Keeping fit during the past few weeks has not been an easy feat for many! We can no longer access gyms, leisure centres and sports clubs and on top of that we are limited to just an hour for outdoor exercise per day (well, those of us who follow the guidelines are!) So after my walk with the kids and the dog, it doesn’t leave much time for anything else!
If you’re lucky enough to have some fitness equipment at home then with the rise in all of the live workouts, fitness memberships and online programmes you are pretty much guaranteed to be able to find a workout to suit you during this lockdown period.
However, if like many, you missed the boat with ordering equipment at the start of the lockdown, then its unlikely you will find anywhere delivering fitness equipment this side of summer!
Fear not! There is actually a whole host of household items/furniture that you can actually turn into some of the best exercise equipment out there and here are our top 10:
Resistance Band Tights
You can pretty much get a full body workout in with a simple resistance band and don’t worry if you haven’t got one as you can make one out of a pair of tights!
Sliders
We love to use sliders in our workout and they are great for adding intensity to you workout and making your core work harder. If you don’t have a pair of real sliders then you have two options
Laminate floor – use two tea towels or dusters under your feet, spray a bit of furniture polish and away you go!
Carpet – Put a plastic bag on each foot and tie around the ankle to keep it on and you can now slide on carpet as you work your core!
Cable Machine
If you’re lucky enough to have a resistance band at home, then you can make yourself a cable machine with a simple rolling pin! This opens up so many opportunities for exercises at home.
Stairs
Research shows that stair climbing helps strengthen and tone your leg muscles. It keeps your leg arteries flexible, allowing blood to move more easily. Better blood flow in your legs equals a healthier heart and body
Leg Press Machine
Create yourself a leg press machine with your partner/child to give yourself a great lower body resistance workout.
Weighted Vest
Fill a backpack with some tins/bags of sugar etc to create yourself a weighted vest. Wear this when you are performing cardio drills/squatting to increase the intensity of your workout.
Dumbbells
Fill empty water bottles with sugar/sand/water to create different weight dumbbells to use for upper body workouts to add extra resistance.
Bosu
Use a cushion on the floor to stand on when performing single leg exercises to create instability to challenge your core and train proprioception.
Mobility Pole
Unscrew your sweeping brush handle to create a mobility pole that you can use to work on your overhead squat technique and shoulder mobility.
Kettlebell
Fill two 4/6 pint milk bottles with water to create a pair of kettlebells that you can swing and press to create a full body kettlebell workout at home.
These are just 10 items that you can use at home – we would love to hear if you have been creative with your workout equipment over the past month! Let us know in the comments below
