For many of us, an obstacle to getting in shape does not have the proper equipment around the home. Gym memberships are expensive, and many people who work full time don’t have the time to devote to driving to a gym to complete a workout.
Home fitness equipment can also be a strain on the wallet. Forget a treadmill, even a pair of dumbbells with weights can cost you forty dollars.
What’s the alternative for someone who wants to strengthen or tone their body but save time and money? Well, there are several. BENEFITS OF RUNNING AS AN EXERCISE PROGRAM.
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How To Exercise At Home
Buy a Jump Rope
Sure, it might seem a little embarrassing at first. How many times have you seen someone older than ten using a jump rope? You’d be surprised at how often they’re used in athletics. Jump roping is a great way to build strength in the calves, which gives benefits to everything from walking to vertical leaps.
Furthermore, the rapidity of movement during jump roping can get that heart rate up in no time at all. Jump ropes are dirt cheap, you can pick them up at any department store, and they even sell them in pharmacies.
Finally, you just can’t beat the feeling of being like a kid again. Jump Rope is fun and a great way to add some spice to a workout.
Do Pushups
Pushups require nothing more than a body and a hard surface to do, and unless you’re floating in space or on the ocean, then you’ll be able to do them. Remember to keep your body straight while performing pushups so that you put the strain on the arms and the chest. Pushups are a great way to tone and add mass to the upper body. Just remember not to overdo it, as you can strain your shoulders if too many reps or sets are attempted.
Do Reverse Pushups
Reverse Pushups require some more exotic pieces of hardware, a bench, and a chair. Position the chair in front of the bench so that you can stretch your legs across the gap formed by the two pieces of furniture. Grasp the edge of the bench and hold yourself up.
You should feel like you are forming a bridge across the bench and the chair. Now slowly dip your butt down toward the floor so that your knees bend. Do this until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor behind you, then push slowly upward with your arms. You should feel your triceps being worked during this exercise.
Take a Walk
Many people dismiss walking as something that has little in the way of long-term fitness benefits. This is not true. Walking is one of the most basic human functions and places minimal stress on joints (second only to swimming).
Take a couple of laps around your yard, wander up the street to spy on your neighbors, walk outside during your lunch break. Walking is not going to make you lose fifty pounds, but simply being active will improve your overall physical and mental health. Being outside on a walk in the fresh air is a great way to deal with stress. PREGNANCY AND EXERCISING.
Walk Up Stairs
If you work in an office, take the stairs whenever possible instead of the elevator. Anyone who has walked up more than two flights of stairs at a time has noticed that they get an elevated heart rate and can even break a sweat just from that simple journey.
At home, walk up and down the stairs ten times or so. If you’re slightly more adventurous, you can run or jog up a flight of stairs. This is a brutal exercise that is great for improving cardiovascular fitness and body conditioning. When I ran track in college, we had to do stair workouts on the stairs in the hockey rink. Three sets of five minute run up and down those stairs, and my body was screaming for mercy.
Ride a Bike to Work
If you live five miles or less from your place of employment and you own a bike, then you have no excuse to drive a car to and from work. Sure, if you have a presentation to give, you won’t want to be all sweaty, but even then, you can bring your clothes and change into them.
If you don’t have to wear a shirt and tie to your job and you live that close, you have even less of an excuse to be driving. Help promote your health and save the environment. Ride a bike.
Those are just a few ideas for exercises that cost next to nothing and don’t take very long to complete. You’re not going to all of a sudden look like a bodybuilder or a model by performing them, but remember that every little bit counts when it comes to fitness. At the very least, you’ll have some fun and can say that you at least did something. FOUR IMPORTANT HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADOS.