I hear it time and time again, "I'd love to workout, but I don't belong to a gym." Guess what? A lot of really healthy and fit people do not have gym memberships and a lot of people with gym memberships aren't so healthy anyway.
So if you've been using the no gym membership as an excuse, here are a few tips on working out without a gym:
- Make the great outdoors your gym. Hit a park and do step-ups on benches. Hop on a bike and ride around town for 45 minutes. Swim laps in a lake or your local pool. Run in a park or at a local track. Use outdoor stairs for stair climbing. Toss around the Frisbee or football with friends in the park.
- Make your home your gym. Rent exercise DVDs. Buy equipment for home use. Use household items as your weights. Use your stairs for step-ups, sideways squats and more. Pump up the music and dance while you clean. Do sit-ups and push-ups during commercials of your favorite TV show.
- Make your everyday activities count. Take the stairs whenever possible. Bike (or walk) to work. Talk a few short brisk walks during your day. Sign up for a yoga class during your lunch break. Walk to your coworkers office instead of sending her an email. Join your kids in a game of tag.
There are so many ways outside of the gym for getting active. Belonging to a gym can simplify things because you're in, you're out and it's done but you can make it just as simple by thinking outside the box. I am sure you guys all have your non-gym ideas for getting fit, so share them in the comments section below.
Comme des Garcons
Full Circle
Adidas
I think everyday activities are important. I work at a small design company so I'm at a computer all the time. Instead of e-mailing or paging my co-workers I walk over there. It's silly to send an e-mail or call if they are in the same building.
1My trainer recently came to my office. We used a chair to do push ups, 2 large candles to work my arms, and did a billion squats.. and in the end I was more exhausted than using a treadmill for an hour.
I think sometimes we just want to make excuses.. it's easier that way
2i hate gyms.. i think the whole idea of "exercise" for the sake of it is pretty mind-numbing anyway. you get the same amount of activity playing a team sport with friends or even going clubbing! also, as far as pure sports go, nothing beats swimming and running outside.
3I often use water bottles for weights. I can use 20 oz. bottles filled with water for lighter weights and 64 oz. bottles for heavier weights. If you're not focusing on weight training, and you just want to add a little bit of resistance to your exercises, full water bottles work great!
4I have found that working out at home is almost more effective than the gym. You dont have to worry about how much you sweat because your by yourself. You can benefit from being able to enjoy a nice jog outdoors or walking the dogs.
You can get great workouts from websites that really do bust your tush!
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