Spring officially began a few weeks ago, on March 19. Put some spring in your step by trying a new home exercise routine—being stuck inside does not mean you have to pause your wellness goals! Beyond the physical benefits of exercise, incorporating exercise into your daily routine has mental benefits such as reduced stress, better sleep, and decreased depression and anxiety. Here are a few ideas of how to get moving at home.
Spring Cleaning
Household chores such as vacuuming, dusting, or cleaning windows exert energy and can get your heart rate into the exercise zone. Make a list of what you would like to clean in your home and space out the tasks over the span of a week. Bonus—now your home is sparkling clean!
Bodyweight Exercises
You don’t need any equipment to work on your strength. Bodyweight exercises such as planks, squats, or lunges are great ways to build muscle mass. Try doing each exercise for 15 seconds, then repeat the series a few times.
Need guidance on these workouts? This article from Harvard Health breaks down how to correctly do each move.
Cardio in Bursts
Experts recommend adults get 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week. Aerobic exercise lasting 30 minutes or more is great for increasing endurance, but that may be hard to incorporate at home if you do not feel comfortable running or walking outside. Instead, get your cardio in bursts! Try taking a break at the end of every hour to do 30-60 seconds of jumping jacks, running in place, or both. If you repeat this throughout the day, it will add up.
Challenge Children
If you have children in the house staying home from school, chances are, they are getting antsy. Challenge them to a fitness competition to get you both moving and spending time together. Examples of challenges could be:
- Race around the block
- Who can jump the highest?
- Who can hold a plank the longest?
- Who can do the most jumping jacks in a row without taking a break?
Make a Gym
Chances are, you have some items around the home that can be used as a substitute for gym equipment. For example, cans of food or tubs of laundry detergent make good weights for arm exercises. Hold a can in each hand and do 10 bicep curls on each side. Stairs are a free cardio machine. Walk up and down a flight until you are breathing heavily. What else can you think of?
Working out in your home is convenient, easy to fit into a busy schedule, and it won’t cost you a dime!
Writer: Nina Hoffmeyer, Program Assistant , SNAP-Ed, Montgomery County, hoffmeyer.8@osu.edu
Reviewer: Dasia Broen, Program Assistant, 4-H/Family Consumer Sciences, Montgomery County, brown.5517@osu.edu