Just Starting Functional Fitness? Try These Exercises


Functional fitness exercises are a great way to strengthen the muscles you use on a regular basis. Even if you don’t play a sport or want to build extensive muscle, exercises such as the following are easy to perform and great for your body!
Squats
Squats a  great form of exercise, and the don’t require any extra equipment! They’re great for your lower body, including your calves, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. The movement really helps improve the functionality of your body. After all, you use similar motions to get in and out of chairs.
When performing a squat, focus not on your knees, but your hips. Make sure your toes point straight forward and your knees are above your ankles. Your knees shouldn’t extend beyond your toes as you move into a squatting position. You want most of the action in your glutes, not your hips and quads.
Push Ups
Push ups are another easy exercise that helps train the muscles you use often in day-to-day tasks such as your arms, chest, and core. Start your push up with your body and chest flat on the floor. Keep your elbows tight to your sides as you slowly rise up off the floor. Keep your body as straight as possible. If someone is looking at you from the side, your ear, shoulder, and knee should form a straight line.
Don’t worry about the speed of your push ups. It’s more important to focus on having good form.
Lunges
Lunges are another good exercise for your lower body that works your butt and major leg muscles. To perform a lunge, stand straight and then position one foot forward, as if you’re exaggerating a normal walk. Your knees should be bent significantly in order to lower and raise the full weight of your body. Bring your feet back together before you switch legs.
You can lunge both forward and backward. Either way, keep your body upright and your shoulders back. When bending your knee, it should never extend past the toe on your forward foot. Keep your hips straight.
Functional fitness is important for everyone! These simple exercises are easy to perform, and don’t require a gym or any additional equipment. They focus on improving the muscles you use often, which makes many day-to-day tasks easier.

This article was originally published on SharonGould.org.

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