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.

While Ozempic or Wegovy offer weight loss benefits, a significant caveat is the risk of regaining the kilos. This is not only a waste of money and effort but may also affect overall health.

About 70 per cent of people who stop these drugs eventually regain much of the weight they lost, often within 18 months.

Now, US researchers have developed a new minimally invasive procedure that resets the gut, and in early trials, has shown potential to help people maintain weight loss after stopping these popular drugs, which contain semaglutide — a GLP-1 receptor agonist — as the main ingredient.

Presenting the research at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026, the team noted that the procedure works by renewing the lining of the upper small intestine. It potentially “resets” metabolism and helps preserve the benefits of weight loss.

The technique is called duodenal mucosal resurfacing. In a clinical trial, people who underwent the procedure regained far less weight compared to others after discontinuing the medication.

"Finding a treatment that allows patients to stop these medications without weight regain or loss of metabolic benefit is a huge unmet need," said lead author Shelby Sullivan, director of the Endoscopic Bariatric and Metabolic Program at Dartmouth Health Weight Center and professor of medicine.

"These findings indicate that this minimally invasive procedure may provide lasting weight-loss maintenance."

How The Procedure Works

Duodenal mucosal resurfacing is an investigational endoscopic treatment that uses controlled heat to remove damaged tissue from the inner lining of the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine just below the stomach.

This process, which ablates the unhealthy mucosal layer, encourages the growth of new, healthier tissue.

The treatment targets the small intestine, where many of the hormones affected by GLP-1 drugs are produced. Over time, diets high in fat and sugar can alter the lining of the duodenum, changing how the body processes food and regulates hormones. These changes can contribute to insulin resistance and metabolic disease.

By restoring a healthier mucosal layer, the procedure aims to reset the body's response to food, helping to stabilize metabolism at a lower body weight after stopping medications like Ozempic.

How Was The Study Conducted?

The findings are based on an early group of participants with six months of follow-up data. Among 45 people in this cohort, 29 received the resurfacing treatment while 16 underwent a sham procedure.

All participants had previously lost at least 15 per cent of their body weight using tirzepatide before stopping the drug. On average, patients lost about 40 pounds while on GLP-1 therapy. Six months after discontinuing the medication, those in the control group regained significantly more weight. Participants who received the sham procedure regained about 40 per cent more weight than those who underwent the actual treatment.

In addition, patients who had more extensive resurfacing regained only about 7 pounds and kept more than 80 per cent of their weight loss.

By comparison, the control group regained roughly twice as much. The gap between the two groups continued to widen from one to six months after the procedure, suggesting the benefits may persist and even strengthen over time.

"What's particularly encouraging is that the benefit appears to increase over time rather than fade, and that it behaves like a drug in terms of dose response," Dr. Sullivan said. "That gives us confidence that we're targeting the right biology."

No serious complications were reported from either the device or the procedure. Recovery is relatively quick, with most patients returning to normal activities within about a day.

At a time when most people follow a sedentary lifestyle, exercise is nothing short of medicine. However, for someone who is lazy, workouts can take a good deal of effort — but what if we told you that there are some simple exercises that will not take much of your time and can be done easily while lying flat on your back? According to experts, without having to lift a finger, you can get in shape.

Best workouts to do in bed

Researchers at Teikyo University in Tokyo, Japan, found that people can improve their agility, balance, and flexibility by engaging in a simple exercise programme that involves three exercises. These exercises engage the leg muscles and core in an easy and safe position. Writing in the journal PLOS One, the study authors compared the routine to Pilates, and experts said that it can help prevent falls and support early rehabilitation.

Adults are recommended to do two and a half hours of exercise each week, but about a third of people do not meet this target. In this study, 39 healthy men and women in their 20s, with optimal flexibility, balance, speed, and strength, were involved. They were all tested before and after a two-week regimen of lying down and working out. The exercises they were asked to perform were:

1. Tense the abs for five seconds while pressing them with the fingers—repeat three times
2. Lifting the hips off the ground to form a bridge pose, keeping the feet flat on the ground—hold for five seconds and repeat 10 times
3. Bending one leg at the knee and holding the ankle at 90 degrees, clenching and unclenching the toes; ensure that the heel slides along the floor towards and away from the body—repeat three times with each leg

Fifteen days later, participants showed significant improvement in standing balance, flexibility, and agility. However, they did not show improvement in raw muscle strength, jumping ability, or grip strength tests. Scientists said that these improvements were likely due to better muscle control rather than increased muscle mass. They also noted that no prior research has shown an exercise programme that is short and performed in a supine position to be effective in this way. However, this routine, which showed improvements in flexibility, agility, balance, and stability, shows promise. It could also be helpful for rehabilitation in older adults.

What is exercise snacking?

Exercise snacking refers to an approach created for people who struggle to find time for long gym sessions. Instead of spending hours at the gym, people can perform small bursts of exercise throughout the day. These sessions are an effective way to stay active without needing to block out time specifically for fitness. They can be spread across the day, with mini workouts lasting five to 10 minutes and repeated multiple times. The benefits are significant when practised consistently, especially for those with desk jobs or those suffering from diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, or even depression.

While exercise is good for the body and mind, it can have special benefits for the liver — a key organ that filters blood, breaks down food, stores energy, and keeps the human body in balance.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in young patients presenting with poor liver health and related conditions, such as fatty liver and liver fibrosis, among others.

A recent study published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology journal showed that the Metabolically Dysfunctional-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), affected 1.3 billion people around the globe in 2023.

India has also shown a sharp rise in MASLD prevalence, up 23.19 per cent from 1990 to 2023. India’s age-standardized MASLD prevalence rate rose from 10,191 per 100,000 in 1990 to 12,555 per 100,000 in 2023.

The findings show that the spike is increasingly driven by rising metabolic risk factors, including high blood sugar and obesity.

Amid the growing burden, hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips noted that “the best friend of the liver is muscle”. In a post on social media platform X, Dr Philips, popularly known as Liverdoc, added that “liver listens to your muscles” and shared nine exercises, all backed by clinical trials, that can be included in a daily routine to help boost liver health.

Brisk walking:

According to Dr Philips, brisk walking is the most accessible liver medicine. He noted that "150 min per week cuts liver fat by more than 30 per cent on MRI”. Citing a UK Biobank study of 91,000 people, he added that every extra 1,000 daily steps can lower the risk of developing fatty liver by about 12 per cent.

Moderate-intensity cardio (MICT):

This includes steady jogging, cycling, or swimming at a "can talk, can't sing" pace. Dr Philips stated that 30–45 minutes of MICT exercises for 3–5 days every week for 12 weeks can help reduce liver fat by 2–4 per cent (absolute). It can also significantly lower liver inflammation (enzyme levels), even without weight loss.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

This includes short hard bursts, like burpees, jumping jacks, etc. He recommended four minutes of these exercises “at 85–95 per cent max heart rate”.

Repeating the exercise 4 times a day can “cut liver fat by 16–37 per cent, improve heart function,” in 12 weeks, the Liverdoc said. He added that the exercise regimen “matches steady cardio in half the time”.

Sprint interval training (SIT)

SITs are shorter and harder under 15-minute sessions of squat punches, knee hovers, and chair squats. “Six weeks of these can reduce intrahepatic triglycerides by 12 per cent and visceral fat by 17 per cent in men with fatty liver (MASLD),” said Dr Philips, adding that it gives the “biggest liver benefits for the smallest time spent”.

Resistance/strength training

This includes weights or bodyweight, such as squats, presses, rows, and pulldowns. Dr Philips recommended 3 sets of these exercises three times a week for about 40–45 min.

It can “reduce liver fat independent of weight loss, uniquely lowers liver enzyme, and is the single most important exercise for cirrhosis patients to prevent muscle loss (sarcopenia),” he said.

Combined aerobic + resistance

The Liverdoc stated that this combination is the gold standard for exercises. He noted that “network meta-analyses rank this combination as the number one for improving triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol in patients with fatty liver (MASLD) - better than either alone”.

Yoga (Hatha/ Surya Namaskar)

Dr Philips noted that classical yoga is not useful for liver health as it is not aerobic and vouched for the modernized versions.

“Eight to 12 weeks or 3 sessions/week of asanas like Surya Namaskar, Ardha Matsyendrasana, Paschimottanasana, Naukasana can help improve liver tests, insulin resistance, and fatty liver grade - especially in patients with type 2 diabetes plus fatty liver disease,” he said.

Pilates and core work

“Eight weeks of pilates can help reduce body weight, body fat, liver enzymes, and liver fat on ultrasound,” said Liverdoc. He called it a joint-friendly option for people who can't run or lift heavy.

Tai Chi / Qigong

The Chinese exercise is a low-impact mind-body movement. About 30–60 min of these three times a week can help “improve glucose control, insulin sensitivity, and balance/ stability, muscle tone," Dr. Philips said.

He noted that this form of exercise is “gentle enough for older patients, those with early decompensated cirrhosis, or people with poor cardiorespiratory fitness”.

Exercise In Cirrhosis

Dr Philips said that even advanced liver disease can respond well to exercise treatment.

Citing randomized trials, he stated that “combined aerobic plus resistance training cuts serious events (death, major complications) from 12.3 per cent to 5.6 per cent”. It also “prevents the muscle wasting that drives death events in cirrhosis patients”.

“Make physical activity your number one preference to maintain liver health and reduce liver disease,” Dr Philips said.