6 ideas to get your workout done at home

Over the last year, you may have stopped going to the gym.  I did.  Maybe now that you’re out of the routine you’re not sure you want to go back. Or, maybe you were never a gym person, to begin with.  You just didn’t have the time or didn’t like all the people in your space. Below are 6 ideas to get your workout done at home.

At midlife, we KNOW how important it is for us to move our bodies and do some type of strength training. There are a number of different moves you can add to daily routines to improve your fitness level.

You just need to find some things that you enjoy to help burn some calories and keep your muscles strong and your heart rate up for a bit. There are many options just using your own body.

At this stage in life, it’s more than vanity, friend.   But it’s perfectly fine, in my opinion, if vanity is the initial motivator.    I want you to pursue optimal health and truly enjoy the 2nd half of life.

I hope some of the following will give you some insight into ways you can be more intentional in getting in some bodyweight and/or cardio workouts with what you are already doing during the day around your home.

1. GARDENING

According to webmd.com you can burn between 200 – 600 calories per hour depending on what type of gardening you’re doing.

• Heavy yard work (landscaping, moving rocks, hauling dirt): 400-600 calories per hour
• Raking and bagging leaves: 350-450 calories per hour
• Gardening: pulling weeds, planting flowers, etc.: 200-400 calories per hour

If you enjoy gardening, or now want to start one since you see the benefit to your health, check out my friend, Rebecca’s blog post, Now is a perfect time to start a Spring garden.

2. HULA HOOPING

I had not seen a hula hoop for years. And then my 20-year-old (at the time) came home with one.   Apparently, they are a “thing” at the music festivals she had been going to.

I remember thinking “oh how fun, I used to hoop when I was in high school.”

Surfing online one night I came across a site where women MY AGE were hooping.

Hula hooping isn’t just for the school kids, gen z or y.

It looked like a great way to burn calories and have fun at the same time.

Hooping has many benefits.  A couple that impressed me was the fact that I could burn approx 160 calories a half hour and with a weighted hoop, I may lose inches around my waist and hips.  And if you’re like me those are some areas we need to hoop down in size!

If you would like to purchase a weighted hoop made specifically for your size and experience level, check out Geri’s blog, aRoundJoy.  Geri has a lot of posts to demonstrate how to get started and has a hooping community too.

3. HOUSEWORK

Here are some suggestions on ways of incorporating exercises into your cleaning routine.

The weekends are when I do some heavy-duty cleaning — back and forth through the house and yard.  I can often get really close to 10,000 steps in a Saturday never leaving my home.   Granted it’s over a few hours but that’s movement!

What about adding lunges when running the vacuum or mopping?  Switch it up and add in reverse lunges too. Can you throw in some bicep curls or squats every time you change the laundry? Get on the floor and do some sit-ups or planks before and after making the beds. See how you just worked your upper body and lower body while accomplishing a household task?

Be creative.  Figure out ways to strengthen your muscles and bones.

4. JUMPING ROPE AND JUMPING JACKS

Cinderella, dressed in yellow
Went upstairs to kiss her fellow
Made a mistake
And kissed a snake
How many doctors
Did it take?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5…

Remember as a school kid you used to be able to jump all recess long? Or, had no problem with jumping jacks?   It’s so much harder than I remember it being back then.

It is good for the heart, lungs and bone health to name a few.  There are many other benefits and it’s pretty convenient.

5. WALKING

So many options with walking.

I enjoy walking with a friend, but they aren’t always available when I am.

So, maybe I will walk alone, but catch up with a friend on the phone.  It just goes so much faster for me.

What’s even better is if we’re both walking and talking on the phone while working on better health together, (while apart).

Of course, you can walk and catch up on some of your latest podcasts in the queue.  Lately, I’ve been listening to my friend, Molly’s podcast, Breaking the Bottle Legacy  Cat Coluccios Rocking Midlife podcasts and The Jennifer Allwood Show.

If you are a community-minded person, my friend, Amy has a supportive group for women, who make walking a part of their life,   on Facebook called Sizzlers Challenge.You will get a daily dose of encouragement, as well.

6. DANCING

And my favorite activity is turning up the music and dancing like no one’s watching!

It’s a great workout at home and can help with weight loss when combined with a good nutritional plan.

Back in the day, we used to just turn up the jams and have our own dance party.  Now there’s videos, reels and tik tok that we can copy choreographed dances, record our own and broadcast to our social community following.

Maybe one day I’ll hop on that, but not yet.

As well as getting our movement & strength training, it is important to take care of our health.  If you are looking for an easy to follow weight loss plan,  that fits perfectly into a busy schedule without a big fitness commitment, I would love to chat with you about what works so well for me.  Just fill out this form and I’ll be in touch!