Physical activity is life! Exercise is life! Which exercises are considered to be the easiest to perform? Except walking, off course…that is the easiest to do.

Think about another exercise that you can do by yourself without the help of a fitness trainer. What other exercise helps your entire body to be in top shape?

Well, the answer is very simple: push-ups!

If you did not know it already, the push-ups are the closest thing there is to a perfect exercise.

Pushups are the best upper body exercises that use the body's own weight to strengthen and shape the core muscles: the chest muscles, the shoulder muscles, the scapular muscles, the triceps and the back muscles.

These are the 10 reasons why you should be doing pushups:

1. Push-ups work more muscle groups than any other bodyweight exercise;

2. The position in which the push-up is performed does not force your joints, so you will not feel any pain.

3. 50 pushups a day equals 2 hours of exercise.

4. Anyone knows how to do pushups.

5. Even persons weighing over 100 kg can perform push-ups.

6. You can do pushups in the park, at work or at home.

7. With only 30 minutes of push-ups a day, you will keep yourself in top shape.

8. After a month of daily push ups, you will see a visible increase inarm muscle size and mass, you will lose up to 5 pounds and your chest will be more firm and bigger.

9. Arm strength will increase considerably.

10. You will stay in shape with minimal effort.

Here are 5 tips for effective push ups:

1. Do not touch the floor with your chest. The descentshould be controlled. Keep a 5-8 cm distance. To avoid mistakes, put a book on the floor while doing push-ups. When you touch the book with your chest, you will know it is time to get up again.

2. If you are a beginner and traditional push-ups seem too hard, do knee push-ups instead. Start facedown on the ground, bend your knees so that your feet come off the ground, and cross your ankles.

If knee push-ups are also too hard, do wall push-ups. Stand two feet from the wall  and place your hands flat against it. Bend your arms slowly until your face is about 2 inches from the wall. Then push back and return to starting position.

After a few days, you will certainly be able to do knee push-ups and then the basic pushups.

3. Make small changes when you train. For example, try different arm and hand placement push-ups. Try slow pushups, one-handed push-ups or plyometric push ups.

4. Perform push-ups in front of a mirror to see if your body position is correct. At the start and end of the pushup your elbows must be fully extended, forefoot or toes on the floor. Legs, hips and back must be straight. If you do not have a mirror near you, ask someone to assist you.

5. Divide the 50 push ups in several sets. Perform these sets throughout the day. Do not forget to drink plenty of water-based fluids.

So, if you want to get a lean and strong body or just lose weight, you must include the pushups in your fitness program.

Keep in mind that smart fitness plus smart diet equals smart people.

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