Welcome. Today we are going to talk about how you can use just regular household items as fitness equipment. Have you ever wanted to workout at home but thought, “I don’t have any equipment”, or what am I going to do or use to get a good workout in”? Well, I’m here to help give you some ideas and some of the ones I personally use. There are always others that you can use if you think about it hard enough. So, let’s dive in and see what you can use at home so you can get started and have a great workout!
Commonly found household items can easily serve as good alternatives to gym equipment. For example, filled water bottles make great dumbbells! You can start with smaller 500ml bottles before moving on to 1L or 1.5L bottles. You can do biceps curls, triceps kickbacks, and even do some overhead presses with water bottles. Dry towels are another great addition to helping you get a workout in. Use them to stretch out before/after an exercise. To add a challenge, you could use a damp towel too. Rice bags or flour bags are easy to grip on to and work great for overhead weight-lifting exercises, squats, and even planks. Larger rice bags can go up to 10-20 lbs., providing a good challenge.
You don’t need specific gym equipment to get in a solid aerobic workout either, structures around your home, work just as well. For example, the humble staircase. Stairs are a great way to get your heart rate up. Whether you live in a multistory building or just have a few steps leading to your home that are ideal for step-ups either way can add a good cardio workout in a matter of minutes. The main thing to remember while being a creative home workout planner is to break it up into multiple sessions, like 20 to 30 minutes daily. Some physical activity is better than none and can help offset some of the risks of being sedentary. But you must get creative to get a good workout in and to make it fun!
Step stools are ideal for, well, step-ups. Instead of purchasing an actual step platform like the ones used in aerobics and step classes, you can use your little one you have at home. Just remember you might have to brace it against a wall, so it doesn’t slide.
If you want a bit more intense workout, try doing some step-ups with added weights (water bottles, laundry detergent bottles), or time yourself doing toe taps in 30-second intervals. As stated earlier, laundry detergent bottles work great for working out also. A (full) large 200-ounce jug weighs in at over 13 pounds. With one (or two!), you can do deadlifts, bent-over rows, and even some nice kettlebell swings.
Another great idea as a home workout piece of equipment is your weighted blanket. My wife has one (I personally don’t like to use one to sleep). Ranging anywhere from 10 to 25 pounds, these blankets are perfect for adding some extra weight to squats or pushups. Fold up your blanket and hold it with both hands or drape it over your shoulders while doing some deep squats or lunges.
I hope these ideas help you in finding what works for you and what you already have. Look around your house and you might see a lot more things that can be used. Get creative, use your imagination, and have fun!
Until next time.
Take care,
Darren
Harmony Shift 