According to Yasmin in her interview with Women Fitness “Fitness is a way of life. No matter what age, exercising should be a part of your daily routine. Fitness is a way of life. No matter what age, exercising should be a part of your daily routine. But which exercises are most suitable to your age.” She further adds “Don’t skip on cardio when you’re training for strength. Squats, push-ups and planks will whip your body into shape faster than any other form of exercise.”
Yasmin Exercises for Home Workout
Bodyweight workouts like squats, push-ups, lunges, crunches and planks don’t particularly require any equipment so you can get down to those in the comfort of your home.
Squats:
- Stand with your feet apart, slightly wider than your hips, and place your hands on your hips.
- Standing up tall, gently pull your shoulders back, subtly lift your chest. On an exhale, try to pull your navel into your back to engage your deep abdominal muscles, which keep the spine and pelvis stable.
- Bend your knees while keeping your upper body as straight as possible, as if you were lowering yourself onto a seat behind you. It is OK to allow your torso to tilt naturally as you squat, just don’t collapse your chest or round your shoulders forward. If you’re too erect, your hips cannot release properly and you’ll put too much strain on your knees.
- Lower yourself as far as you can without leaning your upper body more than a few inches forward. Go as deep as you can comfortably. If you have knee issues, don’t go deeper than a 90-degree angle, with your thighs parallel to the floor.
- Don’t allow your knees to go too far forward. You don’t want them to stick out past your toes—instead, try to keep them in line with your toes. Also, don’t let your knees cave inward. Press them outward (almost as if you were pushing out an invisible resistance band) so they stay aligned with your feet as you squat down.
- Straighten your legs to lift back up. Straighten your legs, being careful not to lock your knees when you reach a standing position. Stretch your arms out in front of you for added balance during squats.
- Repeat the movement.Repeat for three sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Tip: Keep your heels “glued” to the floor as you squat, and then think about driving them into the ground as you rise up to return to the starting position. This will put even more emphasis on your glutes.
Push-up:
- Assume a face-down prone position on the floor. Keep your feet together. Your weight should be on your chest. Position hands palms-down on the floor, approximately shoulder width apart. They should be about next to your shoulders, with your elbows pointed towards your toes.
- Curl your toes upward (towards your head). The balls of your feet should touch the ground.
- Get down on the ground. Lay with your toes on the ground holding yourself up with your hands. Lower your torso to the ground until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle. Keep your elbows close to your body for more resistance. Keep your head facing forward. Try to have the tip of your nose pointed directly ahead. Keep your body in a flat plank—do not drop your hips, and do not have your butt hanging in the air. It is important to keep your body as straight as possible. Remember to breathe as you lower yourself.
- When doing push-ups, your chest should come within inches of the ground each time you go down for a rep. Remember to keep your body at a flat level.
- Raise yourself by pushing the ground away from you. Breathe out as you push. The power for that push should come from your shoulders and chest working in unison. The triceps (the muscle on the back side of your upper arm) are also contracted but they aren’t the primary muscle group being used. Don’t be tempted to use your rear end or your stomach. Continue to exert force until your arms are almost in a straight position again, make sure to not lock your arms.
- Repeat lowering and raising at a steady pace. Each pair counts as a single push up.
- Do this until you finish your set or you hit your maximum.
Lunges:
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Engage your core.
- Take a big step forward with right leg. Start to shift your weight forward so heel hits the floor first.
- Lower your body until right thigh is parallel to the floor and right shin is vertical. It’s OK if knee shifts forward a little as long as it doesn’t go past right toe. If mobility allows, lightly tap left knee to the floor while keeping weight in right heel.
- Press into right heel to drive back up to starting position.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Once you have the basics down, you can modify your lunge workouts in many different ways in order to work different muscles.
Crunches:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Place your hands behind your head so your thumbs are behind your ears.Don’t lace your fingers together.
- Hold your elbows out to the sides but rounded slightly in. Tilt your chin slightly, leaving a few inches of space between your chin and your chest.
- Gently pull your abdominal muscles inward.
- Curl up and forward so that your head, neck, and shoulder blades lift off the floor.
- Hold for a moment at the top of the movement and then lower slowly back down.
- Perform crunches very slowly and with control, doing 12 reps.
Plank:
- Get into forearm plank position. Ensure your elbows on the ground directly underneath your shoulders with your feet hip-width apart.
- Make sure your back is flat and your head and neck are in a neutral position.
- Drive your elbows into the floor, and squeeze your quads, glutes, and core.
- Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth—don’t hold your breath. Hold the position for 20 seconds. As you get more comfortable with the move, hold your plank for as long as possible without compromising your form or breath.
To learn more about Yasmin Karachiwala exercises check out her interview on Women Fitness at https://www.womenfitness.org/celebrity-fitness-trainer-yasmin-karachiwala/