No Gym? No Worries

By Editorial Staff

Even if you're in one of the states slowly beginning to ease social distancing restrictions, gyms might not be your first spot to hang out. On the off chance your governor has reopened gyms, or plans on doing it soon, various social distancing protocols will likely be in place that could make a home workout - you know, the one you've been trying to do for the past few months - more appealing.

If you're still stuck at home, or aren't ready to tackle the "new norms" of life at your local gym, let's ramp up your workouts so that you keep enjoying the fitness successes you put on your New Year's Resolutions list back in late 2019.

1.  Body Resistance: You can't beat your own body weight when you're short on gym equipment. Whether it's incline push-ups on the stairs, wall squats, triceps dips using a dining-room chair, and countless other exercises, your body weight resistance can keep you tightened and toned from the comfort of your own home.

2. Water Weights: Accustomed to working out with more than just body weight, but don't have any free weights at home (and realized too late that everyone else was grabbing up all the online exercise equipment before you)? Water (or any liquid) isn't just for quenching your thirst and maintaining proper hydration during a workout. Fill two same-sized water bottles with H20 and you've got a set of dumbbells to replicate your gym workouts. A half-gallon of milk can serve multiple purposes as well: biceps curls, over-the-head triceps extensions, and just about any exercise you'd normally do with a kettlebell.

3. Family Outings: Yes, we know gym time is usually one of the few occasions during which you can actually escape the stress and workload of family life. But you're with them 24/7 these days, so why not make lemonade out of lemons? Family walks can deliver the cardiovascular workout you need and the stress relief the entire family needs. Want to step up the pace? Challenge a family member to a few quick sprints during your walk ... fun and rewarding.

4. Reconfigure: Never gotten around to rearranging the garage or that upstairs closet? There's no better time than now, and you'll be amazed at how many calories it burns and muscles it works. Back yard gone to pot? Not anymore. An hour or so of weed picking and you'll be feeling it from head to toe.

Social distancing may be your present - and foreseeable future - but that doesn't mean your fitness, much less your health, has to suffer. Try the above and other easy ways to maintain your exercise routine (and in some cases, even take it to the next level). No gym? No worries.