It’s a dismal day. There’s snow falling in quarter-size flakes, and the temperature hovers around 28 degrees. Your room is cold, and your bed is warm. The last thing you want to do is jump out of the covers to complete your morning exercise routine. Feeling defeated, you pull the blankets over your head vowing to hit the gym later that day.
What you have failed to realize – it is possible to exercise in bed. Of course, I’m not talking about a cardio workout. I’m talking about low impact movements that can easily be done while on your comfortable mattress. While I don’t recommend exercising in bed be your only workout, it won’t hurt to try these movements once in a while to keep your physical fitness routine fresh.
After you have been awake for several minutes, remove the covers. Â You can begin warming up your muscles by pretending to pedal a bicycle while lying on your back. Keep at it for a minute or so. Next, you can invigorate your arms. While still on your back, thrust both fists towards the ceiling then bring both arms down towards your legs. Continue the motion of your arms back and forth, between pointing to the ceiling and resting on your legs, until you feel the circulation increase.
An exercise that naturally follows these two is the pelvic lift. Place both arms at your side, palms down. Bring your feet up towards your buttocks so that your legs are bent at a 45 degree angle. Raise your pelvis off the bed several inches until you feel your abs tighten. If you can, complete three sets of 10.
Now, turn on your left side, both legs on top of each other. Slowly lift your right leg towards the ceiling, being careful not to point your toe. Bring the leg up as far as you can, without twisting your body forward. Hold for a few seconds then lower the leg slowly back to the starting position. The key with this exercise – do the movements deliberately. Strive for two sets of 10. You will need to turn over on your right side and do the same amount of lifts with your left leg.
Depending on the condition of your back muscles, it is possible to do ab crunches while in bed. I usually cross my arms over my chest and complete two sets of 20 crunches with my knees bent. (Make sure to remove the pillow before doing this move).
Finally, you can position yourself in the middle of the mattress and work to make your bed while you are still in it. This may seem silly, but the stretching involved in smoothing the sheets and blankets in this manner then slipping out from the bed without messing it up works muscles too.
So, next time you really want to pass on your early morning gym visit, maybe try doing the above exercises. Once in a great while, doing so can be a fun addition to your routine.
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