate and strengthen your gluteal muscles, critical for flexibility and movement. This exercise also works the abs, lower back and hamstrings. When you begin with this exercise, start with 8 to 12 repetitions. Click here to feel the burn >
These fun and engaging climbers get your entire body moving, by challenging core muscles and raising heart rate to burn more calories. Incorporating this full-body exercise into your list of body toning workouts will get you looking great in your favorite suit. Ease in to this exercise by starting with 8 to 12 repetitions. Click here to feel the burn >
Plank is a body-toning gem that any fitness guru would approve of. It targets your entire core, while also calling on the strength of your arm muscles to keep you raised. As long as you stay straight, and don’t lift your butt up too high, the benefits you reap are fantastic for getting you that lean look you want. It builds over time too, so start small, holding for just 15 seconds and over time this could even increase to a minute, plus! Click here to feel the burn >
As if the regular plank wasn’t good enough! The side plank takes your fitness routine to a whole different level, targeting those tricky-to-tone side muscles. You’ve already worked your core with the traditional plank pose, but with side plank, that muffin top doesn’t stand a chance. Like the plank, you can start out just holding yourself up for 15 seconds and over time see some serious progress, as that 15 becomes 30 or 45. Don’t let your hips sag! We teach you how to do a modified side plank right here, which is more beginner-friendly than a regular side plank but still effective. Click here to feel the burn >
The burpee is essentially your best friend and worst enemy. This lean mean body toning workout calls on the use of every muscle you can imagine, as you bounce up and down to get your heart racing hard. The trick is quick. The burpee is a combo of a plank, push-up and a jump, alternating hard work with lower-intensity. The results: Maximum burn. You get more bang for your buck. Needless to say, this one’s a keeper, but maybe best saved for the most avid gym-goers. Click here to feel the burn >
Want your weight to go down? Push-Up! Dropping to the floor and giving the old “20,” is an amazing way to get your health moving in the right direction. Form is everything, however, so make sure that when you get down and start moving that you’re following all the right guidelines. Keeping your arms square to the ground, back straight and eyes on the prize will be the trick to working every muscle you can imagine (arms, abs, legs and more!). Click here to feel the burn >
Allergic to exercise? We understand, and have some tips for you: Allergic to Exercise? 5 Fitness Tips You Won’t Hate
*Always speak with a doctor before starting an exercise routine.
