5 Easy Ways To Stay Active At Home

The world looks a lot different these days with almost all of us working, learning, and shopping for necessities from home. But “different” doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, it can inspire a little creativity when it comes to staying in shape. Focusing on what we CAN control, rather than what we CAN’T is key. 

For example, just because your favorite gym or studio may be closed down for the foreseeable future, doesn’t mean that you have to become a couch potato. There are still plenty of things you can do that require either no equipment—or just a little ingenuity. Here are a few ideas to get you started, and we encourage you to share your tips and tricks for staying on top of your fitness game, too. We are stronger together!

1. Stairs and Chairs: If you’ve got a set of stairs (or even a curb outside your house) you’ve got a built-in cardio and strength training method. Walk up and down your stairs for 10-15 minutes to get your heart rate up. Perform step-ups or calf-raises. Try lunges with your back leg on a step and your front leg on the floor. Trust me--stairs can be your booty’s best friend! Chairs offer an excellent place to knock out some tricep dips, or incline pushups. Just make sure it is sturdy enough to support your weight and doesn’t slide on your floor.

2. No Weights? No Problem: Soup cans, soda bottles, wine bottles, or half-gallon milk jugs filled with water are good substitutions for dumbbells. Use giant containers of detergent or kitty litter (the 20lb variety with a handle) as a kettle bell alternative. Look around and think outside the box.

3. Body Weight is Great: You can do an entire cardio and strength training workout using nothing but your own body. Warm up with a light jog or brisk walk, followed by squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, planks…the choices are endless. Set a timer for 30 seconds and perform as many reps as you can of one exercise, rest 15 seconds, and move on to the next one. Repeat for 2-3 rounds.

4. Stream It: Practically every major gym, studio, or fitness trainer is offering live streaming or pre-recorded videos via Instagram, You Tube, and other digital platforms. Many are free and require no equipment, making it easy to attend your favorite classes in the comfort of your living room.

5. When in doubt—dance it out: “Alexa, play my favorite playlist.” Never underestimate the power of music and dancing to not only get your heart rate up, but to make you forget your troubles for a while. Turn on your favorite tunes and shake what your mama gave ya! Dance like no one is watching, because they aren’t—everyone else is at home too.