One of the biggest things stopping people from exercising is the idea that they don’t have enough time to get in a workout. When we consistently make excuses, we can fall into a cycle of missed workouts and zero progress.

In today’s fast-paced world, you don’t have time to waste. There’s no time to sit and wait for your kettle to boil, or for your eggs to fry. There’s no time to wait, you don’t have time to even think about waiting – because every minute you spend waiting is a minute you’re not doing something, making money, growing your business, or improving your overall quality of life. Yes, waiting is part of life. But the trick is, if you can only afford a few minutes of waiting, then you need to make the most of those few minutes.

If it’s hard to take the time to workout, you’re not alone. But with these steps, you can start seeing results and experience how easy it is to make exercise a part of your day. While there are hundreds of different exercises that we can do to warm up, here are full-body warm up exercises you can do on your own. These exercises will prepare your body for exercise and help prevent injuries.

Arm Circles

Arm circle exercise is one of the easier movement you can do and it is a good way of toning up your arms.

Start by raising your arms towards the side, in line with your shoulders.

Arms parallel to the floor and palms facing down.

Rotate your arms clockwise for 15-30 seconds and change direction to counter-clockwise again try to do it for at least 15-30 seconds

Ankle Rotation

Ankle exercises are an important part of any exercise program. It strengthens the muscles that control your ankle, and they work the tendons and ligaments around your ankle joint.

You can do ankle circles anywhere you have a comfortable amount of space. Your ankles need to exercise regularly to stay strong, and ankle exercises can be an enjoyable way to increase your activity level.

To perform an ankle rotation,  start with your feet placement about shoulder width apart.

You can start with your right foot, or whichever you are comfortable.

Start lifting your right heel up, keeping your toes on the ground.

Begin doing a circular movement with your ankles. You can start with 8 to 10 reps clockwise, then go on reverse. 

After finishing the whole rep on your right, you can then proceed with your other leg.

Jumping Jacks

Jumping Jacks are one of the best exercises you can do at home. They help improve your cardiovascular health, strengthen your core, and burn calories.

The jumping jacks exercise is a great one, because it’s easy to do and doesn’t require too much space. The exercise works the upper body muscles, especially the chest, arms, and shoulders.

To do jumping jacks remember to spread your arms and legs out as far as possible. Try to make yourself as big as you can while extending your arms and legs up as far as they will go. Imagine the air pressing down onto you and the ground pressing upwards.

Just follow these steps and do them every day:

Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

Step 2: Bend your knees slightly and lower your body, as if you were going to jump. With arms towards the side

Step 3: Jump straight up together with hands up in the air

Step 4: Return to starting position with legs together and arms on the side. Start with 10-15 reps for starters and increase the number of repetition as you begin to be comfortable with the movement.

High Knees

High knees are one of the most impactful exercises you can do. They’re also, unfortunately, one of the most overlooked. By doing high knees, you’ll increase your range of motion, improve your cardiovascular endurance and strengthens the abdominal muscles. Also, you can do anywhere without any equipment.

Here’s how to do high knees:

1. Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart.

2. Core tight, exhale and drive your one knee up towards your chest, then back to starting position.

3. Then do this on the other leg, raise your thighs off the floor, bringing the knees up and down

4. Do this as fast as you can or with a moderate pace.

Hip Rotation

Hip rotation exercises, also called hip circles, are powerful exercises for strengthening and stretching the hips. The hips are an important part of our overall posture, and sitting or standing for long periods of time can cause tight hips as well as knee pain. Hip rotation exercises are easy to do, require no special equipment, and can be performed just about anywhere.

You can start with 8 to 10 receptions then repeat on the other direction.

Start by positioning your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and place your hands on your hips. Then, slowly rotate your hips until they’re fully rotated in one direction.

Lunges

Before starting any exercise routine, it’s recommended that you consult a physician. There are several types of lunges, including forward lunges, side lunges, elevated lunges, lunges with weights, and lunges with resistance bands.

Lunges work the butt, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, and can help significantly with weight loss. While lunges target these muscle groups, it’s important to perform this exercise correctly to avoid injuring yourself.

Performing a lunge is a workout move that’s often done incorrectly. Doing it correctly is key to reaping the many benefits lunges have to offer which includes strengthening your leg muscles, glutes, and thighs.

To perform a lunge you start with a hip-width apart with your feet, core tight, stand tall.

Take a big step forward, with your right or left leg.

Bend your back leg, reaching just few inches away from the ground.

Avoid driving your knee forward, keeping the leg stable as you bend your back leg.

Repeat the movement for 8 to 10 repetitions for beginners and do it on the other side.

Overall, these exercises are a great to squeeze in to your daily workout routine and for sure will get your heart pumping.