10 Exercises You Can Do In Bed

We’ve all been there. We’ve got an early-morning workout scheduled for the AM, but the alarm goes off and you automatically hit snooze.

Some days, it’s simply too hard to get out of bed and get moving. Thankfully, there’s a solution for you bed-loving lazy butts out there.

No matter your motives or your preferences, working out in bed is a great way to start your day off right. While a bed workout is certainly no substitute for a rigorous fitness program, doing 10 minutes of the following exercises before getting out of bed each morning can invigorate you for the day ahead, and maybe even motivate you to get in a proper workout later in the day.

Plus, what’s better than sculpting your muscles surrounded by a cozy comforter and fluffy pillows?

Here are you 10 exercises you can try in your bed — comfy PJ's and all.

1. Leg Circles

Let’s start with a simple movement for lower ab strength and circulation. Lying on your back, lift your legs about six inches off of the bed. Keep your abs contracted, your back flat on the bed, your arms at your sides, your knees straight, and your feet touching. Now draw small circles in the air with your feet without touching the bed. Do 20 circles clockwise and 20 circles counterclockwise.

2. Butt-Sculpting Hip Rotation

It won’t take long to feel how effective this tiny motion is. Lying facedown, fold your arms under your head and stretch your legs straight behind you. Bend your right leg and put your right foot on the back of your left knee. Both your hips should stay on the floor, with your knee pointing out. Contracting your right cheek without raising your hip, lift your right knee a few inches off the bed. Hold for two seconds before lowering your knee. Do 10 repetitions. Then switch legs and start again.

3. The Pilates Clam

This exercise tones the hips and thighs while increasing your pelvic stability. Lie on your right side, making sure your hips and shoulders are in a straight line and stacked on top of one another. Draw in your feet and bend both knees so that your legs are at a 90-degree angle to your body, keeping your feet in line with your hips and shoulders. Rest your head on your right arm, bent or stretched, keeping your neck straight. Put your left hand on the bed in front of your chest for support. Now, keeping your big toes together, slowly rotate your left hip, opening and raising the knee. As soon as you feel your hips shift out of alignment, begin lowering your leg to the starting position. Do four more repetitions, then switch sides.

4. Knee-In Leg Lifts

This leg-lift variation works your thighs, butt, and outer thighs. Lie on your right side with your right knee bent and right foot behind you. Use your right hand to prop your head up; your left hand can rest on your hip. Pointing your left toes, extend your left leg so it forms a straight line with your body. Keeping your hips on top of one another, lift your left leg straight up, pointing your toes toward the ceiling. Now bend your left knee and bring it in toward your torso. Extend the left leg toward the ceiling again before lowering it with control to the starting position. Complete 10 repetitions, then switch over to your other side.

5. Arm Extension To Shoulder Tap

This exercise will work your shoulders and core. Start in a high plank position, with your arms straight and wrists directly under your shoulders. Make sure your body forms a straight line, from the top of your head to your toes. Hold your abs and glutes tight as you extend your right arm straight out in front of you, holding for one second. Before lowering your arm, tap your left shoulder. Repeat with your left arm. Complete 30 total repetitions while alternating sides (15 per side).

6. Half Bridge

This isometric exercise will tone your rear. Start by lying on your back. Your feet should be flat on the bed, hip-width apart, with your knees bent. Contract your abs and glutes, lifting your tailbone. Push up until your shoulder, hip, and knee form a straight line. Hold for 30 seconds, keeping your butt engaged and your breathing regular. Lower back and repeat several times.

7. Marching Hip Raises

Adding a marching motion to the half bridge gives it some kick. Begin in a half bridge (see above). Keeping your knee bent, squeeze your butt and raise your right foot up off the bed until your right knee is directly over your right hip. Lower your right foot back to the bed. Repeat on the left side. Continue alternating sides for a total of 30 reps.

8. Jackknife Sit-Ups

At the height of this movement, you’re balancing only on your butt! Start by lying on your back with your arms and legs stretched out and your feet together. Keep your arms and legs straight and your core engaged throughout the movement. Exhale as you lift your upper and lower body off the bed, aiming to meet your hands to your feet. Lower down to start in a controlled way. Complete 10 reps.

9. Table-Top High Fives

Sit on the bed with your legs extended in front and arms resting at your sides. Bending your knees, place your feet flat on the bed. In one smooth motion, press into your hands and feet as you straighten your elbows and lift your hips up toward the ceiling, until your body from shoulder to knee is one straight line. Keep your glutes squeezed and your bellybutton high. Now pick your right hand up off the bed and stretch toward the ceiling. Lower and repeat with the left hand. Alternate for a total of 30 reps (15 each side).

10. Ankle Rolls

End with an exercise that stretches and improves circulation to your feet, which you’ll be using a lot once you get up and walk around. Lie down with both legs stretched out toward the ceiling. Turn your feet outward and inward, rolling your ankles for one minute.

this bed workout is interesting,

what do you think? 

source by: BIANCA VAN DER MEULEN

Grab your fellow GIRL BOSSES!! Conference Room Workout

workout at work,

will you do it?

10 REASONS WHY GOOD SLEEP IS IMPORTANT

A good night’s sleep is incredibly important for health.

In fact, it is just as important as eating healthy and exercising.

Unfortunately, the Western environment is interfering with natural sleep patterns.

People are now sleeping less than they did in the past, and sleep quality has decreased as well.

Here are 10 reasons why good sleep is important.

1. Poor Sleep Can Make You Fat

Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain.

People with short sleep duration tend to weigh significantly more than those who get adequate sleep (1, 2).

In fact, short sleep duration is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity.

In one massive review study, children and adults with short sleep duration were 89% and 55% more likely to become obese, respectively (3).

The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be mediated by numerous factors, including hormones and motivation to exercise (4).

If you are trying to lose weight, getting quality sleep is absolutely crucial.

Bottom Line: Short sleep duration is associated with a drastically increased risk of weight gain and obesity, in both children and adults.

2. Good Sleepers Tend to Eat Fewer Calories

Studies show that sleep deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories.

Sleep deprivation disrupts the daily fluctuations in appetite hormones and is believed to cause poor appetite regulation (2, 5).

This includes higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, and reduced levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite (6).

Bottom Line: Poor sleep affects hormones that regulate appetite. Those who get adequate sleep tend to eat fewer calories than those who don’t.

3. Good Sleep Can Improve Concentration and Productivity

Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function.

This includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance (7).

All of these are negatively affected by sleep deprivation.

A study on medical interns provides a good example.

Interns on a “traditional schedule” made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed more sleep (8).

Another study found short sleep can negatively impact some aspects of brain function to a similar degree as alcohol intoxication (9).

Good sleep, on the other hand, has been shown to improve problem solving skills and enhance memory performance of both children and adults (10, 11, 12).

Bottom Line: Good sleep can maximize problem solving skills and enhance memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function.

4. Good Sleep Can Maximize Athletic Performance

Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance.

In a study on basketball players, longer sleep was shown to significantly improve speed, accuracy, reaction times, and mental wellbeing (13).

Less sleep duration has also been associated with poor exercise performance and functional limitation in elderly women.

A study of over 2,800 women found that poor sleep was linked to slower walking, lower grip strength, and greater difficulty performing independent activities (14).

Bottom Line: Longer sleep has been shown to improve many aspects of athletic and physical performance.

5. Poor Sleepers Have a Greater Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

We know that sleep quality and duration can have a major effect on many risk factors.

These are the factors believed to drive chronic diseases, including heart disease.

A review of 15 studies found that short sleepers are at far greater risk of heart disease or stroke than those who sleep 7 to 8 hours per night (15).

Bottom Line: Sleeping less than 7-8 hours per night is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

6. Sleep Affects Glucose Metabolism and Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Experimental sleep restriction affects blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity (16, 17).

In a study of healthy young men, restricting sleep to 4 hours per night for 6 nights in a row caused symptoms of pre-diabetes (18).

This was then resolved after 1 week of increased sleep duration.

Poor sleep habits are also strongly linked to adverse effects on blood sugar in the general population.

Those sleeping less than 6 hours per night have repeatedly been shown to be at increased risk for type 2 diabetes (19, 20).

Bottom Line: Sleep deprivation can cause pre-diabetes in healthy adults, in as little as 6 days. Many studies show a strong link between short sleep duration and type 2 diabetes risk.

7. Poor Sleep is Linked to Depression

Mental health issues, such as depression, are strongly linked to poor sleep quality and sleeping disorders.

It has been estimated that 90% of patients with depression complain about sleep quality (21).

Poor sleep is even associated with increased risk of death by suicide (22).

Those with sleeping disorders, such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea, also report significantly higher rates of depression than those without (23).

Bottom Line: Poor sleeping patterns are strongly linked to depression, particularly for those with a sleeping disorder.

8. Sleep Improves Your Immune Function

Even a small loss of sleep has been shown to impair immune function (24).

One large 2-week study monitored the development of the common cold after giving people nasal drops with the virus that causes colds (25).

They found that those who slept less than 7 hours were almost three times more likely to develop a cold than those who slept 8 hours or more.

If you often get colds, ensuring that you get at least 8 hours of sleep per night could be very helpful. Eating more garlic can help too.

Bottom Line: Getting at least 8 hours of sleep can improve immune function and help fight the common cold.

9. Poor Sleep is Linked to Increased Inflammation

Sleep can have a major effect on inflammation in the body.

In fact, sleep loss is known to activate undesirable markers of inflammation and cell damage.

Poor sleep has been strongly linked to long-term inflammation of the digestive tract, in disorders known as inflammatory bowel diseases (26, 27).

One study observed that sleep deprived patients with Crohn’s disease were twice as likely to relapse as patients who slept well (28).

Researchers are even recommending sleep evaluation to help predict outcomes in sufferers of long-term inflammatory issues (27).

Bottom Line: Sleep affects the body’s inflammatory responses. Poor sleep is strongly linked to inflammatory bowel diseases and can increase the risk of disease recurrence.

10. Sleep Affects Emotions and Social Interactions

Sleep loss reduces our ability to interact socially.

Several studies confirmed this using emotional facial recognition tests (29, 30).

One study found that people who had not slept had a reduced ability to recognize expressions of anger and happiness (31).

Researchers believe that poor sleep affects our ability to recognize important social cues and process emotional information.

Take Home Message

Along with nutrition and exercise, good sleep is one of the pillars of health.

You simply can not achieve optimal health without taking care of your sleep. 

correct practice makes a habit, what do you think? 

Source By: Joe Leech, Dietitian

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