I came across a gentleman today that was overweight. Not in the stocky sense either. His belly was quite large and he was only 48 years old. He had told me that he joined a gym. The problem was that he has not used his membership. When he saw me he thought I was younger than him. And to tell you the truth, I thought he was about 15 years older than his age.
Being truly healthy and fit can help each of us to look and feel more youthful. Yet, like that guy, more and more people don’t think they have the time to exercise or falsely believe they have to join a gym to get fit. And like him, if they do join, the great majority don’t use their membership.
Here’s the truth, you don’t need a gym membership!
While I used to train in a gym, I have for many years stopped training in them. If you need the motivation of the surroundings, then it is okay. I’ve found that we can train anywhere. Mother Nature is one of the best training grounds ever created. That is what I use as well as working out in my home.
You can train and get fit anywhere and at anytime. You just may not know how to or even know that exercise is like outside the gym. I am going to share with you 7 ways that will help you get going and even have fun.
Here are those 7 ways…
- Walk to the store and carry what you bought back. Start off with the stores that are the closest and then progress farther out. Also, don’t carry too much at first, they be too heavy. You’ll save money or gas and get fit too.
- Take the stairs at high rise buildings. This is a great leg and endurance builder. Take two steps at a time to increase the challenge. Run up the stairs for even more endurance and leg burning.
- Play at the park. Many parks have jungle gyms for kids, as well as swings. I’ve used swings to train with. They are great at doing bodyweight rows. Just grab onto the edge of the seat and lean back with your feet on the ground, then do rows.
- Indoor rock climbing. This challenges your upper body and builds muscular endurance. I would even add that it also challenges your decision-making skills as well. One wrong move and you may miss a grip and fall (safely). *Look for online deals, such as from Groupon to test out indoor rock climbing.
- Skipping rope. This fun exercise from your childhood builds timing, endurance and stamina. It works the whole body as well. You can start off with a cloth rope and as you get better, progress to a speed rope with ball bearings. There are also ropes that have more weight to really challenge you.
- Add dance to your day. Have you ever tried Zumba? It is fun and burns a heck of a lot of calories. Here’s the kicker, it is so fun you won’t even know you’ve worked out for 30-40 minutes. Any kind of dance will work you out.
- Go to YouTube and find various workout routines you can do at home. There are many trainers who will give great tips and demonstrate exercises that will help you to learn them. You may even find one in your area that you may want to train with personally.
Bonus Tip… If you’re a parent, get out and play with your kids. I can tell you that you will get a great workout doing that. Playing tag, hide-and-go-seek, crawling with them and even carrying your baby while doing squats are challenging workouts. Be creative!
I wish you a lot of fun getting healthy and fit.
Cheers,
Bob Choat
America’s #1 Mind-Body Transformation Expert and author of Mind Your Own Fitness