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The purpose of this blog is help people improve their Mind, Body, Soul (relationships) and their Money.

Monday, March 14, 2011

10 Things you can do to get a workout... without going to the gym

I personally love my gym. It has a pool, a basketball court and even a workout movie theater where I can watch a movie while I'm on the treadmill!

That being said you might hate the gym, everyone judging you, dropping weights while you're trying to focus and  let's not even mention the smell. Well if you hate the gym but want to get healthy here are some tips to get a workout without going to the gym.

1.       Do Situps – sit ups are so simple yet go good for firming up your mid section they help strengthen both your hip flexors and abs. 
2.       Chair or couch crunches – if sit ups are little too much for you can always replace them with crunches which also work your abs. Simply curl your shoulders towards your neck, you either have your legs slightly bent against the ground or set your legs on elevated couch or chair while you watch TV.
3.       Push ups – push up, ease down – push ups are great to work your pectoral muscles and triceps they also help develop your deltoids as well. All you need is a flat steady surface – this is another exercise you can do while watching a movie or TV.
4.       Climb the steps at your office or home - instead of the StairMaster at the gym you can use steps at your home, office or any other public building with steps. If you live in Philadelphia you can just visit the Art museum multiple times a week to stimulate your body and your creativity as well as channel your inner Rocky.
5.       Play intramural sports – This is a great way to get active and get closer to friends and/or make new friends in the process. Sometimes you'll need to convince a friend or two but, many leagues allow small groups and individuals to join.
6.       Walk over to co-workers in the same office instead of calling or e-mailing – I personally get at least 50 -100 e-mails a day sometimes from people who sit just a few feet away from me. I’m sure if you use e-mail you probably get an endless amount of it to. If you simply take the time to walk over to a coworker about a project instead of e-mailing, you’ll save the time of writing an e-mail and burn calories as well.
7.       Do Jumping Jacks at home  - Jumping jacks – called star jumps in United Kingdom - are easy to do and great to get your heart pumping.
8.       Go biking – If you’re a spoiled Midwestern American like me, you probably drive just about everywhere to do just about anything but, you can always just jump on a bike to get to most places as well. If you within a few miles of work, try biking there when the weather is decent.
9.       Jog – I’m not going to lie this is my least favorite exercise because I usually hit a wall and stay there but if you can break through the wall the benefits are awesome. According to Motleyhealth.com if you run regularly you can combat depression and obviously help you lose fat even belly fat.
10.   Go hiking – find a trail and go for a walk. According to mamashealth.com the benefits include – decrease in blood pressure, weight loss, relieves back pain and it’s free! Bring some bug spray though. 

So those are 10 tips to get a workout without buying a gym membership. Do you know of some better ideas? Was this at all helpful? Leave a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading. 
Always consult your family physician to find out what level of physical exercise works best for you.

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