These workouts for women will get you into great shape without having to set a foot inside the gym. Combining cardio and toning exercises with a sensible eating plan will get you the fastest results.
Cardio-based exercise burns calories, enabling you to lose weight and reduce your body fat.
Resistance-based exercises will tone your muscles, but they won’t necessarily burn a lot of calories.
By combining both types of exercise, you will get a workout that will help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight as you sculpt and define your muscles.
This article will cover some of the best home workouts for women that are easy to do, effective, and don’t take too much time.
Table of Contents
Cardio Exercises for Women
Cardio or aerobic exercise is an essential part of all of the best workouts for 
women.
Along with burning calories and reducing body fat, cardio exercises for women – and men – help our cardiovascular system work at its best. They can also help lower blood pressure, increase energy and stamina, and impart a sense of well-being.
One or more types of aerobic exercise undertaken at a brisk pace, at least 3 to 4 times a week for 20 to 60 minutes, will bring results.
Some cardio exercises for women to try include jumping rope and using an exercise bike or an elliptical machine. Other options include running on a treadmill, power walking, jogging, or any physical activity that increases the heart rate.
While exercise equipment isn’t essential, you may find exercising easier if you have your own cardio equipment. Click this link to read reviews of popular cardio equipment
If you are already reasonably fit, try High-Intensity Interval Training to reach your goals faster. Including High-Intensity Interval Training in your workout regimen will enable you to burn more calories and tone up faster.
If you are new to exercise or not very fit at this point, you can still do interval training. This involves alternating short periods of exercise done at a rapid pace, with more extended periods of exercise done at a regular pace.
You can interval train on a bike, treadmill, elliptical trainer, or using any other exercise equipment you like. You can even alternate between walking and jogging or jogging and running.
Though not essential, by varying the type of exercise you do, you can shape up faster, work more muscles, burn extra calories, and reduce the likelihood of becoming bored with your workout.
Following is a brief example of a typical treadmill routine that uses interval training:
Start with a 3 to 5-minute Warm-Up consisting of slow jogging. Next, sprint hard for 60 seconds. Follow this with 3 minutes of jogging. Repeat this sequence 5 times.
As your fitness improves, lengthen the time you spend sprinting. Repeat the sequence until you are exercising for 30 to 40 minutes or more each session.
Toning Workouts for Women
By regularly doing toning exercises, you will firm and sculpt your muscles. Some toning exercises for 
women will require nothing but your body weight. For others, you will need a resistance band, dumbbells, or some other form of fitness equipment.
Following is one of the easiest and most effective toning workouts for women. Incorporating a resistance band, included are six moves that, when combined, will work all of your major muscle groups in around 15 minutes.
Suitable for all, being low-impact, the training can safely be undertaken by, and be especially beneficial to, those who are overweight, suffering from joint pain, or overcoming an injury.
Start with 10 reps of each exercise, gradually building to 20 as your strength and fitness improves.
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Lunge with Biceps Curl
Standing upright, position the center of your resistance band beneath the instep of your right foot, placing your left foot about two feet behind you.
With an underhand grip on your band’s handles, perform a biceps curl. This is done by slowly bringing your hands up while keeping your biceps engaged and your elbows close to your sides. As you are lifting your arms upwards, lower yourself into a forward lunge.
To do a forward lunge, stand upright with your feet approximately hip-distance apart. Take a big step forward with your right foot, lowering your body towards the floor. When you reach the lowest point of the lunge, your knees should be bent to a 90-degree angle.
At this point, your hands should be at shoulder height. Push down with your right foot, lifting your body up and back as you slowly lower your arms to bring you back to your starting position.
After 20 reps, change sides and repeat the sequence.
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Squat with Overhead Press
Stand upright on the middle of your exercise band with your feet parallel and about shoulder-width apart, the toes of each foot pointing slightly out to the sides. Hold the band’s handles at shoulder height, facing your palms to the front and keeping your elbows bent.
Bend into a deep squat by lowering your hips, leaning back slightly so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. As you do this, push your arms up above your head, using controlled force. Hold this position momentarily.
Keeping your weight over your heels and utilizing the band’s resistance, lift your body upwards, engaging your glutes as you reach your starting position.
Repeat the movement 20 times.
NB: To avoid injury when doing Squats, don’t lean forward too far, and don’t allow your knees to extend over your toes when descending.
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Hug-the-World Plié
Stand up straight with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, your 
toes pointing outwards. Position your resistance band so that it is resting across your back at approximately bra level.
Extend your arms out to either side, keeping them slightly curved. With your fingers facing forward and allowing the handles of the resistance band to dangle over your wrists, grip the band towards the ends.
Drawing your hands towards each other, and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Extend your arms back out as you straighten your knees to bring you back to your starting position.
Repeat the sequence 20 times.
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Monkey
With soft knees, your feet parallel and further than shoulder-width apart, stand on the center of your resistance band and grip one handle in each hand.
Bend at the waist to one side, at the same time, drawing your opposing elbow upwards. Do this quickly and smoothly, alternating sides.
Repeat this movement 20 times on each side.
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Crunch with Lat Pull-Down
Loop your exercise band around a stable object, such as a doorknob. Lying on your back, grip the band’s handles and extend your arms up above your head, behind you.
Raising both legs, bend your knees so that your shins are parallel to the floor. Lift and crunch your upper body forward as you bring your arms toward your knees. Roll back to your starting position.
Repeat this sequence 20 times.
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Side Lunge with Side Raise
Standing with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, place one end of your exercise band underneath your left foot, gripping the free handle with your left hand.
Lunge to the right with your right foot. As you do this, sweep your left arm and hand across the front of your body, reaching it towards your right foot. Pushing off with your right foot, return to your original position, raising your right leg up and out to the side as you lift your left arm to the side so it’s in line with your left shoulder.
Repeat this movement 20 times, then switch sides.
Final Words on Workouts for Women
Regardless of whether you decide to concentrate on aerobic exercise only, or combine aerobics with 
strength exercises such as the resistance band workout above, choose something you enjoy doing. This will make it easier to stick with a routine. Be regular and consistent with your workouts, and you will achieve your fitness goal.
If you are carrying excess weight, take in 500 fewer calories a day less than you currently do. This, alone, will enable you to lose approximately one pound a week. With a lower level of body fat, you will see improved muscle tone from the workouts.
If you’d prefer to work out to a DVD, check out my reviews of Figure 8 Fitness, Fe Fit, and YOUv2, all of which were created for women.
I hope you found this article on home workouts for women helpful.
