12 Morning exercises

these are some ideas for morning routines. the focus is on light isometric or aerobic workout. use one workout or a combination of the ones below, if you are out of ideas. it is not important which you do, only that you DO do something every norning. Even if it is just for a minute or two, you will get something out of it. the benefits are too much to count. AND it will brighten your day :)

1. * 30-60 breath meditation :
very slow breathing - if done well, it can take a half an hour or more to do. the slower the breathing the better. just let yourself breath in and out in a steady slow rhythm, and count your breaths. the goal is to be able to just set an alarm for an hour and breathe, being fine and in the moment without feeling the need to count or think about time ( ofcourse, i do not expect this.).

2. sprinting :
Pick a consistent short distance in your neighborhood for your route & sprint it 3 times. your break is the time it takes to walk back to the starting point. you should pick the distance just right, so you can run at 75-80% of your speed for most or all of it. adjust the distance as you get better.

3. jogging :
jog at your own pace on a route of your own choosing (or random locations can be fun). it is just important here to run for a consistent period of time. 1/2 hour is good. don't increase the time as you get better, instead increase your speed.

4. hold a squat (aka cocorinha or horse stance) :
just bend your knees and holld it for as long as you can. try for at least 30 seconds, 3 sets. and keep building up your time. if you do this for long enough, your legs start to shake and hurt, and when you stop you mat even feel a delightful rush of blood to the brain. :)

5. hold a lunge (aka jinga posture) :
do it on each side. same thing as squat: try for at least 30 seconds, 3 sets.

6. headstand/handstand :
do it normally, or against the wall if you can't balance. 30 seconds, 3 sets.

7. the bridge or wall wheel :
hold a bridge or do a wall wheel into the bridge for, you guessed it: 30 seconds, 3 sets.

8. crunch series :
a routine that goes from lower ab crunches to upper ab crunches (or vice versa, based on preference), then ends with the bicycle crunch (for obliques). only do one type of each crunch, and the same amount of reps. start with 10 if you've never done these before. the bicycle crunch should have double the amount of reps (or more, if you are feeling adventurous). so if you do 10 reps of the other crunches, do 20 bicycles. once again, you should do 3 sets of the entire series. don't rest longer than 2 minutes in between each set, or more than 15 seconds in between each crunch.

9. the split :
go as low as you can. 30 seconds, 3 reps.

10. touch your toes :
yep, 30 seconds, 3 reps.

11. swimming :
if you have access to a gym or pool, go swimming.

12. the jinga:
do it for at least 10 minutes to good music. after you've completed your time you can always break out some capoeira movements at the end to increase the intensity.