Calisthenics

Most people form their own opinion and concepts about exercises. For the body to be in good shape the muscles need to be toned and and for that one needs to exercise regularly. Every action involves movement which is met with some kind of resistance. Most gyms encourage the use of weights or other equipments for resistance which can get boring. But using your own body weight or the use of certain body props like Swiss medicine ball or resistance tubes are more productive, simply by being creative, recreational and therefore more motivating and inspiring.

Modern lifestyle has brought with it a lot of muscle tension, mental tension, shoulder and back pain and a lot of other illnesses like diabetes, heart ailments, osteoporosis and hypertension. Productive physical exercises along with lifestyle changes can bring about a lot of positive changes in oneself. Calisthenics are dynamic exercises that define muscular strength, flexibility and grace, and can be done with minimum or no equipment. Yoga and dancing and even gymnastics are a part of calisthenics.

Calisthenics other than physically helping you can prevent and relieve tension of the mind, give you better sleep, boost your self confidence and improve your poise and mental well-being.

Some of the exercises are as follows-

SIDE STRETCH, TWIST AND SHOULDER STRETCH

Side Bend: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend to the right side as far as possible. Return to start position and bend to the left side. Do 2 sets of 15 reps each side.

Twist: Stand erect with hands stretched out sideways. Gently twist the torso to the left and hold for 15 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Shoulder stretch: Clasp your fingers behind your back and hold it for 15 seconds. These warm-up exercises help to shape the waist.

HIP AND THIGH EXERCISES:

Hips and thighs which are the most difficult areas to reduce can be toned with exercises like squats, lunges and sidekicks.

ABDOMINAL EXERCISES:

Exercises for the abdomen are crunches, sit ups, lying down and cycling, rotating both the legs in clock wise and anti-clockwise direction and lying down and holding the head and leg in thirty degrees. These exercises will help you reduce and tone both your upper and lower tummy.

Above all no fitness exercise is complete without a proper balanced diet.