We know we should be eating healthier, sleeping earlier, and waking up in as positive a mood as our coffee-deprived selves can muster, but to add to that list, we know we’ll definitely be working towards a healthy, ‘clean-living’ life or goal. The term ‘clean living’ means a lifestyle that involves lessening the amounts of toxins we take in that can occur from noxious chemicals, processed foods, and other artificially-produced goods. These sorts of products are normal in our lives (think: makeup, 48-pack water bottles, and that half-filled bottle of Windex under the sink) but being cognizant of their presence can help us seek better, healthier, and even more eco-friendly alternatives. The same goes for the idea of clean eating as well!

 

In most cases, however, eating better is only a portion of the journey to a healthier lifestyle.

 

The other piece? Well, we’ll just say that you’d better get to stretching! Continue on to see our picks for the top four exercise moves you can do just about anywhere on your journey to cleaner living! (And we mean it! Make sure to stretch beforehand!)

Exercise 1: Jump Squats (This Works Your: Lower Body)

 

  • Stand with your legs a little closer than shoulder width apart (if you can do this in front of a mirror, that would be optimal – but we have definitely done a couple of these in the office when no one was looking!)

 

  • Begin squatting down (like you are about to sit in a chair) but look down toward your feet to make sure your kneecaps do not extend past the tips of your toes (to achieve this properly, think about trying to sit down in a chair that was actually a little further away than you had anticipated)

 

  • When you’ve squatted so that your thighs are fairly parallel with the ground, pause for a second (to savor that burn!)

 

  • After holding the squat, jump upwards explosively, raising your arms and hands up into the air as you go up – like you’re calling your own awesome touchdown

 

  • Land gently back down into the squat position to complete one rep

 

Note: These are a bit more challenging than normal squats, so keep the number of reps you do in one set pretty low!

Exercise 2: “Down Down Up Up” (This Works Your: Upper Body)

 

  • You might know this arm-busting move from the Blogilates channel on YouTube but for a quick refresher: start by getting down to the floor onto your stomach
  • Raise your body into a beginning push-up position with your arms fully-extended underneath you (spread just a little further than shoulder-width) and your toes pointed into the mat, holding up your lower half

 

  • From this position, carefully bend your right (or left) arm down so that your elbow and forearm are now the parts of your arm that are in contact the mat and your opposite arm is still extended or slightly bent (this is the first “down” move of ‘down down up up’) – your elbow should be where your hand once was

 

  • Now bring your opposite elbow and forearm down to the mat to mimic this motion on the other side – you should now be in a position that resembles a plank (this is the second “down”)

 

  • From there, place one of your hands back to the position where your elbow was and push that one side back up to the extended-arm, push-up position (this is the first “up” – your other arm should remain bent and touching the mat as much as possible)

 

  • Mimic the same motion on the other side (this is the second “up”)

 

  • Now you should be back into your starting ‘push-up’ position to complete one rep

 

  • Blogilates recommends doing 12 reps per side for this exercise

 

Exercise 3: Bicycle Crunch (This Works Your: Core/Abs)

 

  • Start this move by lying on your back, making sure the small of your back is pressed firmly into your mat or the floor (it helps if you think about sucking your bellybutton into the floor, but don’t hold your breath while you exercise!)

 

  • Put your hands behind your head (you can interlock your fingers if you choose)

 

  • Slowly lift your upper body from the floor using your core/ab area, your shoulder blades should be the parts lifting here – don’t strain your neck by just raising your neck without your shoulder blades engaged (think of this position as going up for a good crunch)

 

  • At the same time as you lift your shoulder blades, bring your knees toward your chest like in a fetal position

 

  • Extend one of your legs straight out, don’t let it touch the floor, but keep it up at about a 45-degree angle; the other leg should still be bent toward your chest at about a 90-degree angle

 

  • From here, touch your opposite elbow to the knee that is currently bent (only if you are able to; otherwise, just make sure you are twisting your full torso toward the knee) – for example, if you are bending your right knee, touch your left elbow to the kneecap

 

  • After touching, switch legs so that the bent leg is now straight and the straight leg is now bent

 

  • Repeat the motion above with the opposite side now engaged

 

  • Go slowly, focusing on your form – going fast on these will not necessarily be a benefit to you

 

  • Do about 15 reps (left + right) for 2-3 sets

(Inspired by Popsugar)

 

Good luck on your clean-living journey, and Godspeed on all your sets and reps! We’ll be cheering for you!