According to the Department of Health and Human Services, you need 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week. You should also do strength training about twice a week. While this may seem like a lot of work to stay fit, it is not that hard to fit exercise into your day. With a few easy changes, you can stay fit without going to the gym.
Rethink Lunchtime
You do not have to sign up for an aerobics class to get aerobic exercise. Brisk walking is enough to fulfill your weekly requirement. To fit this time in, try using some of your lunch hour to take a walk. If you walk for 30 minutes a day for five days, you have reached your exercise goal.
Stay Flexible
Stretching helps prevent injuries. It can also help to tone your muscles and prepare you for exercising. Luckily, you can stretch without ever entering a gym. Spend 5 to 10 minutes stretching before exercise. Make sure to stretch all major muscle groups. Take your time and hold each stretch for 30 seconds. Activities like yoga or tai chi also offer great stretches and can be done at home.
Stick to the Five Components
Each exercise program should include five things. It needs a warm up, an aerobic workout, strength-building exercises, flexibility and a cool down. Warm ups can be walking outside or biking. To reach an aerobic level, walk or pedal faster. Strength training can be done through crunches, squats or push-ups. Yoga poses or stretches are easy to do for flexibility. Meanwhile, the cool down can be the same activity as your warm up.
Exercise in the Morning
It is hard to stay motivated for working out. Studies show that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick with it. Plus, there are fewer distractions in the early hours of the day. Set aside a specific time for exercising, and stick with it.
Build Your Muscles
There are also ways you can build your muscles at home. Housework like tilling the garden or scrubbing the bathroom actually build muscles. If you do not have free weights, you can use cans of foods instead. Push ups, leg lifts and other strength-building exercises can be done without a gym.
Easy Aerobics
Biking to work can be an easy way to get your aerobic exercise. If you live in a city, it is actually just as fast to bike to work as it is to drive. You also probably do aerobics already without realizing it. Vacuuming and sweeping both count as aerobic exercise. Shoveling snow, pushing a lawn mower, raking leaves and walking the dog all count as well. It does not take much effort to stay fit if you find the right activities.
Gym memberships can be expensive. Plus, no one really has time to drive to a gym after a long day at work. If you want to stay fit, there are simple ways to fit exercise into your day.