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Consistency is key when it comes to maintaining fitness levels. Reliance on sporadic, intense workouts won’t suffice to keep you in shape. As we age, incorporating shorter, daily workouts becomes crucial for preserving strength, mobility, and aerobic fitness. Here, we’ve outlined five top exercises to help you stay fit daily.
For your daily routine, we recommend performing fewer sets, possibly only one or two. This approach emphasizes maintenance over intensity, meaning you shouldn’t lift heavy every day. If you’re aiming for peak strength or competitive bodybuilding, you’ll need to adjust this strategy. The benefit of a daily maintenance workout lies in its ease and reduced time commitment.
Daily workouts offer an excellent pathway for those who are currently inactive and want to become more active, as well as for individuals who already exercise but need to manage a busy schedule. Let’s explore the best five exercises to include in your routine. Aim for one or two sets of five to 25 reps at least five days a week or more.
Squats
Daily squats help maintain mobility and muscle strength. Early on in your fitness training, they will build strength. However, once you can comfortably perform 25 or more bodyweight squats, the main benefit will be muscular endurance.
How To Do It:
- Place your feet wider than shoulder-width distance apart.
- Sit back and down as you drive your knees to the sides while maintaining an erect torso.
- Push through both feet to return to the starting position.
- Find a rhythm with each set.
Pushups
Pushups are a simple and effective exercise that builds immense strength in your chest, shoulders, and triceps. For people who don’t already have a dedicated chest workout, it’s a smart idea to perform pushups every day to stay fit in the upper body.
How To Do It:
- Begin in a plank position with your arms under your shoulders.
- Lower your chest to the floor while bracing your core throughout the motion.
- When the front of your body is about an inch off the floor, push through your hands to return to the starting position.
- You can move your hands closer together to emphasize your triceps and add variety.
Pull-ups
Pull-ups are the “yang” to a pushup’s “yin” and are one of the best daily exercises for to stay fit. Simply put, a proper upper-body fitness program includes at least one movement involving pushing and one involving pulling.
Pull-ups are a favorite pulling exercise for many reasons. For one, they allow multiple grips to vary the targeted muscles and stimulus, allowing tons of variety without any equipment modifications.
How To Do It:
- Hold onto a pull-up bar with a prone, neutral, or reverse grip. Your arms should be totally extended.
- Pull yourself up until your chest reaches the bar.
- Slowly lower back to the starting position.
Dips
Dips are a great upper-body option that helps with shoulder strength and mobility. You can perform dips on a couch, chair, or bench, although our preference is parallel bars or rings if you have them. Keep your fingers pointed outward if performing chair dips.
How To Do It:
- If doing dips on rings or bars, lower your chest toward the floor as you bend at the elbows and shoulders.
- When you reach the bottom of your range of motion, push through both hands to return to the starting position.
Lunges
Lunges are a great way to cap off a full-body workout. You can perform walking lunges or lunges in place with alternating steps. If you have the space, walking lunges are preferable.
How To Do It:
- Take a step forward with one foot nice and deep.
- Lower your back knee toward the ground as you enter the bottom of the lunge position.
- Drive through your front foot, and bring your rear foot forward to step into the next lunge.
Tyler Read, BSc, CPT
