Setting aside time to exercise isn’t always easy with the hectic schedules we tend to keep. Working out usually falls to the bottom of the priority list, and we come up with excuse after excuse as to why we’ve become sedentary. The good news is, however, that staying fit can be integrated into our everyday lives using basic items from our homes.
Your Body
First and foremost, always remember that your most essential piece of workout equipment is your own body. Calisthenics are a great way to stay in shape by using your own bodyweight for resistance. You can do lunges, squats, pushups and crunches without using a single piece of equipment, which means you can do these exercises anytime throughout the day.
Stairs
Whether you have a full flight of stairs or just a few steps leading to your front porch, you can use them to get in a great workout. Simply going up and down the stairs is good exercise, but there are simple ways to increase the intensity of your workout. Do lunges up the steps, or if you’re feeling really ambitious, grab a load of laundry and carry it with you. You’ll not only get some cardio and leg-toning done, you’ll wrap up one of your household chores.
Homemade Weights
There are dozens of items around your home that you can use as free weights. You can do bicep curls with water bottles or even forage your pantry for some canned goods to create simple, light weights for toning. If you’re looking to lift something heavier, fill up milk jugs or laundry detergent containers with water or sand and lift them by the handles. It all depends on how much weight you need.
Chairs
Your dining room chair offers versatility when it comes to creating a workout. Use it to squeeze in a few inclined pushups and chair dips for your triceps. To tone your legs, balance yourself with the chair to do leg lifts, or, if it’s short enough, do a few step ups.
Wall
The great thing about walls is that they’re everywhere in your home and you can do dozens of exercises against them. Pushups, squats, crunches and even yoga routines can all be done with the most common item in your home.
Table or Counter
Your dining table or kitchen counter are great workout tools you can use to fit in a workout even while cooking dinner. Use them to do pushups or as support for squats or leg lifts.
Basketball
Not every home has a basketball, but really any ball-shaped item that can support your weight will do. The basketball can be used like a medicine ball to add variety to your routines, or do planks and pushups while balancing your hands on the ball to add intensity, strengthen your core, and improve your balance.
Getting fit doesn’t have to involve expensive exercise equipment or a gym membership. It doesn’t even require you to break off huge chunks of time out of your busy day. Simply use what you have around you, and incorporate exercise in all of your daily activities.