Tips for Staying Active without the Gym

Staying active is so important to your health. This time of year many people will embark on a fitness journey as part of their New Year resolution or in efforts to prep on their bikini bodies for the upcoming spring and summer. Unfortunately, all these gym resolutions can cause the gyms to become packed during this time.  Nothing is worse than getting yourself to the gym only to find out that all the treadmills or elliptical machines are taken and you have to waste time waiting for a machine to become available. Gym memberships can also be pricey – in addition to the monthly membership cost, many gyms have fees for signing up and additional charges for certain classes or even using towels!

Health and wellness doesn’t have to include excessive fees or waiting in overcrowded gyms. Luckily you don’t need that gym membership to achieve your fitness goals. Since your health and happiness is our main concern at QOL we created a list of ways to stay active that don’t include that expensive gym membership!

• Take advantage of fitness videos – Using fitness videos offers you a lot of flexibility. If you have gym equipment then you can choose videos that tailor to what you have. If you don’t have any equipment – that is fine! You can find tons of videos that use just body weight exercises. Do some research online to find workout videos that work for you!
• Walk when possible – going to grab coffee or breakfast this weekend? Try walking there instead of driving. Walking is one of the most underrated exercises. You can also invite your friends to come along – this turns walking into a fun social event!
• Take the stairs – You know that fancy stair machine at the gym? Well it’s made to recreate the action of walking up actual stairs. Lucky for you stairs can be found in your house, apartment building or at work! Do a few laps of your stairs everyday – did you know that climbing stairs burns more calories per minute than jogging? Take advantage of this!
• Use your bodyweight -planks, push-ups, squats, jumping jacks and step-ups are all great bodyweight workouts that you can do in your own home! You can also use furniture as fitness equipment. Try doing box squats or step ups on a chair.
• Turn chores into a workout – cleaning is actually a great workout. You can burn a surprising amount of calories just by doing basic housework!
• Take your pet out for a walk – taking your dog for a walk is a great workout for you and your fur-baby. Maybe you don’t have a dog? Ask your friend or neighbor if their dog needs a walk!
• Cut back on sitting – use commercial breaks to walk/jog in place. Try standing for activities you normally sit for. Remember every little bit of activity helps push you towards a fitter you!

We hope this list can help you take steps towards your fitness goal this year. If you are dead set on joining a gym, try holding off until February. The New Year resolution gym rush tends to die down at this time and some gyms might even offer membership discounts. In the meantime, make it a goal to take advantage of at least one of these tips – if you can do all seven, that’s great too!

Share this blog with your friends and family so they can get active too!