Let’s Get Moving!
Hey everyone! As promised, I’m back with some exercise ideas to help you switch up your home workouts and hopefully start enjoying exercise a little more! For me, I always feel a little more motivated when I get to try something new.
These exercises vary in level of difficulty, so be sure to modify them or increase the intensity so that the exercises are appropriate for you and your fitness level. I want these exercises to feel challenging, but not unsafe or impossible. Send me a message or leave a comment if you’re not sure if an exercise is right for you!
So, if you’re an exercise newbie or you’ve been a frequent flyer at the gym, here are a few exercise ideas to improve your home workouts!
If you have a chair, try…
Elevated push-ups with your hands on the chair
Exercise experts can try flipping this and putting feet on the chair and hands on the ground for a decline push-up… good luck with this one!
Modified mountain climbers
Put hands on the chair and step backwards as far as you can with one foot, and then the other, so that you’re back in that elevated push-up position. Lift one knee toward your chest, then place it back down, and repeat on the other side. Start slow and progress by moving as quickly as you can through the movement for 20 seconds, 40 seconds, or maybe even up to a minute!
Sit-to-stands
This is one of my favorite exercises! We all do this every day, plus it works on some of the key muscles we need for standing, walking and climbing stairs. Try standing from a chair with your arms crossed over your chest or hands up in the air. Perform as many as you can before you feel like you can’t do any more. If this is too easy, add a speed challenge by performing as many as you can in 30 seconds, rest for a minute, and then try to beat your score in the next 30 seconds.
Tricep dips
Sit on the chair and move your bottom forward with your hands still on the chair. Slowly lower your bottom off the chair toward the floor until your elbows are close to a 90 degree angle, and then use your triceps to straighten your elbows and push your body up. If you’re just starting then try this with your knees bent, and as you get better at this exercise you can move your feet farther away from the chair to increase the challenge.
If you have a reusable grocery bag…
Farmer’s carry
Put as many objects as you can in two grocery bags, and then carry them in both hands with arms down to your side. If it’s easy, then find more stuff!
One-sided farmer’s carry
For an added core challenge, fill only one of your grocery bags up and perform the farmer’s carry on just one side. You’ll need to activate your core in order to keep you from falling over to one side. To make this extra tough, try marching instead of walking. Watch your balance on this one!
Deadlift
Stand with your legs greater than hip width apart and place your heavy grocery bag between your legs. Hinge your hips and bend your knees to grab the bag, and then extend your hips and knees to a full upright position while holding the grocery bag with your arms straight. Slowly lower your bag to the floor and repeat! Deadlifts can be tricky, so feel free to message me with any questions!
Lunges
These ones are my nemesis. They are so challenging, but they are worth the effort! These can definitely be hard enough with just bodyweight, but if you’re ready to put in the extra effort, you can hold your grocery bag in one hand and bend your elbow so your hand is tight to your shoulder. Keep the bag in this position as you take a big step backwards with the leg on the same side as the bag, and then bend both knees down so that both knees are close to 90 degrees bent, and your back knee is close to touching the floor. Step all the way back up to standing, and repeat. Good luck ;)
Try one or all of these moves in your next workout, and I’d love to hear how it goes! Also, leave a comment and let me know what equipment or objects you’d like to see in my next post. And as always, keep moving!