Twenty to 30 minutes daily of easy exercises at home may be enough for a simple fitness program. Working out does not have to mean spending hours and hours at the gym. If it is too much of a hassle to step out of the house to pump up your system, why not do some exercises that can be done around your house? Exercise works when you get your heart rate up, when you are taking in a healthy dose of oxygen, and when you stretch those muscles and toughen up those bones. When you meet these criteria, your body will respond naturally - you burn fats instead of storing them, and you come out fit and healthy.

Walking is the easiest and most natural form of exercise. It is low impact, but extremely effective. Walking for fitness is a continuous activity with repetitive motions that will target certain parts of the body. Therefore, it is always best to warm up or stretch before hitting the pavement and cooling down after. It is like revving up a machine before letting it take on the heavy load.

Walking can always be done at home, but it is better if you have a big yard that circles your house where you can walk around. In any case, walking can also be done outdoors. One of the joys of walking is to be able to explore, especially if there is natural scenery along your route. Besides, monotony might discourage you from maintaining a regular fitness activity. You can start around the block slowly then increasing it to a brisk pace, until you have walked for at least 20 minutes. By then, you would have broken out in sweat, and your heart rate is elevated. You will know your body is doing well if you are not gasping for breath.

Do you want something a little more physical? Try jogging in place, which is good because you do not even have to get out of your house. You can also do it around the house, making use of stairs if there are any. Remember that the higher up you go, the better for your heart. It can also help you tone your abs, correct your posture and build those leg muscles. You might want to jog up several flights of stairs for your daily exercise regimen. If you are only aiming for 20 minutes, you can already burn 340 calories through this activity.

Like walking, jogging outdoors is better. It also doubles as a meditative activity when you find your rhythm, so it improves your well-being. Remember that you should warm up and cool down.

If you really are an indoor person, even four sets of 15 repetitions each of jumping jacks are good enough as daily exercise. You can begin with deep-breathing exercises, then stretching before you take off with the jumping. The motion puts a lot of stress on your knees, ankles and feet, but when done properly, your heart rate will increase gradually and give your heart a good, albeit brisk workout.