The gym might be closed, but that doesn’t mean your workout schedule needs to stop. Now more than ever, it is important to maintain an active lifestyle.
Confined to our homes, we are moving less throughout our day than we normally would. Not only does exercise improve your body physically, it is also great for your mental health and can even give your immune system a boost.
Throughout your day, aim to take 15-minute breaks at least three different times to focus on a simple home exercise. Don’t have any exercise equipment at home? No problem! Check out these at-home workouts that either require no equipment or just a countertop or staircase.
Step by step
Use your indoor or outdoor staircase to get a great workout in. This is not only a strengthening exercise, it is also a great form of cardio.
Run up and down your set of steps for a certain amount of time. After taking a short break, start up again. Try to increase your number of steps each day.
If you need to build up to stair sprints, simply try stepping up one step with both feet and then back down. Speed up this movement to make this exercise more advanced. You can also add an extra challenge by stepping up two steps instead of one.
Lunge it out
Lunges are the perfect way to get your legs moving after sitting around for a long period of time. Take a break from a work project or your streaming session by doing 10 lunges on the hour, every hour.
Here is a list of lunges to try, as demonstrated by the American Council on Exercise:
If you haven’t lunged before, start with a single leg stand first before beginning directional lunges.
The perfect push-up
Push-ups strengthen many parts of your body including your arms, core, back and shoulders. A good foundation is the key to any type of push-up, so make sure to pay attention to your form.
- Start in a plank position with your arms extended and directly below your shoulders, your feet close together or a foot apart, and balancing on the balls of your feet.
- Keep your back flat and try to create a flat line from your shoulders to your heels.
- Look down while lowering your body; aim for your elbows to hit a 90-degree angle, and push back up to complete one rep. Your goal is to go down for two seconds and up for one.
Need some modifications to get started? Use your stairs as a platform while completing your push-ups. Start with your hands on the third step. Keeping good form, see how many push-ups you can do. Over time, try moving to the second step, the bottom step and then no step at all.
You can also try push-ups while standing and at a 45-dergee angle. Place your hands on a wall or countertop and perform your push-ups reps there.
Here are some other equipment-free arm exercises:
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