Get into the fitness groove with these valuable exercises

If you want to improve your relationship to your fitness goals, start by getting your daily habits into shape. Alexis Dreiss, a 28-year-old NYC-based fitness instructor and personal trainer who works at the Training Lab and Absolute Power, said that in addition to getting 10,000 steps a day, people should incorporate a fitness routine to support their everyday tasks.

Dreiss said she’s had clients complain about hurting their backs while plopping down into a chair or while picking up a heavy box, which could have been avoided with proper exercise.

“Move your body in a way that is going to mimic what you do on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s sitting down, which is like squatting to a bench, or a lunge, which is like stepping up on the steps,” said Dreiss, who is NASM-certified and a Certified Functional Strength Coach in level 1 and 2.

Dreiss shared her top five exercises for getting your body into shape while supporting your lifestyle.

Pushups

While setting up for a pushup, you should start in a high plank position, except your feet will be hip-width apart instead of placed together.

Your hands should be right underneath the shoulders, your navel tight and close to your spine, and your bum should be tucked.

“You’re almost going to dome out the upper portion of your back,” she explained.

This exercise is great for the upper body and core. Dreiss said that before doing the pushup, you should take a deep inhale. As you lower yourself down, your chest should land right on each side of where your thumbs are placed in your high plank position.

“You are leading with your chest and not your belly or anything else,” she said.

You’re then going to exhale as you come back up.

If a regular pushup is not an option, place your hands on an elevated surface like a bench or a stool, or push up with your knees on the floor.

Dreiss said that if you’re just starting out, try doing three sets of five reps and then increase to 10 to 15 reps per set.

Isometric crunch

The isometric crunch is excellent for core strengthening, especially for women who are postpartum or for people who have issues with their wrists and can’t do a plank.

Start by laying on the floor and make sure your spine is pressing into the ground so that you “can’t even fit a piece of paper underneath you,” she explained.

Dreiss said to pull the navel into the spine and raise the legs to a 90-degree angle in a tabletop position with your knees bent. Make sure that your knees are in alignment with your hips. Place both hands on each knee, flex your feet and tuck your chin into your chest.

“There should be lots of tension between your hands and your knees so if I were to come over, I wouldn’t be able to pill your feet away from your hands or push your foot into your hand,” she said.

People can start holding the exercise for 30 seconds and increase their time as they gain confidence in the movement.

Good morning

“Your good mornings are going to be helpful for any hip hinge motion, which is something that you do actively on a day-to-day basis,” she said.

Dreiss instructed people to start with their feet, hips-width distance apart.

“You’re going to think of shooting your hips backward,” she said.

You’ll then put your hands behind your head while you tip the hips back. While sending the hips back, you’ll bend your knees slightly and keep your spine long until your upper body is almost parallel with the ground. Next, you’ll push the hips forward and come to a complete stand.

She said you should start at your comfort level but can aim for three to four sets of 12 to 15 reps, meaning you’ll repeat the motion 12 to 15 times three to four times.

Wall sits

For a wall sit, all you need is a flat surface, such as a wall or a tree.

“You want to get up against the wall as close as you can, keeping the spine nice and long,” Dreiss instructed.

You’ll then sit down so that your bum is in alignment with your knees and your knees are in alignment with your ankles at a 90-degree angle.

During the sit, you’ll extend your arms out in front of you so that you’re not putting pressure on your legs.

Dreiss said to hold the position for 30 seconds to a minute. As you gain confidence in the exercise, Dreiss said to increase the time of the sit. This exercise can be a bit of a burner but it’s great for your quads, glutes and calves.

Squats

“Your squat is gonna be super helpful with you getting up and down every single day, sitting down into your chair and not just plopping down,” she said, since this exercise strengthens knees, calves and lower back.

When setting up for a squat, keep your feet slightly wider than your hips. You’ll rotate the ankles out slightly so that when you sit into your squat, your knees will track over your second and third toe, she explained.

In order to do the squat, you’ll lower yourself down and send your butt back while keeping your chest as upright as you can and your belly button tucked tight to the spine. You’ll sit down to about slightly past a 90-degree angle.

“So you want to get your bum slightly lower than the knees. Then as you extend back up, you want to make sure that those knees are still tracking over that second toe,” she said. “And then you come slowly up to standing,” she added.

She suggested people do around four sets of 15 to 20 squats.