10 Ways You Can Exercise At Home without Any Equipment

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to afford all of that fancy equipment used in the gyms? Well, as nice as it sounds, it just isn’t an option for most people. And since exercise is so important, you need to find exercises that are effective and don’t require any equipment at all. To make these exercises even more fun, you can blast music while you’re doing them. Some you can even do while watching TV. Now you have no more excuses! Here are 10 great exercises that you can do at home, without the need for any equipment:

Walking

– If the weather is nice, it’s wonderful to get outside and enjoy the scenery around you while you exercise. However, if the weather has other ideas, you can just as easily get an effective walking workout at home. If you have a flight of stairs, go up and down them a few times. (You could even grab a load of laundry as you’re going that way anyway!) This will help to tone up your legs, while getting some low impact aerobic exercise as well. If you don’t have any stairs available, just walk around the house a few times – it may not be very exciting, but it will do the job! See: How Many Calories Burned Walking 3.0 mph

Jumping Jacks

– These are always fun, as they bring back memories of being a kid! Who hasn’t done jumping jacks for fun as a child? Well, surprise – they are also great cardio exercises, and good for warming up, too. Pushups – These are probably not the most favorite exercise of many people, but while they can be hard to do, you can find easier ways to do them. You don’t need to pretend you’re “Rocky”, and do them with one hand; just do what works for you. Do them on your knees, instead of keeping your legs straight. Or, do them standing up against a wall. You will be building up arm strength and working out muscles in your chest area.

Leg Lifts

– These are great for building up strength and muscles in your legs. If you find it hard to do the exercises with your legs straight, try bending them slightly.

Crunches

– The best exercise for building up and strengthening abdominal muscles. When you’re just getting started, don’t worry about getting your head all the way up. So long as you’re going up until you feel the stretching of the muscles, you will see some benefit.

Jogging In Place

– Jogging is a great exercise for your heart. You can jog in place at home while watching TV or listening to music. The only equipment you will require is a good pair of shoes, to eliminate any stress to your legs.

Squats

– These are wonderful exercises for your legs and buttocks. You can even just try these by sitting and standing up again from a regular chair, if you’re finding them to be too difficult. As long as you’re able to do a few repetitions, you will be providing some benefit to your body.

Light Weight Lifting

– No, you don’t need to go out and buy expensive weights for this! Just use whatever you can find in your house. Start out with something lighter, such as a can of peas, and work yourself up to heavier items. You can use milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles or even water jugs.

Dancing

– Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is great for your heart. Not only that, but it can lift your spirits as well, and give your overall feeling a boost.

Step Exercises

– Using the steps in your home, you can do repetitions which will tone your leg muscles. (Just remember to be careful!) Getting some exercise is important, but you don’t need to go out and join a gym, paying a large amount in membership fees each month. You don’t even need the expensive equipment in order to give your body an effective workout. Use what you have in your house, and work out in the comfort of your home. You will be more likely to keep up with the exercises when you’re comfortable, so just get up and start exercising!

Learn How To Keep Your Body Fit

By now you've probably heard loads of exercise advice - some of it conflicting - from trainers, TV, and gym buddies. To clear things up, we sought out top fitness experts to get their take. We asked them for game-changing tips, proven difference makers shown to keep your body safe while burning fat and building muscle.

Tip 1:STRETCH AND WARM UP BEFORE AND AFTER EXERCISE

Many active individuals believe stretching is not an important part of any exercise program and it can be skipped all together. However this is not true --- stretching can improve your flexibility, reduce risk of injury and improve your overall quality of life. By adding stretches that focus on all major muscle groups before you exercise, you will get more out of your workout and decrease muscular soreness afterward.

Tip 2: Walk every day

You don’t need a gym membership, a set of weights, or the latest Brazilian super workout DVD series to get into better shape. Just get out and walk. Of exercises known, walking is among the healthiest. It strengthens the legs, improves circulation, imparts benefits to the heart, reduces stress, burns calories, improves digestion, enhances immune function, and gives you an opportunity to get outdoors. I’m not talking about walking on a treadmill in your living room, but actual walking outside. If you’re not a walker, start with just one mile per day. That’s only 5,280 feet. You can easily walk a mile in fifteen minutes. Can you spare fifteen minutes per day for better fitness and well-being? Sure you can. If you’re a walker, take the time for two or more miles per day. No special equipment is required, just a pair of shoes and a place to walk.

Tip 3: Drink water

Remember water? That’s H2O – the primary material that makes up our bodies. We are approximately 75 to 80 percent water, and we need it to live. Drinking sodas can destroy your health, contribute to diabetes and obesity and ruin digestion. So-called diet sodas are just as bad and add nothing of benefit to your body. Six to eight glasses of water per day will hydrate you, improve your skin, enhance digestion, aid elimination, and help your body to rid itself of accumulated toxins. So when you’re thirsty, drink water. And not ‘plastic water’ either. Plastic water bottles contain the toxin bisphenyl A, which leaches into the water. Most tap water in the U.S. is fresh and clean, and cheap. Why pay more for a bottle of water than you do for a comparable amount of gas?

Tip 4: An apple a day

Remember the maxim, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” It’s pretty accurate. It turns out that apples are massively high in beneficial antioxidants which protect the cells of your body from premature destruction. The pectin in apples adds bulk to digestion and helps to greatly enhance intestinal elimination. Apples contain natural sugars and are way better for you than an energy drink or a candy bar. Plus, apples contain much-needed vitamins and minerals. Find the apple that’s right for you. Like tart flavor? Granny Smith apples are the way to go. Prefer a bit sweeter? Try Fuji or Royal Gala apples. Instead of reaching for an “energy drink” or a pastry mid afternoon, eat an apple. Your co-workers will ask you what it is. Be a leader.

Tip 5: Park farther from the door and take the stairs

What door? What stairs? Any door, any stairs. When you get to the grocery store, the hardware store, or wherever you are going, let everybody else compete for the front parking spaces, while you park farther away. If you have to go up a couple of stories in a building, take the stairs, instead of an escalator or elevator. Every step in a day makes a positive contribution to your health. Unless you are disabled, there is no good reason to park close or use a people-mover. Get used to the back of the lot and the stairwell, and you’ll find yourself a lot closer to the front of the pack in terms of fitness.

Tip 6: Be moderate with alcohol

Think of every beer, glass of wine or cocktail as a glass of calories. Sure, a glass of wine with dinner is basically very good for health. But a few cocktails in the course of an evening slow down your metabolism, reduce brain function, and help you to put on weight. Instead of having that next drink, play with your kids, get together with your friends, or take a walk (refer to Tip 1). Fitness is not something that you accomplish in a short period of time. Instead, fitness is a lifestyle. When you are physically fit, you have more strength, energy, endurance and overall vitality. Being fit enhances mood and reduces mental fog. If you want to feel good and move in a direction of greater fitness, take the above five simple fitness tips to heart and change your life. And when you have these mastered, go for more.