Going to the gym can be expensive, time-consuming and ineffective. If you don't crank up the intensity while you're there, it can seem as if you never went at all. Luckily, you can do many of the same exercises and get similar or even better results right at home. The key is balancing each exercise session and including enough variety so that your whole body gets an effective workout.
Aerobics
Aerobics, otherwise known as cardiosvascular exercise, elevates your heart rate and helps you burn extra calories. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that all healthy adults get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 60 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity weekly. If you have a treadmill or elliptical machine, you can use that for a portion of your aerobic activity, but there are also plenty of ways to get cardio exercise without any equipment. Try jogging, biking, swimming or dancing regularly. Harvard Medical School also suggests upping your aerobic activity by doing more physically active things daily, such as swinging your arms when you walk, cleaning your home daily, taking the stairs whenever possible and parking far away from your destination to walk the distance.
Strength
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a well-balanced home exercise program should include elements of aerobics, flexibility and strength training. It's easy to build muscle strength and endurance by using your own body weight, but you can also consider using low-cost equipment such as a medicine ball, fitness ball, resistance band or dumbbells to pump up the intensity of your movements. The idea with strength training is to develop your muscles, which should help your body look toned and lean. Try including exercises such as bicep curls, triceps kickbacks, squats, lunges and dead lifts in a weekly strength training plan, or use an exercise DVD that guides you through a series of simple strength maneuvers.
Flexibility
Stretching helps improve your balance and can also prevent serious muscle injuries that may arise during more vigorous exercise. The Mayo Clinic recommends stretching whenever you do a workout at home, noting that you should breathe freely during your movements and focus on the tension in your muscles. Static or nonmoving stretches are most beneficial to do after exercising to cool down and help your muscles relax. Before you begin a cardio or strength workout, try swinging your arms in circles, reaching down to touch your toes several times and rotating your waist, ankles, neck and wrists to warm them up for more activity.
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