by Hugo Silva

Created on: October 12, 2009   Last Updated: October 16, 2009

In today's world it's hard to find the time to exercise properly. What everyone is looking for is a simple program that can make people exercise, toning their bodies or burning that extra bit of fat, while they can still do their everyday tasks.

There are a few basic exercises one can do to meet this goal. While these are not the same type of exercises you will get at a gym where you have all the necessary equipment, they will still prove very useful.

I am a member of a gym, and during the summer vacation I couldn't attend the gym since I would be out of town. I had a word with my coach in order to know what kind of exercises I could do to keep me in good shape, while gaining muscle and weight.

He advised me to do some basic exercises, always warming up properly first. Stretching your muscles so you don't hurt yourself while exercising is something you have to do, no matter what type of exercise or where you're doing them. Let's say you have those 20 minutes every day in which you don't really know what to do. Get some sweat pants or shorts, a shirt, tennis shoes, and you're ready for the exercise routine.

The first thing you need to do is to find a spot in your own house to get the routine going. If you have a large bedroom it will probably do just fine, just be careful not to hit any furniture while you exercise. Ideally you should have a 5 meter distance from where you're exercising, that way you will hardly hit anything at all. Also, you should get a fitness rug, one of those that are sold almost everywhere nowadays. Just as long as you have enough room to place this, you will be fine.

Start by stretching your muscles for about 5 of those 20 minutes. Warming up is almost as important as the routine itself, because by doing this you prevent injuries, since your body is getting used to the exercising. Focus on the legs and the arms, then the neck, wrists, ankles and knees. Finish with the shoulders and the waist.

Now, the routine itself should be kept on the simple side, since you don't want to overdo stuff, because you either don't have the time or the disposition to be doing complicated exercises.

Start by placing the fitness rug on the desired spot, then lie down on it, facing up. Start doing crunches, about 4 series of 12, resting for a minute, a minute and a half between series. It may sound too much, but if you take that minute to get your strength back you will be doing this easily in a few days, if you keep the routine up that is.

After this is done,

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