Working out can be a chore but if you spend a few minutes each day to put some workout moves into your daily routine, or house chores, or even while at the office; you can be working out all day and not even need to go to the gym, outside your house or your office. Remember, it takes time to incorporate new habits into your daily routine, so consistency is key.
These workouts don’t require special equipment. You can find all the things you need in your home or office. Best of all you can do these indoors so you can still workout even when it’s raining.
Here are 15 workouts you can do at home, in your hotel or even your office, with just a little time throughout your day.
Lift Weights
Carry a weighted object such as a full laundry basket and lift up to shoulder height. You can also do this with your toddlers, gallons of mineral water, etc.
Squats
Instead of bending over to put away items in the bottom cabinets, do a squat. Do it slowly for more resistance or do it fast for a mini cardio workout.
Sprint or Jog
Sprint or jog from one room to another and repeat to cover as much distance as possible. If your house has stairs, use it for short sprints or jogs going up and going down.
Lunges
While standing up, extend your right leg in front of you and bend your knees to a 90 degree angle. Your back leg should also bend to adjust to your position. Stand up again and repeat with the other leg. You can also do this on a bench or the stairs for deeper lunges.
Wall Sit
Waiting for your coffee to brew or for your soup to boil? Do a wall sit. Stand against a wall with your legs together and your feet flat on the floor. Slowly transition to a sitting position keeping your back agains the wall. Hold the position for a few seconds or as long as you need. You can also lift one leg and extend it straight or put your foot on top of the opposite knee for an even challenging pose.
Standing Push-ups
When standing up to peel vegetables or washing dishes, do standing push-ups for a quick break or after putting the dishes away. Just stand at arms length from the table or sink with your arms extended and your hands resting on the edge of the table or sink. Then push with your hands and lower your whole body unto the edge of the table or sink keeping your legs and feet together and your whole body as straight as possible.
Desk Pushes
While sitting, put your hands under the table in front of you and try to push it up as if lifting the table. You don’t want to lift the table but it will provide the resistance you need to work out your arm muscles. This is one of the workouts that you can do when you’re waiting for a meeting to start, for example.
Leg Lifts
When answering a phone call, sit at the edge of your chair and extend one leg straight in front of you and hold it there for a few seconds or a minute. Repeat with the other leg and alternate for as long as you can or until your phone call ends.
Behind-the-Back Claps
While checking over your stew, stand straight and extend your arms towards your back and try to clap. You don’t need to actually be able to clap if you can’t reach that far but at least you’re stretching some arm muscles. If there is room, also extend your arms in front and clap. Do this while waiting for your chili to cook for example.
Pilates 100
While lying on your back, lift your legs, bend your knees and point your toes so your knees and hips are at a 90 degree angle. Lift your head, neck and shoulders off the ground. Extend your arms out towards your side and move them up and down together while keeping your body’s position. Take deep breaths as you move your arms and try to reach up to 100 counts.
Toe Touch
While lying on your back, extend your legs up straight and use both arms to try and touch your toes. If you can’t touch your toes yet, then just touch to the highest point of your outstretched legs as you can. You can also put your legs in table top position and touch your knees instead if you can’t stretch your legs straight.
Half Bridges
Lie flat without a pillow and put your legs and feet together. Put your arms flat at your side. Lift your butt up by bending your knees while keeping your feet together. Bring down your butt and lift up again. You should feel a slow burn on the back of your thighs and your glutes (butt). Support your body with your arms for better balance. Repeat several times.
Planks
After doing half bridges, you can do a plank. You can also do this when you’re on the floor playing with your kids. Go into push-up position and hold this position for several seconds or a full minute. You can also bend your elbows and position them flat on the ground. In addition, you can turn your side, keeping your legs and feet straight, on top of each other and support yourself with only one arm for a side plank. Repeat on the other side.
Donkey Kicks
Position yourself on all fours on the floor. Raise your right leg and bend your knees as you try to kick the air behind you towards the ceiling. Repeat the kicking motion several times. Do the same for the other leg. This is one of the workouts that is great for toning your butt too!
Hip Thrusters
While lying on your back, bend your knees and put your feet up on a chair or bench, keeping your butt close to the edge of the chair or bench. Keep your arms flat on the floor for balance and thrust your hips up into the ceiling. Repeat several times.
Keeping yourself physically fit is one of the aspects of wellness that allows you to be able to live your life more fully. Consistency is the key. There are many more exercises aside from these that you can do. You only need to choose a combination of these workouts to start your day, end your day or all through the day so you don’t get bored. You can adapt your workout routine as the situation allows you.
Hopefully, these workouts will also help you to learn what type of exercises you like or what body part you want to work on more. This knowledge will help you decide what exercise type is right for you when you decide to engage in a full body workout that targets the areas you want to improve. In the meantime, these exercises should help improve your fitness and make you feel better about your body and yourself, in general.
Updated. First published on Pinoy Smart Living on 2019.01.21.
Feature Image: Original Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash.