You may not quite be living your best life at the moment, but there's never been a better time to live your healthiest life. Depending on your comfort level and health conditions, exercising in a mask at a public gym may not be an option right now. Enter: at-home workouts and virtual fitness options, which became much more mainstream this past year. Jen Peterson, owner of NJ Fitness Trainer, shares simple, inexpensive fitness tools that are easy to use and don't take up much space. When used regularly, these tools will get you in peak shape within the comfort and safety of your own home.
Exercise Mat An exercise mat provides a suitable space to exercise in a supine (face up) or prone (face down) position. If you're exercising on hardwood floors, go big and go home. Be sure to purchase a thick, padded exercise mat to keep your comfort. Some mat exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once include hip bridges, planks, sit-ups, donkey kicks, bird dogs and mountain climbers.
Set of Dumbbells Add weight (and push harder, better, faster, stronger) to any exercise with a set of dumbbells. Light weights, such as 5-pound dumbbells, are sufficient for most upper body moves, while you may want to incorporate heavier weights when doing leg or back exercises.
Resistance Bands These long rubber bands with handles can be attached to any heavy, sturdy foundation. At home, a banister works best. Loop your band and execute rows, presses and curls.
Resistance Band Loops This tiny tool is perfect for at home or travel and works wonders for toning the legs, including, quads, calves and hamstrings. Try banded squats, band walks and fire hydrants.
Medicine Ball A medicine ball takes up minimal space and can be added to numerous exercises. Available in a variety of weights, hold the medicine ball while doing exercises such as squats, lunges, shoulder press, pullovers and Russian twist.
Stability Balls Some stability balls are quite large and require more room, but can double as an office chair if you’re working from home. Swap out a normal desk chair (or these days, kitchen table chair) for a stability ball to enhance balance and core stability.
Jump Rope If you have kids, you likely have a jump rope lurking in a closet somewhere. Instead of purchasing an expensive and cumbersome exercise machine, grab a rope for a super cardio, calorie-crunching workout. If you haven’t worked your way up to that level of endurance yet, try jumping jacks, seal claps or jogging in place, all of which require no equipment at all.
For a FREE and equally effective workout, use these household items for your next workout:
An area of clear wall space for wall push-ups and wall sits
A very sturdy chair for step ups, triceps dips, split squats, mountain climbers
A soft ottoman can be used as a makeshift weight bench to execute chest flys, chest press, tricep extensions, dumbbell rows and straight leg raises
Once you've filled your fitness toolbelt, choose the best workout option for you. Try exercises on your own time, or get inspired with a virtual fitness session. Virtual workouts provide you with energy, inspiration and guidance. Sessions can vary in length and intensity, and can include strength coaching, interval training and cardio drills designed specifically to assist you in achieving your health goals.
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