17 Ways to Get Fit at Home With or Without Equipment

 

Gym memberships are expensive, but you can find ways to get fit at home. Much can be done by using your own body weight.

If you are looking for a greatly enhanced physic, you may want to purchase some exercise equipment, or you may be able to find good substitutes right in your own home. Think outside of the box. For example, gallon jugs of water or laundry detergent could make a good substitute for hand weights.

After the age of 30, humans lose 5 pounds of muscle per decade. So, you want to reclaim that muscle. With determination and consistency, you can. Here are seventeen ways to get fit at home.

1-Quit Trying

Trying is too easy. You just say, “I tried, and it didn’t work for me.” So, you flop on the nearest chair and chill.

If at first you don’t succeed, Don’t Quit!

Progress takes commitment. Determination to a new lifestyle will bring results. If it is something that you want badly enough, you will go after it day by day, in a methodical way. It is the only way to make real change.

You may need to adapt your exercise approach. The things you did in your twenties, probably won’t work for you now. After trying some amazing feat you don’t want to need a stretcher! Start where you are. You can still get results, but you must modify your exercise to fit your body as it is now.

2-Life Happens

Every day is not going to be ideal for working out. You are going to have family outings, a lost key, or a flooded basement. Things happen and life must go on.

Take care of life as it happens, then get back on track as soon as possible. Better yet, incorporate fitness into those emergencies.

Don’t go out and buy donuts and other fast food when the electricity goes off, and you can not cook. Try for a healthier version, go for whole grain bread with cheese and other healthy fillings and/or fresh fruit and veggies with a dip.

When life events throw you for a curve ball, dust yourself off and keep going. Don’t beat yourself up. Stay positive. Think like a thin, healthy person, and before you know it, that is who you will become!

3-Enjoy the Journey

There are pleasures to enjoy along the way before you reach that certain size in clothes or that certain number on the scale. As you travel the path to good health, celebrate each victory you win. Be conscious of each new achievement you make.

Looking only to the goal while you hate the process will not lead to lasting success. You do not want to torment yourself for the rest of your life, if you don’t enjoy your exercise plan, you more than likely will slip back into old unhealthy habits.

Enjoy the sights and sounds around you as you jog or walk your way to health. Make time for family and friends. Create healthy habits that you enjoy.

4-Find Favorite Foods that are Healthy

Choose a large selection of healthy foods that you like. Keep them on hand. Healthy snacks should always be available for when you do get that sudden urge to snack. Plan to keep occupied so those urges come infrequently, but the desire to eat a special treat will happen.

Rest assured; those unwanted inches will disappear as you persevere. In any case, the last place on your body that you noticed weight beginning to accumulate, is usually the first place that weight will disappear as you lose weight.

5-Eat Your Favorite Foods – Occasionally

What you eat every day is what counts in the long haul. One well-timed cheat meal a week can be beneficial as it can help reduce cravings.

However, more than that is going to swing the balance quickly in the wrong direction. It will shut down the hard work that you and your body have been trying to accomplish for so long.

One small square of chocolate will probably not have a big impact on the scale, but it may take longer to lose the excess fluid from that salty potato chip cheat.

6-Ways to Get Fit at Home

There are many types of exercise available. You will find that you enjoy some exercise more than other types. If you hate one type of exercise, you probably will not stick with it on a permanent basis.

For some, a brisk walk, with head held high and arms pumping, is all the exercise they want to do. It raises the heart rate and makes you pant a little, so it is doing you some good. For others who want to put in more time and effort they will choose a more aggressive workout. Create your own routine and stick to it.

What ever you do, it should be a lifestyle change. Just a few weeks or months of dedicated work will not bring lasting change.

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Before beginning a new exercise routine, always check with your health care provider to see what is best for you.

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7-Warmup

By doing five minutes of low-intensity physical exercise, you will warm up your muscles for your workout. A warmup increases your heart rate and the blood flow to your muscles.

It can be something as simple as going the stairs or marching in place. You can do some jumping jacks, arm circles and shoulder shrugs.

It is best not to consider stretching a warmup exercise. Stretching should be done on muscles that are already warm.

8-Add Some Cardio to Your Workout

Cardio works your large muscles and pushes your heart and lungs to work hard. In time this will make your heart grow stronger and more efficient.

The stairs make excellent cardio training. Walking is also considered cardio if you can walk at least 3 miles per hour.

An Aerobic Stepper is a great way to get a cardio workout. Using a tread mill on an incline can torch as many calories as a run at a moderate pace.

Any amount of cardio is better than sitting still, however, strive for at least 30 to 40 minutes of cardio 3 to 4 times a week and add some strength training on the days in between.

9-Resistance Training

There is a lot to be said about resistance training. We all know that it helps to build strong muscles. Improved muscle strength protects your joints from injury.

You who are concerned with diabetes; resistance training reduces insulin resistance and lowers blood pressure. As you build muscle your metabolism increases, which assists in weight loss.

Resistance training helps increase bone density.

Who would not want those benefits? You will stay independent for a much longer time if you add resistance training to your activities. It is never too late to start.

Include all major muscle groups, your upper body, lower body, abs and back. Try resistance (strength training) for 20-30 minutes, 3xs a week.

10-Flexibility and Balance

Stretching, Yoga, tai chi and Pilates are good example of flexibility training. To get and remain flexible you should train almost every day. As your body grows stronger you will increase your circulation and may prevent many unwanted injuries.

You will achieve better balance. Flexibility training helps you achieve a natural, upright posture. Studies show that with regular stretching and mobility training, you can improve flexibility at any age.

After integrating stretching into your daily life, you are now well-equipped to impress your inflexible friends with your accomplishments!

11-Cool Down

Cooling down is like warming up. You can cool down as you continue your work out session at a slower pace for 3 to 5 minutes. Now is the time to do your stretches, while your muscles are warm.

Warmups before exercise and cool downs afterwards, lessen your risk of injury.

12-Plan a Do-able Workout for Yourself

Exercise all major muscle groups of your body.

There are lots of apps and DVDs on the market today. Figure 8 Fitness is a good full body workout. There are others like Aaptiv which are good workout apps as well.

Working out in the morning before breakfast, may help your body burn fat more efficiently than an evening routine. It will jump-start your metabolism and you will burn more calories throughout the day.

13-Upper Body Resistance

Push-ups, crunches, pull-ups, and dips.

Push-ups, the oldest exercise known to man, are still one of the best body building exercises. They will build your chest, shoulders, and core, more than you thought possible.

14-Lower Body Resistance

Squats are the best lower body exercise, bar none. There are a wide variety of squats you can choose from and each of these exercises can be used to build muscle and increase strength.

The humble squat is not just an exercise it is something we do every day.

15-Full Body Exercise

More than just about any other exercise, planks are the greatest full body exercise. While they focus primarily on your abs and lower back, they also work your shoulders, chest, triceps, biceps, back and legs

There is also a reason why people who are serious about fitness jump rope. Jumping Rope is a full body exercise. Pilates and yoga strengthen your entire body as well.

16-Equipment You May Want to Invest in for Your Home

You may want to include one or more of these in your exercise routine.

• Dumbbells
• Elliptical machine
• Kettlebell
• Rebounder/mini-trampoline
• Resistance bands (can be used while sitting or standing)
• Stability ball
• Stationary recumbent bike

Walking is a great way to lose belly fat. It is cheap, easy to do, and a safe exercise that almost everyone can enjoy. Head held high, swinging those arms as you walk at a brisk pace will get you a healthy, low-impact, full body, exercise.

17-How to Stay Motivated

• Set a goal
• Schedule your exercise into your calendar
• Get a fitness buddy. Surround yourself with others who have similar goals as yours
• Track your progress
• Reward yourself

In Conclusion

There will be days when things will not go as planned. Take each day as a new day with new possibilities. Getting fit is a determination made in your mind to do what it takes to accomplish your goal – which to get fit. Stay committed and enjoy the journey as you find ways to get fit at home.

Please Leave Your Comments

I would love to hear from you. What challenges do you have in consistency or motivation? How do you overcome those challenges?

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Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. No content on this site should be substituted for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare practitioner. The information contained here is for informational purposes only. It is from my research and personal experience.