Some people don’t like to work out because they’re feel it’s too complicated. They go into a nice gym like Newtown Athletic Club, and then they feel overwhelmed with the complex machines they have to use. They don’t like looking foolish, so they just don’t go.
But you can exercise at home alone, where no one can see you. And you can do certain exercises that are super-easy and simple.
Try the following:
For Indoors
If you’re at home, these are the exercises you can do.
Climb the Stars
One survey found that basically half of all households have stairs, so it’s a 50-50 chance that you can do this in your house. You have a better chance of climbing stairs if you live in an apartment building, though. But even if you don’t have stairs, you can always use a step or a platform.
All you need to do is to climb up and down the stairs for 10 minutes. Even a little kid can figure that out. To make it more challenging, you can climb 2 steps at a time. This may not be safe when going down the stairs, though.
Go Dancing
This is great if you live alone, so you can blast the music and you don’t have to be self-conscious about your geeky dance moves. But if you have other people at home, why not just have a short party for maybe half an hour of dancing? Let the music groove and dance. It’s an effective workout if you move your arms and legs, and you break a sweat.
Do Some Bodyweight Training
Here’s the routine you can do:
- 5 incline pushups
- 5 chair squats
- 5 walking lunges
Repeat the entire sequence maybe 2 or 3 times, which should take you about 10 to 15 minutes total.
These exercises are easy enough to do, and you can just watch YouTube tutorial exercise videos to know how they’re done. You don’t need special equipment, either.
Shadow Boxing
You can do this at home while watching the Rocky movies, and pretend you’re doing your own training montage. You can always play music like “Eye of the Tiger”.
All you really need to do is to punch a lot with both hands, using jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. Then move your feet a lot like Muhammad Ali, while you also try to bob your head like you’re trying to avoid punches. A half hour of this is great, as long as you actually make a real effort.
Outdoor Workouts
With social distancing rules a lot more relaxed these days, you may want to try going out to your public park to work out. But you can also just exercise in your yard, or maybe right near your home.
Go Biking
Every now and then ride around the neighborhood. Around 94% of all Americans know how to ride a bike, so this should be easy for you—it’s literally like riding a bike.
Even a leisurely stroll will burn calories off. But for a real workout, you should go look a continuous path so you pedal continuously for 20 to 30 minutes. A dedicated bike path is great for this, since you don’t have to stop for traffic lights, and worry about pedestrians, cars, and other bikers.
Try Running in the Pool
Some call this aqua jogging, but pool running works as well. This is a great alternative for those who find regular running too hard on their knees. As the name suggests, it’s about running in the pool.
You do need that special blue belt to keep your upper body afloat, but most gyms with pools have this on hand. Even most public swimming pools can also provide this. Or you can always buy one for yourself.
The goal of the exercise is to try walking while you’re in the water, without letting your feet touch the bottom of the pool. The blue belt helps with that, but even without the belt, it’s not a big deal. You can still walk in the water with your feet touching pool floor.
Gardening
Did you know that you burn off 416 calories for every hour of gardening? This is one hobby that’s also great for weight loss. After all, you’re doing a lot of stuff, such as digging, raking, weeding, and planting. All these activities add up to a terrific workout without you even knowing that you’re working out.
Walking
This is perhaps the simplest of them all. Walk for 30 minutes each day, and it’ll help you a lot. You can walk leisurely for the first 5 minutes, then you can pick up the pace for the next 20 minutes or so. Pretend you’re trying to meet an urgent appointment without running. Then after that, return to your original leisurely pace for the next 5 minutes to cool down.
See? There’s nothing to these exercises. Now you have no excuse!