Fitness cheat-codes for every working professional by health guru Mickey Mehta

Hectic schedules, busy lives, long working hours, poor lifestyle and lack of exercise can lead to many health issues like muscle spasms, tightness, loss of flexibility followed by severe back pain. Poor posture, slouching on the chair, carrying heavy bags, and poor exercise form are the main offenders. The following exercises can be done at home or in a gym with the guidance of a qualified trainer:

Don t skip warm-ups

Basic warm-ups can include neck and arm rotation, leg kicks (sideways and front), toe touches, and side bends.

Exercise with shoulder shrugs

Shoulder shrugs are a must. For this, stand erect. Grasp a pair of very light dumbbells in each hand; keeping the arms straight, smoothly shrug the shoulders as high as possible, pause for a while. Slowly lower and repeat for two such sets of 10 repetitions each.

Carry out back hyperextensions

The back hyperextension exercise is meant to work on your lower back, buttocks and hamstrings.

Steps:

Lie on the floor on your abdomen, face down and hands behind the head.
Lift the chest off the floor. Keep your legs on the floor.
Hold, come back to start position and repeat for two sets of 10 repetitions each.
Another alternative to this form - maintaining the same position, keep the hands interlaced behind the head.
Keep the legs straight; arch the back slow, raise feet and upper body off the floor.
Pause, lower and repeat for two sets of 10 repetitions each.

Yoga poses

Trikonasana

This yoga pose would help strengthen your legs, knees, ankles and chest.

Steps:

Stand erect keeping your feet 2 feet apart.
Inhale, raise arms to shoulder level.
Exhale and bend to the left slightly forward, slide your left hand down and hold on the lowest part that you can reach.
Look at the right hand while doing this.
Straighten it slowly and bring the hands down to normal position. Repeat on the other side.
Hold for a minute while doing the asana.

Bhujangasana

This pose works well on your back and abdomen.

Steps:

Lie down with the abdomen to the floor.
Place both palms on the floor, close to the ears.
Inhale and raise your head off the floor, till the trunk is off the floor.
Keep the weight on the arms.
Hold on for 30 counts, exhale and come back to your normal position.
This pose also benefits the abdominal organs and stretches the spine and back.

Sethubandhasarvangasanaor the bridge pose

This bridge pose could prove effective in getting rid of that belly fat.

Steps:

Lie on your back and place your feet on the floor with your heels below your knees.
Keep your feet hip distance apart.
Exhale, tilt the tailbone up and lift your pelvis.
Inhale and lift the chest towards your face.
Relax your neck, face and eyes and hold for 5-8 breaths.
To release, place your upper back on the floor, and then your middle back and finally your lower back.

Other full body workouts

Besides these, one can take up swimming, dancing or even do 20-25 rounds of Surya Namaskar. These are easy full body workouts. Here's a full body workout by Shilpa Shetty.

Experiment with exercises

No one enjoys a monotonous workout routine. Therefore, experiment with new and popular trends like kickboxing, boot camp, pilates, Zumba or aerial yoga to keep you motivated.

Mickey Mehta is a holistic health guru and leading expert with over 25 years of experience. A philosopher; life coach; an author; a brand - an institution personified. Some clients who swear by his teaching include Bollywood actress and models like Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta, Smriti Irani and many more.

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