5 New Ways to Workout at Home
Sometimes, you make plans to work out. You might do all of the prep work: you pack your gym clothes the night before, make sure you have your water bottle and a healthy snack, you clear your schedule, and then, boom! Something happens and your carefully constructed plans vanish in smoke. What’s an intrepid gym rat to do? Don’t worry, there are many things you can do at home that will give you a great workout, even if you don’t have access to free weights or a treadmill! Here are some great options:
- The Power of 50 – 50 squats, 50 push ups, 50 sit ups and 50 lunges. It’s guaranteed to get your blood moving!
- The Birth Date Dash – One my friends invented this, and I thought it was too easy. Until I did it. Add up the numbers in your birth year. In my case, 1969 would be: 1+9+6+9 = 25. Now, run that number of flights of steps. (This is really good for you if you were born in any year that ends in a 9, and not so good if you were born in, say 2000.)
- Wall Work – Create a rotation of counter push ups and tricep dips facing away from the counter, and then rotate it with jumping lunges. Aim to do each set for a minute without stopping, and do 3-5 sets.
- Burpees – Possibly one of the most effective exercises ever, and the one I hate the most. Start by standing, drop to a squat, jump out to push up position, complete one push up, jump your legs back in, and explode up, clapping your hands above you as you do a jumping jack. That’s one. Shoot for 25!
- Jump Rope – If in doubt, and you only have five minutes, jump rope.
There are lots of exercises you can do at home, and most don’t require any equipment, no DVDs or even YouTube demonstrations. Don’t let your inability to visit a gym get in the way of your fitness!
