7 Ways To Get Fit in 2019 Without The Gym
The trouble with getting fit is that many of us will equate it with
having to sign up to a gym – and gyms are not for everyone. Gym membership can
be costly, they can at times come across as intimidating places, and when you
are a busy mom, you’ll struggle to find the hours needed to visit the gym two or
three times a week.
There are many other ways you can get fit without ever having to step
foot in the gym. They are cheaper, less time consuming and can be fitted in
around your duties as a full-time mom.
Here are seven ways to get fit in 2019 without visiting the gym.
Use free workout videos
YouTube has given the world many gifts, and one of those is the number
of free workout videos available on the video sharing site. You might think
that in order to get fit via a workout routine, you need to hire a highly-paid
personal trainer to do so – but not for as long as YouTube exists. Simply fire
up your computer or tablet, search for free workout videos and then follow the
instructions. It takes no more than a couple of minutes, and you won’t even
need to leave the comfort of your own lounge.
Walk everywhere
How often do you take a journey in your car that you could easily walk,
for the sake of saving 20 minutes or not getting a little bit cold? Walking is
easily the most underrated exercise of them all. A
one-mile walk can burn up to 100 calories, which can soon start
making a huge difference to your fitness level. Whether it is picking the kids
up from school or meeting a friend for coffee, by swapping the road for the pavement,
you’ll be getting fitter. Even getting up and spending 10 minutes walking
around the house once an hour can help.
Take the stairs
Elevators are fantastic if you are ascending the Empire State Building,
the Willis Tower or one of the other 10
tallest buildings in the United States. They are not so good if you
want to get fit, especially when you realize that climbing
one stair burns 0.17 calories. 10 stairs burns one calorie, and as
such, stair climbing is classed as a “vigorous exercise” and actually burns
more calories per minute than taking running. Traversing the stairs in your
home 10 times a day will get you fit in no time.
Take up running
Running might seem like a lot of effort, but you only need to get 30
minutes a couple of times a week into your schedule to soon see the benefits.
If you are a complete beginner, then there are now numerous “Couch to 5k”
programs out there which will have you running a good distance in no time. Once
you’ve reached 5k, you could even be taking part in events such as Parkrun, a
timed 5k which takes place in various towns and cities across the country every
Saturday morning and which is completely free to enter. Before long, you’ll be
pushing yourself hard to beat your PB and getting fitter in the process.
Turn your home into a gym
If you don’t have the time to visit a professional gym or feel worried
about what might await you when you do, then why not turn your home into a gym?
Basic fitness equipment such as light dumbbells, a stability ball or a jump
rope are all relatively cheap, take up little room and can provide a brilliant
home workout.
For the more adventurous, then second-hand treadmills or exercise bikes
can be picked up for not much money at all if you are willing to shop around,
while a brand-new treadmill can cost somewhere in the region between $900 and
$3000. That might seem like a lot but given how much use you’ll get out of it
and the huge benefits it can have on your health and wellbeing, then it can be
worth it. If money is an issue, then why not consider a payday loan to help
with the cost? This is a good
read from Bonsai Finance about how they work.
Use household items as gym equipment
If filling your house with dumbbells and other equipment doesn’t appeal,
then you can use what you’ve already got as makeshift gym equipment – we’re
talking every day, household items. Think of the items that you have around
your home that weigh more than a pound but are easy to hold onto. You can start
using them as weights. Anything from books to packets of sugar or flour can
double up as dumbbells for a workout in your study or kitchen.
You can also use furniture as exercise equipment. How about using an
office chair for squatting, holding onto the kitchen table for leg raising or
using the wall of your home for wall squats? With a little bit of creativity,
you can find a way that most items can be turned into gym equipment.
Clean the house
We can all find excuses to put off cleaning the house, but how about
this for an excuse for actually doing it – cleaning burns calories. You might
think that the only reason to clean is when the dust is so thick that you can
no longer see yourself in a mirror, but zipping around the house with a vacuum
cleaner is a brilliant way to get moving. One hour of vacuuming can burn 170
calories, light dusting 102 and washing dishes while standing still 88. Best
get out your duster then – not only will it leave you with a clean and tidy
house, but you’ll also be getting fit at the same time.
