Finally, a workout you can do lying down! For those who abhor sweating it out at the gym or braving the intimidation of blaring trainers, there is some good news—fitness exercises now available that allow you to shape your body with little effort while remaining comfortably reclined.

For people who detest rigorous exercise but still desire to remain in shape, this is the epitome of the lazy workout. Whether you are on a mat, lounging on your bed, or binging on a Netflix show, these exercises will keep you getting fitter—without the illusion that you're exercising.

The effectiveness of passive fitness devices, ranging from vibrating belt machines to electronic ab stimulators, has been a topic of debate among experts for years. Yet the most recent lazy exercise methods, based on pilates and resistance training, have proved to be a real winner. The exercises build up underused muscles, burn subtle fat, and can easily be integrated into your daily lifestyle.

Side-Lying Series

One of the best exercises for couch potatoes is the side-lying series, a pilates-based routine that works several muscle groups at once. Fitness experts can suggest this exercise, especially when done with a resistance band.

"Side-lying acts primarily on the outer thighs but also recruits the abs and back muscles to hold the torso steady. It's a fantastic set of movements for gently building core strength, particularly for those with back pain issues in standard exercises," Wilson says.

The side-lying series features a selection of movements such as:

Leg lifts – Acts on the thighs and glutes and activates the core

Clams – Tightens the hip abductors and stabilizes the pelvis

Circles – Improves mobility and flexibility of the hip joint

Bicycle kicks – Tones legs and enhances coordination

How to Do Leg Lifts with a Resistance Band?

To attempt leg lifts, wrap a resistance band around both ankles and lie on your right side with your back straight, hips stacked, legs together, and knees bent at 90 degrees. Slowly lift your top leg while keeping tension in the band, then let it lower slightly before lifting again. Repeat several times before repeating on the opposite side.

For an even more intense burn, Wilson recommends adding ankle weights. This exercise can be done on a pilates reformer, a specialized machine to enhance strength and flexibility while allowing for stability.

Hip Extensions

If you want a low-effort exercise that is sure to give you results, then hip extensions are the way to go. Quadruped hip extensions mainly target the glutes and hamstrings but do engage the abs, back, and arms to stabilize the body.

How to Do Hip Extensions at Home

• Start on all fours, making sure your shoulders are directly over your hands and hips directly over your knees.
• Straighten your spine and activate your core.
• Squeeze your left glute and lift your left leg, keeping the knee bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Suspend yourself in this position for a moment before letting your legs fall back down.
• Do it several times, and then repeat using the right leg.

To increase this exercise, Wilson recommends a resistance band (often called a "booty band") or a reformer machine with a resistance strap. Ankle weights can be added to increase the impact, and you should be feeling the burn on every repetition.

For variety, you can attempt opening the lifted leg out to the side while still keeping it straight, which activates other stabilizing muscles in the thighs and hips.

Why These Exercises Really Work?

Most conventional exercise regimens emphasize high-level workouts that are tough on beginners or mobility-impaired individuals. The side-lying series and hip extensions offer a leaner and more efficient alternative with no sacrifice in effectiveness.

"Personal trainers tend to over-choreograph workouts, but that gets away from what we're supposed to be focusing on. We're not here to invent the wheel—we just want to get the job done," Wilson explains.

One of the greatest benefits of these exercises is that they are effective in attacking visceral fat, or "hidden fat." In contrast to subcutaneous fat, which is located close to the surface of the skin, visceral fat gathers around the organs and has been associated with disease risk, including heart disease, diabetes, and inflammation.

By contracting core muscles, bracing the body, and including controlled movements, these exercises turn on deep-tissue fat-burning mechanisms that standard cardio routines tend to ignore. They also enhance posture, flexibility, and muscle endurance in the long term.

How to Add Lazy Workouts into Your Daily Routine

If it's difficult for you to commit to a fitness routine, the side-lying series and hip extensions can be easily integrated into your daily life. Here's how:

• Wake up your body with a five-minute leg-lift and clam session in bed.
• Do hip extensions on the ground during TV time.
• Cap off your night with some low-key bicycle kicks to get your blood flowing and loosen up the muscles.

So, couch potatoes, rejoice! Your fitness journey doesn't have to include sweat-inducing, heart-pumping workouts. Just lie down, move purposefully, and let your body change—one rep at a time.

For people spending too much time on social media, fitness often takes a back seat—and not for the best. If you are someone who is new to the gym, one of the most difficult parts of the regimen is performing and holding a plank for long enough. Planks are among the most effective workouts for a stronger core and for better management of belly fat. Yet, holding one for even a minute can become a herculean task, even for younger individuals. But for people in their 20s, what is the ideal duration for holding a plank? Let’s find out.

Read more: High BP? This Ancient Chinese Practice May Be As Good As Brisk Walking

What are the benefits of planks?

Experts say planks are very effective for strengthening the core, as they engage multiple muscles at once, such as the following:

1. Obliques (sides)
2. Rectus abdominis (the front of your abdomen)
3. Transverse abdominis (the deep, stabilising muscles that wrap around your midsection)

Unlike ab exercises like crunches, planks target multiple muscle groups at once. This workout also helps stabilise the core while moving. It is effective for maintaining proper alignment during movement and for protecting the lower back. Experts say that, alternatively, lifting boxes at home is more or less the same as loading and unloading boxes from your car to your home. This emphasis on stability becomes more important with age.

In a 2012 study, older adults who successfully completed a nine-week core stability programme reported better spinal mobility, improved trunk strength, and enhanced dynamic balance. These factors collectively reduce the risk of falls. However, experts warrant caution, stating that focusing too much on plank duration could make the workout less effective. Instead, there is a good reason to strive for steady form and, over time, better endurance.

Read more: No Time for the Gym? Short Bursts of Intense Activity Daily May Cut Risk of 8 Diseases and Death

How long should you be able to hold a plank?

Timing a plank is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Several factors can influence how long one can hold a plank position, including overall fitness; body weight and proportions; as well as experience with planks and other breath control and muscular endurance exercises. Fitness experts say that age plays a significant role when it comes to plank duration. As one gets older, natural changes such as weaker joints and a decrease in muscle mass and strength can affect how long a plank can be maintained. Consistent training can help increase this duration.

While there is no specific number that everyone must aim for, people should try to improve their plank duration based on their age. Take a look at the ideal duration of holding a plank across age groups:

1. 18–39 years: 45–99+ seconds for the general population; 1–2 minutes for fitter individuals
2. 40–59 years: 30–75 seconds for the general population; 45–90 seconds for fit individuals
3. 60+ years: 20 seconds to one minute for the general population; 30–75 seconds for fitter individuals

High blood pressure (BP) has become a public health problem that is driving cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes globally. While medications are important to keep hypertension under control, lifestyle changes and healthy practices are also crucial.

Several global health guidelines recommend regular physical activity, but adhering to exercise programs daily becomes a challenge for many people. But in the overtly busy schedules, sparing 10 minutes for an exercise regimen can be easier than travelling to the gym.

A large randomized clinical trial, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), has proved that a traditional Chinese mind-body practice — baduanjin — may help lower blood pressure, that too, without any equipment.

Baduanjin is a slow, structured movement, focused on deep breathing and meditation.

Importantly, the clinical trial proved that the ancient Chinese technique could lower BP as effectively as brisk walking.

In people practicing baduanjin, BP reductions were seen after three months and were sustained for one year.

"Given its simplicity, safety, and ease with which one can maintain long-term adherence, baduanjin can be implemented as an effective, accessible, and scalable lifestyle intervention for individuals trying to reduce their blood pressure," said Jing Li, Director, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in Beijing, China.

Baduanjin: The 10 Minute Routine

Baduanjin is a standardized eight-movement sequence that integrates aerobic, isometric, flexibility, and mind-body components.

It has been in practice for centuries and commonly performed in community settings across China. The routine typically takes 10–15 minutes and requires no equipment and only minimal initial instruction.

Because it is low- to moderate-intensity, it is considered safe and accessible for many adults.

Also read: Cardiovascular Diseases Lead As India’s Top Killer: US Cardiologist Points Out Risk Factors

The Clinical Trial

A team of Chinese researchers led the first large, multicenter randomized trial to look at the impact of baduanjin on blood pressure.

They followed 216 participants, aged 40 years or older, across seven communities to determine changes in 24-hour systolic BP from baseline to 12 and 52 weeks.

Compared to people indulging in self-directed exercise, practicing baduanjin five days a week reduced

• systolic blood pressure by approximately 3 mg Hg
• systolic blood pressure by 5 mg Hg.

Notably, the benefits were sustained even without ongoing monitoring, a key challenge for many lifestyle interventions that struggle to maintain long-term adherence outside structured programs.

"Baduanjin has been practiced in China for over 800 years, and this study demonstrates how ancient, accessible, low-cost

approaches can be validated through high-quality randomized research," said Harlan M. Krumholz, Editor-in-Chief of JACC and the Harold H. Hines, Jr Professor at the Yale School of Medicine.

"The blood pressure effect size is similar to that seen in landmark drug trials, but achieved without medication, cost, or side effects. This makes it highly scalable for community-based prevention, including in resource-limited settings," they added.

Also read: AHA Cholesterol Guidelines 2026: How Indians Can Improve Heart Health

How To Practice Baduanjin

• Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your movements slow and controlled.
• Coordinate each motion with steady, deep breathing, inhaling and exhaling smoothly as you move.
• Move through the traditional eight postures in sequence, focusing on posture, balance, and relaxation rather than speed or force.
• Practice for about 10 to 15 minutes a day in a quiet space, maintaining calm attention throughout.

If you believe only gym workouts matter, you might be mistaken. While gyms offer a structured space to exercise, busy schedules often lead many to skip workouts—and feel guilty about it.

However, a new study suggests that even short bursts of vigorous everyday activity—such as running to catch a bus or climbing stairs quickly—can significantly reduce the risk of several major diseases and even lower the risk of death.

The research, based on nearly 96,000 people and published in the European Heart Journal, found that just a few minutes of intense activity each day was linked to a lower risk of:

• Major cardiovascular disease
• Irregular heartbeat
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases
• Liver disease
• Chronic respiratory diseases
• Chronic kidney disease
• Dementia

“We know that physical activity reduces the risk of chronic disease and premature death, and there is growing evidence that vigorous activity provides greater health benefits per minute than moderate activity,” said Minxue Shen from the Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, China.

Also read:Just Twice A Week At-home Resistance Training Enough To Build Muscle, Reveal New Guidelines

Longer Workouts or Intense Bursts?

To explore whether exercising more intensely offers greater benefits than simply exercising longer, the researchers followed 96,408 participants for seven years.

Each person wore a wrist-based accelerometer to track movement, including short bursts of activity often overlooked.

The findings showed that compared to those who did no vigorous activity, participants with the highest levels had:

• 63 percent lower risk of dementia
• 60 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes
• 46 percent lower risk of death

“Our findings suggest that adding short bursts of activity that make you slightly breathless—like climbing stairs quickly or walking briskly between tasks—can have substantial health benefits,” Shen said.

“Even 15–20 minutes per week, just a few minutes a day, can make a meaningful difference,” the Professor added.

Also read: Exercising Could Make Your Brain Younger, Says Doctor

Is Vigorous Activity Safe for Everyone?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults (18–64) perform at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week.

The new study suggests that intensity also plays a key role—and may vary depending on the disease being prevented.

The researchers noted that these findings could help shape more personalised exercise recommendations in the future. However, they cautioned that vigorous activity may not be suitable for everyone, particularly:

• Older adults
• People with certain underlying medical conditions.