In today’s busy world, many of us find ourselves chasing time. Even with all of the shortcuts we take, there just never seems to be enough time in the day. When you find yourself chasing time, it is very easy to use time as an excuse. “I was going to go to the gym today but I didn’t have the time.”
Unless working out is already part of your lifestyle, it is very easy to find an excuse to make yourself not feel guilty for skipping a workout. It is said that you need to do something for 21 days before it becomes a habit.
How can I ever expect to make it to them gym 21 days in a row if there isn’t the time to do so?
My answer to this is that you do not need to go to the gym to workout. Instead of spending 20-30 minutes driving to and from the gym, spend those minutes working out from your home. If watching a sporting event or television series is important to you, take advantage of commercial breaks and exercise. If you are cooking, do an exercise while you are waiting for the water to boil or food to cook. Take advantage of your lunch break by packing your lunch to free up additional minutes to exercise. Instead of waiting in your car at your child’s practice or school, step out of the car and get five minutes of exercise in. Any exercise is better than no exercise. I suggest planning out your day and dedicating exercise to a specific time. If you cannot find a 30-minute window to dedicate to exercise, identify small pockets of time between tasks to take advantage of.
How am I supposed to work out if I don’t have the weights and machines?
My answer to this is to use your bodyweight, use the supplies around you, and be creative. There are many bodyweight exercises out there that you can perform at anytime. If you need to make the exercises harder, be creative and use items around you. There are plenty of items around you at all times that can be used to substitute for gym equipment. I do recommend utilizing gym equipment if you can but if you don’t have time for the gym today or are just getting started, you can get a solid workout without the gym equipment. I have included a few great exercises below that will hopefully help you get started or help you from missing a workout!
(If you are unfamiliar with any of the exercises below, I have used terminology that can easily be searched in Google to find “how to” pictures or videos)
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Home Exercises: Bodyweight
1. Push-ups: There are many different stances and types of push-ups that can be performed using your bodyweight.
I. Lean forward and put your hands against a wall, kitchen counter, table, couch arm, or chair.
II. With hands on the ground, raise your feet up into the air using steps, table, couch, or chair.
III. Old fashion normal push-up on toes or knees. You can change the positioning of your hands by putting them out wide or closer together. For advanced movements, you can add another exercise into the push-up movement. Examples would be the spider man push up or mountain climber push-up.
2. Single-Arm Tricep Push-ups: Great exercise the can be done on a mat, rug, carpet, or blanket.
3. Bodyweight back row: Can be done anywhere at anytime while standing or sitting on a stool.
4. Dynamic Tension Bicep Curl: Perform a bicep curl using the resistance of your other hand.
5. Squats: Another exercise that has many different variations that utilize the weight of your body.
I. Old fashion normal squat from a standing position.
II. Break the old fashion normal squat into three sections where you hold
at each section for additional time.
III. Widen or narrow your stance.
6. Burpees: These are a great cardio exercise and leg workout that can be performed on any surface.
7. Mountain Climbers: Another cardio and leg exercise that can be performed on any surface.
8. Lunges: There are many different variations to help you mix up your routine.
I. Walking lunge
II. Diagonal lunge
III. Reverse lung
IV. Switch lunge
9. Calve raises: Do these while standing on the ground, a book, or step.
10. Sit-ups: Sit-ups can be performed almost anywhere from on the ground, table, bench, or even in your bed.
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Creative Home Exercises: Using common household Items
1. Push-ups: From Normal Push-up Stance
I. Raise your feet into the air by putting them atop a stack of books, chair, table, or couch.
II. Raise one hand higher than the other by putting a book or ball under one hand.
2. Triceps Dip:
I. Perform a dip by putting feet on ground while holding yourself up using a chair or table.
II. Try using the chair or table as well as a stack of books, or box under your heels.
III. Add weight by putting a backpack filled with books on your lap while performing the dip.
3. Back row:
I. Pick up a rake, shovel or just two weighted objects and perform the back row while holding the item(s).
4. Curls:
I. Use a weighted object or a bucket with a handle that’s filled with dirt and perform a curl.
5. Squats:
I. Strap on a backpack, fill it with a few books and perform any of the squat exercises mentioned above.
6. Lunges:
I. Strap on a backpack, fill it with a few books and perform any of the lunge exercises mentioned above.
7. Calf Raises:
I. Strap on a backpack or hold a weighted bucket in each hand and perform a calf raise.
8. Sit-ups:
I. Hold a heavy book, box, or object in the air and perform a sit-up.
“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”
-Brad Paisley