An early morning full-body workout is the best part of waking up. Right? Maybe not, but it is a great way to boost your metabolism and motivate yourself for the day. Think of it as adding an extra shot of espresso to your morning routine. Start with a light breakfast and a glass or two of water or fruit juice. After allowing your food to settle, perform basic stretches and a brief warmup activity, such as marching in place. Spend two to four minutes on each body area at a time, incorporating two-minute intervals of moderate cardio activity, such as jumping jacks or jogging in place. End your workout with stretches.
Legs and Butt
Start with the classic squat. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands at your sides, and bend your knees. Keeping your back straight, squat until your thighs are nearly parallel with the floor. Alternate a rep of 10 squats with 10 walking lunges. Take a long step forward with your right foot and lower yourself toward the floor until your right knee is bent at a 90 degree angle. Once conditioned, add 5 lb. or 8 lb. dumbbells to your squats and lunges, holding them next to your hips during reps. For pesky calf flab, perform five sets of single-leg raises. Stand on one foot on the edge of a step, with the back half of your foot hanging off the step. Using the front of your foot, raise yourself up, hold for a moment, then slowly lower yourself back down.
Back
Lie face-down on the floor with your arms next to your hips. Simultaneously lift your chest and legs three inches off the floor and hold for three seconds. Perform eight reps of this lower back exercise. To tone your shoulders and upper back, next perform eight shoulder shrug reps. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent just slightly. With your hands at your sides and your palms facing in, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Lift your shoulders slowly upward and hold for three seconds before lowering.
Abs
As a beginner, you can start toning your abs with reps of eight bent-knee crunches. Lie on your back. Place your feet flat on the floor and bend your knees comfortably at an approximate 90 degree angle. Place your palms against the back of your head. Curl your chin and shoulders forward, keeping your neck relaxed and exhaling as you raise up. Hold for three seconds and slowly lower yourself back down. For a slightly more intermediate waist-slimming exercise, try 10 reps of the bicycle crunch. Lie in the same starting position as the bent-knee crunch, but begin with your right leg flat against the floor. Lifting your legs and head a few inches in the air, bring your right elbow forward toward your left knee and slowly twist your body as you alternate knees.
Arms
Another exercise for beginners, this time focusing on the arms, is the bent-knee pushup. Start in a downward-facing position with your knees and toes touching the floor. Hold yourself up with your arms straight, palms against the floor. Lower yourself slowly, bending at the elbows and keeping your back straight. When your chin or chest touches the floor, push yourself back up. Start with reps of five and add one or two pushups each day. To further your arm development, do three sets of arm curls using dumbbells. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing forward. Perform seven reps, curling your arms from your waist into a 90 degree angle, then seven more from the angle up to your shoulders. Finish with seven full curls, moving from your sides up to your shoulders.
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