Mornings are hard. While we all know the benefits that a morning exercise routine can have on our productivity and mood, sometimes it feels impossible to roll out of bed earlier than usual just to sweat it out with a bunch of strangers. Thankfully, we’re providing you with a list of moves that’ll let you reap the benefits of hitting the gym without leaving the comfort of your comforter. Enjoy!
Get crunchy
Crunches are a great exercise to do from bed since you have to lie down to do them anyway. There’s also an endless amount of variations to switch things up-. To do a proper crunch, lie on your back, bend your knees, and keep your heels close to your bum while your feet rest on your bed. Cross your arms in front of you or place your hands on either side of your head while keeping your elbows down. Then, using your core, pull your shoulders up so that your abs contract and then lower back to your starting position. Make sure you’re not pulling from your neck and don’t forget to breathe while doing this exercise.
Marching hip raise
There’s more than one way to incorporate pelvic thrusts in bed. For this exercise, scoot your legs out farther than for the crunch (about the distance of your lap) while keeping your knees bent and your feet flat. When you lift your hips off the mattress, your knees and shoulders should make a straight line. Once your hips are up, lift one leg (keeping your knee at a 90-degree angle) until your thigh becomes perpendicular to the rest of your torso. Drop your leg and repeat on the other side.
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
The bicycle is a variation of your basic crunch. Assume your starting crunch position, then raise your shoulders and feet off of the mattress. Your knees should form a 90-degree angle. Straighten out one of your legs (keeping it at 45-degrees from the mattress) while simultaneously turning that side of your upper body so that your elbow is reaching for your opposite knee. Make sure your torso is moving and twisting, not just your arm. As you return to the starting position, switch sides and repeat the same movement on the other side to complete a rep.
Superman for a super you
To do the superman, flip over so you’re lying on your stomach. Raise your arms, legs and chest at the same time and hold. You can hold this pose for an extended period of time (about a minute or more) or hold it for a couple of seconds, drop and lift again repeatedly.
Get your yoga on
There are a lot of yoga-inspired positions that can help improve your strength and flexibility without feeling like you’re actually doing a workout. My personal favorites are the cobra and child’s pose. You’ll stomach-down for both of these exercises. For the cobra, place your hands just below your shoulders and then slowly lift your chest off of the ground as you straighten your arms. Keep the stretch going by extending your gaze to the ceiling and keep your toes pointed. For child’s pose, sit up and separate your knees hip-length apart so you can sit on your heels. Keeping your spine lengthened, drape your body between your thighs. You can either lay your hands next to your torso with your palms facing up or extend them out in front of you with the palms resting on the mattress.
Plank it up
The plank is one of the simplest and most effective full-body exercises out there. To do a forearm plank, rest on your forearms with your elbows in line with your shoulders. Your body should be in a straight line, keeping everything tight. Hold up your body weight in this position for about a minute, or as long as you’re able. You can also do side planks, an extended arm plank and even reverse planks easily in bed.
