Easy and Fun Ways You Can Save Time and Start Exercising at Home

You don't need a gym membership or personal coach to workout.  Personally, I do all of my workouts at home everyday.  By doing them at home, you will save on health club memberships, get to be with your family, and most importantly, save time. Think of how much time you'll save by not packing your gym bag, driving to the gym, getting to your locker, just to do those steps in reverse after you've worked out. Now, that I hopefully inspired you to workout at home, let me give you some home workout ideas.

Utilize Those Machines

If you have any exercise machines at all in your house or garage, now is a good time to dust them off and get to using them. You may have an elliptical, treadmill, rowing machine, weight bench, or even just hand held weights. Take a mental inventory of what you may already have at your house that could serve you well for a workout.

Floor Exercises

There are an endless number of floor exercises that you can do with little space needed. If you can find a six by 6 foot space in your living room or anywhere around your home to work out, then that is all you need to get started working out. I'll go over some basic floor exercises, many of which I like to do everyday.

Sit-ups

Start with a number that you can handle and every few days increase that number by a couple more. Sit-ups can be done in several ways. The most common way is probably what you learned in elementary school. Lie on your back and put both feet under a stable piece of furniture. Keep your knees bent while keeping your hands behind your head. Sit up and lie back down as you count each repetition. Variations include crossing your arms in front of your chest or not using anything to hold your feet.

Push-Ups

Push-ups are a great way to build up pectoral muscles, strengthen your core, and burn off some calories. Lie on your belly and lift your body using your arms. Keep your back straight and go back down. Count each time down to the floor as a repetition. Variations include keeping your arms far apart or close together. You can also place one hand closer to your shoulder on the floor and then switch and place the other hand closer to your shoulder.

Plank

You may have heard of planking. A couple of years ago this isometric exercise was all the rage. People were posting photos of themselves on social media, doing planks in a wide variety of outdoor places. To do a plank, lean on your forearms while keeping your back straight. Time how long you can stay in this position. If you can only do it for 10 seconds, that's fine. Keep doing it for 10 seconds every day until you can do it for 15 seconds. With planking, you will see results fast as you strengthen your core and your arms. You will be doing several minutes at a time before long.

Cara melakukan plank (dok. bugarfit)

Squats

Put your hands on your hips and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then rise back up and count that as one squat. Repeat. For better balance, you can also extend your arms out in front of you or to the side to help you not fall over.

Wall Sitting

We all know how to sit, right? Sitting is something we may even do too much of for our own good.  Let's switch up the sitting by removing the chair. Find a sturdy wall in your house, and put your back up against it. Lower yourself until your quadriceps are parallel to the floor. Time yourself by seeing how long you can hold that "sitting" position.  This is an isometric exercise that will build muscle quickly. Try to extend the amount of time that you can hold that position. This is a great activity to do with your family. It doesn't take much time to see results in leg strength and this exercise requires only a wall. Bare feet usually work best to prevent slipping.

Video Workouts

There are many companies out there that sell video workouts that are made to be done at home. Personally, I like the Beachbody workouts. I buy the workouts on DVD, but many of my friends do them via their smart phones by purchasing an online subscription. The nice thing about video workouts is that you can pick your class, instructor, and level that you want to workout at. My daughter and I do one video workout a day. We even get to workout with Olympians on some of the tapes all within the comforts of our home.

Tips

Know your weakness and triggers that prevent you from working out. Then try to avoid those pitfalls. For example, if you know that by not working out first thing in the morning, you will not get it in, then workout first thing in the morning before distractions take place. If you are feeling unmotivated, make yourself get your workout clothes on at least. Think baby steps. Chances are when get your workout clothes on, you will be in a better position to actually do the workout. Analyze what prevents you from doing a daily workout and make a strategic plan to avoid those pitfalls. Keep a journal where you can record what you did, and also record progress.

Final Thoughts

Working out may not come easy, but it will be worth it in the long run. You can do this if you put your mind to it and make a commitment to get it in everyday.  By working out at home, you will save money, get to be with your family, and save lots of time. I've gone over some workouts that you can try at home, but remember these are only ideas. Anything that you do to get yourself moving and heart rate elevated will benefit you. Working out at home can also include going for a walk or run right from your front door. Remember to have fun and keep a workout journal where you can record what you did each day. Happy working out!

About contributor

Mariann Foster is a content writer at OurStart.com. OurStart is a lifestyle blog that focuses on pregnancy, parenting, marriage, and weddings. When she is not writing, Mariann enjoys homeschooling her daughter and running their alpaca farm.

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Aha! Guest post ini menjadi pengingat akan Family Project saya tentang hidup sehat. Mudah, kan, olahraga di rumah. Bisa olahraga bareng anak pula. Gunakan barang-barang yang ada, bahkan cuma modal tembok buat wall sitting. Tapi ingat ya untuk memahami batas kekuatan diri. Slow and steady. Cara berolahraga di rumah udah ada, sekarang tinggal kumpulin niat. *ngomong sama diri sendiri. Yuk, berolahraga!