Ways to Work Out Without a Home Gym

If you have the equipment at home already – great! Frequent exercise is important now more than ever, with everyone still at home. Not moving around enough can lead to serious health problems – and exercise is especially important for teens and growing kids, who are missing out on their daily gym class and sports practices.

But in case your family doesn’t have a Peloton at home, here are some ways you and your loved ones can keep in shape without leaving the house.

Exercise videos on YouTube

There are countless channels on YouTube where gyms and independent instructors share their expertise with viewers. They guide you through each exercise, oftentimes giving words of encouragement as you follow along. These videos can be anything from warm-up yoga routines to specialized workouts meant to strengthen a particular group of muscles.

And if you have kids home from school, there are even channels aimed at kids! Fellow kids and teens have their own channels where they guide viewers through age-appropriate exercise routines so that kids don’t miss a day of gym class.

Five-minute exercises

It’s suggested that office workers move around once every hour for their health. This is important to your overall health, as it helps prevent clotting and heart disease. It doesn’t even have to be a full workout; a few minutes of exercise throughout the day makes a huge difference.

These simple, quick exercises can be anything from desk push-ups to using a pair of small dumbbells to doing a set of sit-ups, squats or arm pulses. And of course, there are more comprehensive lists on the Washington Post and other sites.

Living room sports

If you have little ones around the room, a game of soccer or baseball with furniture-safe fabric balls is another way to get everyone moving. It’s a great way to get everyone moving and hungry for dinner as well, and helps keep your family from getting bored during the quarantines!

Exercise video games

Game systems such as the Wii and system accessories such as the PlayStation Move and Xbox Kinect are all great ways to get moving in your living room. From dancing games like the “Just Dance” series to the wide collection of sports simulation games out there, you’ll be able to find a game that gives you and your loved ones a tolerable family workout.

Bonus tip: if you still have your old Dance Dance Revolution mat for your PlayStation 2, you can also use that as a controller for any PS2 game!