How to get fit at home without equipment. Have you ever been stuck at home with no equipment and felt overwhelmed about your health and fitness? Did you ever want to create a home gym?
Have you been discouraged because you do not have a workout plan or the motivation to stick with one? You are not the only one! Try planning your workouts into your daily activities.
How can you get fit at home without equipment? You could use High Intensity Interval Training, Aerobic Exercise, Strength Training, Circuit Training, Stretching, Endurance Training, and Balance Training.
Choose an Activity that You Enjoy
You are more likely to have success if you build a workout plan and lifestyle around your likes rather than what you think you should like. You won’t keep up your exercise routine for long if it is something that you hate doing.
Find something that puts a smile on your face. Find motivation in your exercise program.
Decide on a Goal
You need to decide on what your goals are. How much time do you have to invest in your workout? You do not need equipment. Body weight exercise is a good way to get fit at home without equipment.
Find someone who can help you establish your goals. Do you have someone who will help you be accountable to yourself and your workout? A personal trainer would be a good option.
Just having someone to monitor your progress and cheer you on will help you feel accountable. You may have a bad day, then they are there to help pick you up.
Follow a Plan
If you have a plan to follow, it will take the decision-making out of each day. That alone will help you get fit at home without equipment. When you have an exercise plan and the going gets tough, it is easier to get up and start over again.
If you are new to working out. It is best to start slowly and then go on to the more challenging things. You can use your own body weight. Squats, push-ups, lunges, the plank are all great ways to begin.
Be realistic. Make small changes to your daily routine. How to get fit at home becomes a habit. I like to get up early and start my exercise before the demands of the day set in.
Keep Your Heart Rate Up
The goal is to keep your heart rate up. Go from one exercise to another without stopping, if you are physically able to do this. Circuit training is one way to do this. I will talk more about circuit training later in this article.
Remember to discuss this with your physician or healthcare provider before starting any new exercise regime.
What is the best way to get in shape?
Is it jogging, the lunges or doing the plank? What about Interval Training?
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
With High Intensity Interval Training, you use a burst of energy then slow down your pace. Then you pick up the pace, then slow it down again.
Sprinting for 30 seconds followed by 90 seconds of jogging, then repeating the cycle for about 30 minutes would be a form of High Intensity Interval Training.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is pretty much anything that you can keep doing for a long period of time and have an elevated heart rate. Aerobics, such as the aerobic stepper, Zumba, running on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine are good examples.
Aerobic exercise is good for the heart. When you raise your heart rate, you are making your heart muscle stronger.
You don’t need a treadmill or exercise bike, though that is a great. Many athletes jump rope.
Strength Training
Strength training is lifting weights. You can use body weights, such as push-ups and lunges. These exercises use your major muscle groups.
How to get fit at home without equipment. A few small dumbbells may come in handy. Even a set of resistance bands are a good place to start
Begin with squats and arm circles. Also, try standing from a seated position without the use of your arms to push you up.
Health Benefits
Research shows that people who did resistance training only one hour a week, had a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from heart disease, compared to those who did not do strength training at all.
Stronger muscles help your body retrieve more oxygen and nutrients from your blood more efficiently. That makes the job easier on your heart.
Popular Body-Weight Exercises
These are some popular body-weight exercises to begin with.
- Squats
- Lunges
- Push-ups
- The Plank
- Jumping Jacks
Circuit Training
Go through these 5 exercises as a circuit. Do each of the exercise with their specified amount of repetitions. Then you start all over again and go through the same circuit sequence, without stopping, and you don’t even need any gym equipment!
It is good to use every major muscle group as you sequence through your circuit of exercises. Go though each circuit three times.
Weight Training Creates Strong Muscles and Bones
Strength training is necessary to make strong muscle and to avoid osteoporosis or bone loss.
Stretching
There are many benefits to stretching. It increases your flexibility. It makes it easier for you to tie your shoes!
Stretching:
- Makes you more flexible
- Increases your range of motion
- Improves your posture
- Increases your blood flow to your muscles
- Helps to prevent and heal back pain
- Is a great stress reliever
Stretching on a regular basis can reduce pain and encourage proper body alignment. It can help heal an existing back injury and prevent future back pain by strengthening your back muscles.
Stress
When you experience stress, it is quite likely that your muscles are tense. By stretching or massaging those muscles, you can cause them to relax.
Endurance Exercise
To increase your endurance, you can plan to do 1 – 3 low-intensity cardio workouts per week.
Try a brisk walk. If you have a stationary bike, treadmill, rowing machine, or elliptical trainer, that is great. Work at a steady pace for 40 to 90 minutes at a time. The plank is an excellent endurance exercise.
For variety, you could also try a few minutes jumping rope. Jumping rope to the count of 100 would use up quite a few calories!
These types of workouts boost your heart health and make everyday tasks like walking up the stairs seem effortless.
If you change your routine around it will add variety to your exercise plan, and help you stay motivated. A regular walking routine helps reduce food cravings.
Balance Exercise
Balancing exercises work your core muscles, lower back, and legs. You need a strong lower-body to keep good balance.
Balance Exercises help you maintain your confidence and keep you from falling. It makes daily activities such as carrying heavy items easier. You need good balance in order to change directions quickly, which many athletes know.
Below are a few exercises you can do to improve your balance.
- Shift your weight from one leg to the other
- Stand on one foot for as long as possible without holding on to anything.
- Stand up from a seated position without using your hands.
- Walk heel to toe
- Walk sideways. (Step left with one foot, then left with the other foot joining the first foot.)
- Tai chi improves balance and stability
Adjust Your Diet
If you really want to lose those love handles or that muffin top, the best thing you can do is adjust that diet. Begin with a healthy diet to get fit at home!
We have all heard that exercise is responsible for 20% of our weight, while diet is responsible for 80% of our excess weight.
It is great to put in your 150 minutes of exercise a week. Just don’t “blow it” by going to the refrigerator too often!
If you want to get a healthier lifestyle you may want to get rid of the extra weight around your middle. Visceral fat is more dangerous fat than fat on your legs or arms. It is the fat around your organs that can cause more damage to your body.
Visceral Fat vs Subcutaneous Fat
Visceral Fat – A protruding belly and large waist are two signs that you have too much visceral fat.
Subcutaneous Fat – If you can pinch it easily from anywhere on your body, that is subcutaneous fat. It lies just below the skin.
People with Visceral Fat have more inflammation and higher incidents of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease and even certain cancers than other people.
A ketogenic diet or a low-carb diet may help in reducing visceral fat.
In Conclusion
Stranded at home or in a hotel room with nothing to do? Here are some ideas to keep you occupied.
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) exercise
- Aerobic exercise which is good for the heart
- Strength training which helps prevent osteoporosis and strengthens the muscles
- Circuit Training
- Stretching which increases flexibility
- Endurance Exercise
- Balance Exercise
Please Leave a Comment
What do you do at home to exercise? Do you use equipment? When you don’t have access to gym equipment, you can exercise, even with no equipment at all!
! would love to hear from you. How do you get some much-needed exercise when you don’t have any equipment to use? What home gym equipment do you already have or would like to get for your workouts?
Disclaimer: 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 another qualified healthcare practitioner. The information contained here is for informational purposes only. It is from my research and personal experience.
Hi Carolyn. I haven’t been able to go to the gym in 3 weeks and I have become worried. But as you have stated and showed us here, there are still ways to keep us fit even though we stay at home.
I have practiced high intensity interval training before but will start doing it again. Thanks for mentioning it!
When you can’t get to the gym, it takes creativity to still keep up your exercise routine.
I remember – with a chuckle – of someone who filled a gym bag full of books so he could still lift weights. It may be easier to get in some cardio, if you could get outside for a jog or run up the stairs or take them two at a time. All the best as you create new ways to move those muscles. 🙂
Getting fit is a matter of discipline. Even with the right equipment, if there is no discipline and willingness, it would be very difficult to achieve any normal thing here. I really like this post and thank you so much for sharing out here. Personally! I feel that this is great and thank you for sharing such post out here.
Getting fit by just engaging in training and workout routines will go a long way to ensuring stability in all we do. Thank you
Hi Angela, Thanks for your comment. Yes, it is a matter of consistency and discipline to get and remain fit. Sometimes life gets in the way and tries to keep us from our goals.
If we enjoy what we are doing, it makes it easier to make time for things we don’t think we have time for.
I, and many of my friends, like to get up earlier than necessary in order to get our exercise in before our day begins.
All the best,
Carolyn
Very nice post here. I have tried about twice to start exercising and get fit during this time but I failed those two times because I suddenly start having a lot of body ache after my exercise. The first time I tried in house exercises like push ups and sit ups but the next day I started feeling pains in my muscles and it lasted a couple of days. Next wed jogging and after two days, my thighs and legs general started to ache. What do you think I need to do to make things work for me.
Hi Riley, It is good to keep our muscles in motion, but we have to start where we are physically and work toward a higher goal. Start small. We are tempted to try 100 pushups when we should start much lower and gradually increase, if you understand what I mean.
I would start the third time, exercise for 3 ten-minute intervals, instead of 30 minutes all at once. I think you will do just fine if you are not afraid to start small and gradually work up to a greater amount. You have to know yourself. You don’t need to win medals in order to be healthy, Just give your body a bit of exercise that it needs, (See My October post)
Walking is the safest exercise, and it is something that almost everyone can do.
Six good doctors everywhere, and no one will deny it, are doctors water, sunshine, air, exercise, rest and diet!
Totally agree with keep it fun. Working out for the sake of working out is never a fun thing to do. I also really like stretching and yoga. I am not sure if you burn a lot of calories with yoga but it always makes me feel good. But nothing and I mean nothing beats a cardio high. I like to stationary bike but no so much running on a tread mill. I also really like step masters but I do not think step masters in houses is a common or inexpensive thing. Lastly, your header about diet is very key. We have to keep out all of the junk food that can mess with our vibes. Great post and thanks for the information.
Hi Eric, I was glad to read your comment. The most important thing to do is to keep those muscles moving. As they say, “If you don’t use it, you lose it!”
Yoga is a great body builder. You can get a complete body workout by doing yoga without putting impact on your joints. It is a more passive exercise, than, say, kickboxing. But it still strengthens your body. A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Keeping your activities “fun” keeps a healthy outlook on life as well.
It takes some really nice zeal to work out without equipment, especially for some of us who are used to going to the gym to work out. Since the start of lockdown, it feels a bit weird for me to work out at home but truly its been really fun. I now have to stretch myself to the limit on my own and I like it. I have been following a new routine since I have been working out at home and its been good. Do you suggest I still change my diet, even as I still work out for the same time as the gym?
Hi Benson, and thanks for the comment. I am glad that you are getting exercise even when you don’t have the option of using the gym right now. I too, find it helps to have a routine, in order to get my exercise done.
To have a healthy lifestyle you need good exercise, good diet and good thought patterns. Being at home all the time can get you feeling discouraged. That is where exercise gets those “feel good hormones” running throughout our bodies.
We need to eat healthy food so we can stay active and strong. Healthy protein, fruit and vegetables, help build strong muscles. We need to give our body the nutrients that it needs.
Wow! It is always achievable and better to just get right into the process of getting fit and getting the right energy and getting the right shape. What you have shared here is really great and I value all you have shared here. In all honesty, the way you have presented here makes it seem that it is quite possible and anyone can actually achieve the goal of working at home to get fit. Thanks here
Hi Nath, and thanks for stopping by with a comment! It is achievable. It takes something strong enough to motivate you to make it become a habit. Have you tried working out at home? Do you have a favorite? Personally, I like getting up early and exercising before my day begins. Others are after work kind of people. What is most important is to “just do it”.
Fitness is something that is very important to our health, but as interesting as if may seem, it Is not easy to get through it because many people are lazy and can’t endure the pain or stress. It’s very true that you can get fit at home without equipment, it makes a way for you to workout and this article is full of exercises that are very helpful.
Hi Bruce, and thanks for stopping by with a comment! It does take determination to make exercise a habit. You can start small. The important thing is to just move. It is important to do exercise in proper form. If you try to do the plank, it is great to have someone help you keep in proper form. Having a exercise buddy can keep you motivated, even on those days your energy to exercise is low.