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Not being a member of a gym isn’t an excuse not to work out. Don’t let yourself off that easy you can Workout without a Gym!
There are many ways to improve your cardiovascular fitness, build strength, and upgrade your health without joining an expensive health club or taking the long trek to a gym. Save your money for something else you enjoy and try these close-to-home ways to upgrade your fitness.
To Workout without a Gym, use Your Own Bodyweight!
Jumping jacks and push-ups might bring back memories of gym class, but they’re an effective way to get a workout when you’re short on equipment. You can put together your own whole-bodyweight to workout, that requires no equipment. Pick three exercises, for example, deep squats, push-ups, and planks. Then choose a cardio move, like jumping jacks or jogging in place. Now, you’re ready to get started.
Perform the first exercise for 30 seconds. Then do your cardio move. Repeat with the second exercise until you’ve completed all three exercises with cardio moves in-between. Keep cycling through the exercises until 10 or 20 minutes have elapsed. If work out with intensity, 10 minutes is enough to offer fitness benefits. If you’re moving at a more leisurely place, continue for 20 minutes.
Switch the exercises you include on a daily basis. Strength options include push-ups, pull-ups, abdominal crunches, planks, hip thrusts, squats, and lunges. Cardio moves include jogging in place, high knees, butt kicks, squat jumps, jumping jacks, jumping rope, mountain climbers, and burpees. Varying the exercises will help you stay motivated and keep your workouts stimulating and challenging.
Tune in to YouTube Videos
A workout is as close as your television. YouTube offers a wide array of free exercise videos from beginner to advanced. You’ll find strength-training workouts, cardio, yoga, stretching, and more. Take advantage of it. It’s like inviting an exercise instructor into your home for a personal training session.
Do More Incidental Exercise
Incidental exercise is the unstructured movement you do when you aren’t doing a workout. Need some examples?
- Pick up the pace when you clean the house. Stop walking from room-to-room and break into a run instead.
- Skip the lawn service and mow your own lawn with a push lawnmower.
- Do everything you already do with more vigor.
- Perform deep squats when you’re standing at the sink and jumping jacks while waiting for water to boil.
- When you put something in the microwave, jog in place until the timer tells you it’s done.
- Do planks or abdominal curls while you’re watching television
- Walk your dog twice per day. If you don’t have a dog, adopt one or offer to take a neighbor’s dog for a walk.
- Walk or bike instead of driving.
- Park far away and walk.
- Take the stairs.
Unplanned exercise counts too. In fact, a Melbourne study found that more incidental exercise such as walking and cycling instead of driving could save hundreds of lives and reduce healthcare costs.
Turn Recreational Time into Exercise Time
When you have free time, don’t spend it indoors. Head outdoors and explore a local park. While you’re there, use the equipment to get a workout. Use a bench to do push-ups and triceps dips and the monkey bars to do pull-ups. Run from tree to tree at the park. Don’t forget that you can workout your abs without equipment too !
Once you’ve finished, pretend you’re a child again and swing on the swing set. Pumping your legs burns calories and it’s a great stress reliever. Even if you watch television, put the commercial time to good use by seeing how many push-ups you can do during commercial breaks or jump rope during commercials.
Wear a Fitness Tracker
When you wear a fitness tracker, it’s a constant reminder that you need to keep moving. That can be a good motivation. At the very least, a fitness tracker holds you more accountable. Take advantage of one of these handy devices. It’s cheaper than a personal trainer.
The Bottom Line?
Now you know that you can get in better shape without fancy equipment and without joining a gym. Plus, you can exercise for short intervals throughout the day and still get benefits. Take advantage of the time you have with these flexible ways of staying active.
References:
Compr Physiol. 2012 Apr; 2(2): 1143-1211. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c110025.
MedicalXPress.com. “Study finds lives and money to be saved from incidental exercise”
