If you can’t get to the gym every day or don’t enjoy going to the gym but you need a daily workout, you can accomplish this in many different ways. There are many types of basic exercise routines and exercise equipment you can use at home. If you put in a little time and effort, your workout at home can be just as effective if not more so than a gym workout.
Going to the gym is not only costly but can seriously cut into your time. If you only have an hour free in the day, just getting there and back could cut your exercise time in half. If you’re trying to save time and money, exercising at home is preferable.
Another benefit people may not think about is that exercising in a gym exposes you to many more germs than exercising at home.
An effective fitness program has five main components, all of which are possible in a workout outside the gym. You need a warmup, a cardiovascular (aerobic) component, some resistance or strength-building exercises, flexibility moves and a cooldown.. Here are some tips on how to get a workout without going to the gym.
Take advantage of free workout videos
Free workout videos give you the flexibility to do a workout whenever and wherever you please with instructions given by experts. YouTube exercise videos abound, with instructors guiding you to do yoga, pilates, and much more.
Move it Monday has a whole playlist of simple exercise routines such as a stretching routine, a butt toning routine and a yoga routine.
Invest in fitness equipment
It doesn’t cost much to invest in some fitness equipment like a stability ball, exercise bands, a jump rope or light dumbbells. They provide an inexpensive way to create a routine that works all your muscle groups.
Investing in equipment like a home rowing machine may have a high initial cost but you will make up for it by not having to keep paying for gym membership and its rising costs.
Home rowing machines are designed to give you a full body, low impact workout. They are great for raising your heartbeat, toning muscles and improving flexibility. Built-in monitors can help you to track your time, the calories you burn and the distance you travel. Use it while watching TV for a workout that flies by and yet has you working out just as hard as you would in any gym.
Walk whenever you can
People often underrate walking and don’t even see it as real exercise when comparing it with lifting weights or high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Walking is actually an effective way to burn calories and is low impact compared to jogging or running. Make walking more fun and yourself more accountable by arranging to walk with a friend every day.
You can follow a walking workout to make sure you start slowly, pick up the pace to elevate your heart rate and cool down properly.
Take the stairs
Taking stairs wherever you can, makes a difference to your health. Climbing up and down the stairs in your house can even burn more calories per minute than jogging. For every 10 steps you climb, you are likely to burn about one and a half calories. When you go downstairs, you burn fewer calories but you work different joints and muscles.
Using an exercise video, walking or taking the stairs will help you to get the exercise. Investing in some basic exercise equipment or the more expensive kind can make your home workout extremely effective without having to set foot in the gym.