6 Ways to exercise at home

Whether your self-isolating right now or you’re simply an avid introvert, there are loads of great workouts you can put together using the spaces around your home and getting a little creative.

Finding motivation to do a home workout is often the biggest hurdle people face, because the couch is calling to them, the fridge is right there, and napping sounds much better. The truth is, you only need around 25-30 minutes to get a good amount of exercise in and keep yourself healthy.

Here are 6 of the easiest ideas for home workouts.

FIND OBJECT TO USE AS WEIGHTS

These can be as simple as a couple of bottles filled with water (so they are the same weight for each arm), or even some heavy books, canned foods, or bags of rice etc. Just ensure the items aren’t too awkward or dangerous to lift. Probably avoid lifting your household pets!

TAKE THE STAIRS

If your home has a set of stairs inside or outside, these can be a great cardio workout through sprinting up and coming down, box jumps, squatting at each step, or using them for angled push ups. Make sure the stairs are sturdy and can handle the increased traffic.

SKIPPING ROPES

It’s probably been a while since you dusted off your skipping rope and had a jump, but it will all come back to you. Skipping is great cardio and works lots of different muscle groups in your legs and arms. This is a great choice especially if you have young children at home that can get involved.

CLEANING

As daunting as cleaning can be, it can make for great exercise around the home. Make yourself a big list of all the cleaning tasks that need doing around the house and tick them off throughout the day with small breaks in between. Make sure you swap arms and hands, so you get an even workout on both sides.

STREAM EXERCISE VIDEOS ON THE INTERNET

There are dozens of great interactive home workout videos online. They have come a long way from leopard print leotards and bad perms! You can find self-guided workout videos and even services that offer live two-way feeds with personal trainers to keep you accountable.

GARDENING

Exercise is a great by-product of doing the outdoor jobs you’ve been meaning to do. Tasks like shoveling, hand-digging, pulling weeds, mowing, and general landscaping are a great and productive way to work up a sweat with a great level of satisfaction at the end.