So as some of you may know, I've been on a fitness journey. I'm down 42 pounds and counting. People always ask me what I did and I just tell them that I changed my diet around and started working out regularly. I almost always get the same response to that, "I can't afford the gym." Guess what? Neither can I! If my friend wasn't going that day, then I couldn't go either. I got tired of that, so I started working out from home. I just wanted to share a few of my home workout exercises/tips with y'all. Read on!
Utilize Your Stairs
I have a love/hate relationship with stairs. Going up and down stairs is a great way to work your legs out though. You can walk, run and even skip stairs (be careful!). I usually count one up and one down as one set. I try to do at least 50 of them each day which essentially means that I'm going up and down 100 times. The most I've done in a day was 100 sets. My legs hated me the next day, but it was worth it! You'll definitely feel the burn, but you'll also notice that the more you do them the more toned your legs become. My legs are big, but pretty solid. And guess what? This counts as cardio!
Squats! Squats! Squats! Everybody!
Here's an exercise that you can do just about anywhere. The key is to make sure you're doing them correctly. It helps to use a chair if you're having trouble. You're feet should be lined up with your shoulders and slightly pointed outward. Keeping your back straight but not too straight is key. I put my arms out in front of me for balance. When squatting, your knees should stay lined up with your toes. Also make sure your core is tight. As I mentioned above, you can use a chair to let you know when to end the squat. Once your but touches the chair slightly you can begin to come back up. You shouldn't be fully sitting though, your butt should just be grazing the chair. And those are just regular squats. There are others such as squat jumps, squat holds and squats with weights. It's a pretty standard exercise that works multiple parts of the body. So get to squatting!
Jumping Jacks, Sit Ups, and Push Ups, Oh My!
These are normal exercises that you learn in grade school. And like squats, these are exercises that you can do just about anywhere. Jumping jacks are great cardio exercises that work your legs, arms and core. Sit ups can be done a number of ways and help with the ever so hard tummy area. And push ups work the arms and core too. I have a hard time with push ups due to the fact that I can't lay my hands flat, so I don't really do those. In place of the push ups, I purchased a resistance band. There are a ton of different exercises that you can do with this band that target your arms. And guess what? It was only $5! You can't beat that.
Now besides doing the above mentioned things, there are a few other major contributing factors to my current weightloss that I want to talk about. If you have an Xbox this just might spark your interest!
Active 2
This is a fitness game for Xbox 360. It was given to me, but I think it runs you around $40. It's so worth it though! The game has 2 programs, 3 weeks or 9 weeks. I chose the 9 week program. They have easy, medium and hard levels of intensity. I chose hard because I had no idea what I was getting into lol. You choose from a male or female trainer. You enter your stats and all. During the 9 weeks you're working out 5 days a week doing all different kinds if exercises. Everyday you start with 4 warm up exercises. Then you go right into the workout which consists of between 18-20 different exercises. You end with 4 cool down exercises. From squats to running to lunges to boxing and everything in between. They even have step aerobics! The range of exercises is great. And it's actually very challenging. The further along you go, the more repetitions of each exercise you do. Towards the end of the program I remember having to do repetitions of 90 squat jumps. Sometimes twice! It's definitely not a cakewalk. And you're wearing an armband that monitors your heart rate and tracks the calories burned. It's really a great game and well worth the money.
Zumba
I often see people talking bad about Zumba. They say it's not effective in weight loss or they compare it to weight training, pretty much calling those that do Zumba weak. Well let me tell you, they're wrong! When I first started out on this journey, Zumba was my only form of exercise. I brought Zumba Fitness Rush for the Xbox and did that 6 days a week. Started out with the easy class which was 25 minutes long and consisted of 5 songs. Quickly changed to the medium class which is an hour long and consists of 11 songs. You don't realize it because you're dancing and having fun, but it burns A LOT of calories. Why? Because you're constantly moving. You get maybe 15-30 seconds between songs. That's it. There's no band to monitor you, but it picks up your movements and let's you know how you're doing. My first 20lbs were lost by changing my diet and doing Zumba for an hour 6 days a week. So I just laugh when I hear people talking bad about it becaus it definitely works!
I know this is a bit on the lengthy side, but I just wanted to possibly motivate people and let you guys know that the gym is not the only place to workout. I'm a big fan of walking/jogging around the track in my area. It costs nothing to go for a walk. It can be done. With determination and willpower, IT CAN BE DONE. You have to want to do it for yourself though. I'm not a fitness expert. I'm still going through the journey and learning new things. Everyone's different. This is what worked for me. It could work for you too. You'll never know unless you try! 💪💪💪
As always, stay classy GaGers! See you guys on the threads! 😎✌
Most Helpful Opinions