Short on time or just having one of those days when you don't want to move out of bed? It happens to the best of us. But what if you could still firm your thighs, build up your hips, and increase your lower-body strength without getting up off the floor? The 20-minute lazy-girl workout will do all of this and more for you with its simplicity and effectiveness.

This is a 20-minute lying-down thigh workout with no standing at all, and will zero in on the adductors, which are a crucial yet often neglected muscle group. This simple yet powerful moves, lie down and build strength, stability, and mobility in the lower body while lying down.

Why Focus on Thigh Strength?

These include the thigh, which bears adductors and abductors for a stable hip that keeps the muscles for strength. Most movements including running, lifting, and simple walks depend largely on the flexibility and power developed within the adductor and abductor muscles within your thighs. Their lack often means muscle imbalance and poor movement capability.

The adductors are located on the inner thigh, and their primary function is to pull your legs inward, which stabilizes your core and hips. This muscle weakness will also affect your posture and functional fitness. Balanced strength is always the focus in this workout; it ensures that both sides of your body are equal in strength—a critical injury prevention aspect.

Benefits of Lying-Down Workouts

Low Impact, High Efficiency

Working against gravity while lying down activates stabilizing muscles without putting stress on your joints.

Enhanced Core Engagement

Many of these exercises naturally recruit your core muscles, improving posture and overall strength.

Convenient and Accessible

Whether you’re at home, traveling, or simply pressed for time, this workout requires minimal space and no special equipment.

20-Minute Lazy-Girl Thigh Workout

1. Clamshell

Why it works: This exercise hits your glutes and inner thighs at the same time, which helps stabilize and strengthen your hips.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your side with your head, hips, and heels aligned.
2. Bend your knees and keep your feet together.
3. Lift your top knee while keeping your feet glued, then lower back down.

Pro tip: Use a resistance band around your thighs for extra intensity.

2. Leg Raises

Why it works: This exercise targets your lower abs and inner thighs to build stability and strength.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back with your legs extended, palms flat on the floor at your sides.
2. Lift both legs six inches off the floor.
3. Lift one leg towards the ceiling then lower it and keep the other leg elevated.

Pro tip: To challenge yourself, add flutter kicks.

Also Read: Follow These 3 Simple Rules For A Slimmer Waist

3. Inner Thigh Raise

Why it works: This low-impact favorite zeroes in on the adductors with controlled motion.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your side with one elbow propped up for support.
2. Cross your top leg over your bottom leg, with your top foot touching the floor.
3. Lift your bottom leg a few inches and lower.

Pro tip: Slow your movements for greater muscle engagement.

4. Side-Lying Leg Lift

Why it works: This dynamic exercise isolates the outer thighs (abductors) while improving hip mobility.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your side with your supporting arm bent under your head.
2. Stack your hips and lift your top leg toward the ceiling.
3. Lower it with control, maintaining tension throughout.

Pro tip: Add a rolled-up towel under your hip for support.

How to Maximize Your Fitness

Consistency is Key: Perform this workout 3-4 times a week to build strength and endurance.

Use Props Wisely: Resistance bands and small cushions can intensify or support your movements, making the exercises adaptable for all fitness levels.

Pair with Lifestyle Tweaks: Combine these exercises with a healthy diet, regular cardio, and adequate hydration for optimal results.

Inner thigh strengthening will give you toned legs but, in reality, also helps to stabilize the core, prevents knee injuries, and improves athletic performance. It's like little engines working in the background that make sure you're safe and effective while you're moving around. This 20-minute thigh workout redefines fitness convenience, being adaptable to busy schedules or low-energy days, with its focus on core stability, hip strength, and functional mobility.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Consult a healthcare provider before starting any new exercise routine.

Yoga is a great exercise known for reducing stress and improving overall well-being. But can it also help with thyroid problems? The thyroid is a small gland in your throat that makes hormones vital for your metabolism, body temperature, growth, and even brain development in children. When your thyroid isn't working right, it can affect both your physical and mental health. This article explores how yoga can be a helpful addition to traditional thyroid treatments.

Poses You Can Do

While yoga generally promotes overall health, some poses specifically target the neck and throat area, where the thyroid is located. Stretching and strengthening this region might improve blood flow, though there's no definite proof that these specific poses benefit the thyroid more than others.

It's important to only hold poses as long as you feel comfortable. Many of the poses described below are for those with some yoga experience. You can make them easier with props or by practicing under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor. You can try each of these poses at home with a yoga mat.

Supported Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)

This advanced pose puts you upside down. Avoid it if you are new to yoga, have high blood pressure, heart issues, glaucoma, or are pregnant. Lie on your back, lift your legs straight up, and push onto your shoulders, supporting your hips with your hands. Keep your body straight and core strong.

Plow Pose (Halasana)

This advanced pose builds core and arm strength, plus spine flexibility. Start like the shoulder stand. Bring your legs over your head to rest your toes on the floor behind you, keeping your lower back supported. If breathing gets hard, slowly stop. A prop under shoulders can make it safer.

Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

This advanced pose stretches your body in the opposite direction after other poses. Don't do it if you have high blood pressure, neck injuries, or glaucoma. Sit, place hands under buttocks, lean back on elbows, and gently drop your head back, lifting your chest.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

This pose is great for strengthening your back. Lie on your back, bring feet close to hips. Press palms into the floor and lift your hips toward the ceiling. You can use your hands on your lower back for support if needed.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

This pose helps make your back and neck more flexible. Lie on your stomach with palms under shoulders. Press into your palms and lift your head and chest off the mat, arching your back. Drop your head back if comfortable.

Boat Pose (Navasana)

Sit with legs out. Lean back slowly, keeping your core strong and back straight. Lift your bent knees, then straighten legs to form a V-shape. Raise arms in line with shoulders. Hold, breathing deeply. Slowly lower arms and legs.

Upward Bow Pose / Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)

This pose deeply stretches your chest, back, and neck. Lie on your back, bend knees, and place hands by your head. Press feet and hands, lifting hips and then your head until arms are straight. Hold and breathe.

Supported Headstand Pose (Sirshasana)

This is a very advanced pose for experienced yoga practitioners, always do it with a teacher at first. Kneel, interlace fingers, and place head on mat. Lift knees, walk feet closer, then slowly lift both feet up, balancing on forearms.

Memory loss is an issue many people believe they will only have to face when they are older. However, diseases like dementia can happen to anyone, while it happens very rarely to people at a young age, the choices you make at these formative years have a great impact on your mind. Studies have shown how people who eat too much processed foods, do not engage in social activities and many other unhealthy habits, increase their chances of dementia and other cognitive degenerative diseases.

Just as some choices can increase the chances, there are also habits that can decrease the chances of you getting these diseases.

One of the best ways to decrease your chances of cognitive decline at an early age is by incorporating healthy habits into your life, like eating more plant-based and unprocessed foods, fixing your sleeping habits as well as exercising

A new study published in the JAMA Network Open suggests that regularly riding a bicycle could be a key factor. Research published recently indicates that using a bike for getting around might reduce the risk of dementia by 19% and Alzheimer's disease by 22%.

How Cycling Helps Your Brain

The study also hinted that cycling might even help increase the size of a brain area crucial for memory. Experts explain that cycling is a moderately intense workout that also requires balance. This need for more complex brain activity, compared to simply walking, might be why it's more effective in lowering dementia risk. It's not just about adding exercise to your routine; it's about making active travel part of your daily life. Choosing to bike instead of drive for short trips can significantly contribute to your well-being.

Large Study Shows the Link

To reach these conclusions, researchers analyzed health data from almost 480,000 people in a long-term health study in the UK. Participants shared how they most often traveled, excluding commutes to and from work. Over an average of 13 years, more than 8,800 participants developed dementia, and nearly 4,000 developed Alzheimer’s.

The findings showed a lower risk for both dementia and Alzheimer’s among those who cycled or who combined cycling with other forms of travel like walking, driving, or public transportation. The research team noted that promoting active travel, especially cycling, could significantly benefit public health by offering an accessible and sustainable way to maintain brain health in middle-aged and older adults.

Cycling's Impact on Brain Structure and Genetics

Brain scans (MRIs) further supported the findings, showing that cycling was linked to a larger hippocampus, which is a part of the brain important for forming memories and learning.

However, the benefits of cycling seemed to be strongest for people without a specific genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's (the APOE E4 genetic variant). For these individuals, cycling was associated with a 26% lower risk of dementia and a 25% lower risk of Alzheimer's. The protective effect of cycling was less clear for those with the APOE E4 gene.

Interestingly, the study also hinted that driving a car offered some protection against dementia when compared to using public transportation like buses or subways. This suggests that even less active forms of travel might have some brain health benefits over passive modes.

Important Considerations and Future Advice

It's important to remember that this study observed a connection, but it doesn't directly prove that cycling causes healthy brain aging. Still, the message is clear: anything that gets you outdoors and active is beneficial for your brain. It's not just the physical movement, but also the balance and the way it engages different parts of your brain. If you're able to ride a bike, it's recommended. If not, walking is still highly encouraged. The key takeaway is to choose an active way to move your body whenever possible.

Do you often worry about twisting your ankle? Are you experiencing foot pain, balance issues, or decreased mobility as you get older? These could all be signs that your ankles are weak. While you may not notice it as much, ankles are a big part of our balance and strength foundation. They support our movements, whether it is walking, running, stretching, or even simple flexing.

When our ankles grow weak, things and situations start changing, however you may not realize it may be due to your weak ankles. You may be getting into situations like twisting your ankles more often, experiencing pain during normal movements, etc. The Cleveland Clinic explains that weak ankles have a great effect on your knees and hips. They explained that deficient ankles cause more strain on your knees as well as the internal rotation of your hips, ultimately making it difficult to walk. However, it can be improved.

Yoga Poses for Strong Ankles

The good news is that you can actively work to strengthen these crucial ankle muscles and the connective tissues around them. This effort will not only help prevent injuries but also significantly improve your balance and overall movement. Here are some yoga poses you can do to improve your ankle health.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

This pose involves kneeling and arching your back, reaching for your heels. It strengthens the front of the ankles and feet while also improving overall stability and flexibility in the lower body. As you press your shins and tops of your feet into the ground, your ankles engage to support the pose.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Imagine sitting in an invisible chair. This pose deeply engages the muscles in your calves and ankles as you lower your hips. It builds strength in the entire foot and ankle complex, improving stability and endurance, which are crucial for preventing ankle rolling during daily activities or sports.

Child's Pose (Balasana)

While primarily a resting pose, Child's Pose can gently stretch the top of your feet and ankles, especially if you sit back on your heels. It helps to release tension and improve flexibility in the ankle joint, which is important for overall ankle health and reducing stiffness.

Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)

This seated pose involves stacking your knees. While the main focus is on the hips, the feet and ankles are gently stretched and aligned. It encourages external rotation in the ankles and can help release tension, improving overall ankle mobility and preventing common stiffness that can lead to injury.

Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

Standing on one leg while wrapping the other around it, Eagle Pose is a powerful balance pose that significantly challenges and strengthens the stabilizing muscles around your standing ankle. It builds incredible ankle stability, proprioception (your body's awareness in space), and improves overall balance, making your ankles more resilient against twists and sprains.

Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

A simple cross-legged seated pose, Easy Pose might seem basic, but it's foundational for ankle flexibility. It gently stretches the ankles and feet, improving comfort in seated positions and maintaining mobility in the joint. This consistent gentle stretching helps prevent stiffness that can contribute to weak ankles.

Eight-Angle Pose (Astavakrasana)

This advanced arm balance requires significant core and arm strength, but it also heavily relies on strong and flexible ankles to hook around the arm and support the body's weight. It dramatically builds strength and control in the entire ankle joint, demanding high levels of stability and engagement.

Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

This standing balance pose involves extending one leg forward or to the side. It greatly challenges the stabilizing muscles of your standing ankle. Holding this pose strengthens the ankle's ability to maintain balance and withstand shifts in weight, crucial for preventing common ankle injuries during movement.