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8 Affordable Home Workout Ideas
No Gym Required. Many people think of expensive trainers and gyms when they think of fitness, but you can get an effective workout in the comfort of your own home. Try these eight low-cost options for at-home exercise.
Make Your Own Weights
Strength training is an important part of anyone’s fitness routine. Ideally, you should work all your major muscle groups at least two days per week. If you don’t have any dumbbells or traditional weights on hand, use plastic bottles or jugs filled with sand or water for an easy workout. Experiment with the size and fullness of the bottles until you find a weight that’s right for you.
Climb Stairs
So channel your inner Rocky and use stairs in nearby buildings, stadiums, or in your own home for an easy workout. Climbing stairs causes you to lift your body weight, so you’ll strengthen your legs and hips and get cardio exercise at the same time. To get started with this at-home exercise, climb up a flight of stairs and then back down, going a little faster on the way down to maintain intensity. Build up to 10 minutes of nonstop stair-climbing.
Use Resistance Bands
Resistance bands, which look like long, wide rubber bands or cords, are inexpensive, portable, and a great way to add strengthening practice to your home workout. You can use them for chest presses, arm curls, squats, and many other moves, and they come in different tensions. To purchase resistance bands, check your local sporting-goods store or online fitness supply sites.
Try a Workout DVD
Most public libraries have DVDs available to check out, including home workout programs. If you have a membership with an online DVD-delivery service like Netflix, you can also try home-workout DVDs this way — put several different workouts in your queue and try them all.
Step It Up
Step aerobics are a great way to burn calories — about 260 per hour for a 155-pound person. Using a household step stool instead. Just make sure your stool is four to six inches high (the height of most step trainers) and that it doesn’t slip when you step on it.
Sneak In Exercise
Finding small ways to integrate exercise into your busy day is inexpensive and practical, since many of these moves don’t require equipment. If you trek from your car to your office every day, park at the far end of the lot, and take the stairs whenever you can. If you’re an avid TV viewer, do exercises such as marching or leg lifts during commercial breaks for an easy workout. The good feelings that you get from these small bouts of exercise may encourage you to make room in your day for a longer home-workout routine.
Jump Rope
Jump ropes are a cheap and easy at-home exercise option. In fact, one hour of jumping rope burns about 372 calories for a 155-pound person. Before you start, make sure you have a rope that is long enough for the handles to reach your chest when you are standing in the middle of it. If you get bored, vary your routine by jumping backwards or playing music.
Keep Walking
This is the original inexpensive and easy home workout, and for good reason: It requires no equipment other than your own two feet. Before you start a walking program, invest in a pair of high-quality shoes with adequate arch support and flexible soles to help cushion your feet as you move. It’s fine to divide your daily walking into several shorter sessions of at least 10 minutes, but try to walk at least 3 days a week, and preferably 5 days or more.
I hope this helps!