Trying to save the pennies? There’s no need to fork out for an expensive gym membership – discover our top home fitness hacks to try today
Words Joy Montgomery
USE EVERYDAY OBJECTS AS WEIGHTS
There’s no need to trek to the gym to pump some iron. Your home is full of cheap, multi-tasking alternatives that will serve the same purpose. A heavy book or bag of veg can take the place of a dumbbell for squats, while soup cans can act as alt hand weights. Get inventive and get going!
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TV TIME
Your Netflix binge watching session is a great time to sneak in an extra workout. Home fitness just got fun. There are countless exercises you can do from the comfort of your sofa. From glute bridges and side leg raises to simple bicep curls (with your soup cans, natch), you can tone up while you catch up. For inspiration, we love this drinking game-style Netflix workout from Buzzfeed.
USE BODY WEIGHT
Using bodyweight is one of the easiest ways to get a great workout without gym equipment. Try doing a wall sit while waiting for the kettle to boil – great for toned legs. Lunges are another classic fitness move that only need body weight. Make sure your front leg is at a 90-degree angle, hold the position for 5 seconds, then return to your original pose and repeat.
TRY TOWELS
You’d be amazed the variety of home fitness workouts you can do with a lowly towel. They can take the place of resistance bands – perfect for tricep pulls – or used underfoot for sliding exercises, such as mountain climbers and inner thigh slides.
STAIRS
The stairs are another hidden workout tool in your home. You’ll burn fat, and engage your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and core more intensely than you would on flat ground. Try forwards and reverse lunges and mountain climers for an excellent leg workout. Alternatively, to focus on your arms, try tricep stair dips and elevated push ups.
SPRING CLEAN
If you’re seriously struggling for time then harness the heart pumping potential of your weekly chores. Did you know that you can burn 80 calories every 20 minutes of sweeping? While gardening burns 287 calories an hour and hoovering 190. Great workout and ticks off something on your to-do list! Put on some upbeat music and put your back into it – intensity is key.
Like this? Check out 5 workouts to put the fun back into fitness
