How to Stay Healthy Without a Gym Membership

You may be wondering how to stay fit without gym equipment. Fortunately, it’s easier than you think! No gym? No problem! There are plenty of ways you can exercise that don’t involve the gym. And there are a lot of options that don’t require much or any equipment that are often free.

Be sure to include resistance training, cardiovascular exercises, and plenty of stretching to round out your at-home training program.

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Resistance Training Exercises You Can Do at Home Without Gym Equipment

Whether you’re working out in a gym or staying fit at home, it’s important to include some kind of resistance training. Using bodyweight exercises is a fantastic remedy.

Here’s a simple way to set up your bodyweight workout schedule to stay fit without gym equipment:

• Choose exercises for each body part so nothing gets left out.
• Decide how you will structure your workouts: upper body, lower body, or maybe full body three times a week.
• Decide on when and where you’ll work out.

When deciding on your at-home without gym equipment, don’t forget the wonderful resource at your fingertips to help you pick out exercises. You can find many different bodyweight exercises online to try at home for an equipment-less full-body workout. For example, some exercises to consider include:

Walking Lunges—you can do these virtually anywhere, with or without added weight. Start with your hands on your hips and take a giant step forward with your right foot. Bend your knee as far as you can without your heel lifting off the ground. Then, push up through your heel to bring yourself to a standing position again. Repeat with the opposite leg and keep going as you “walk” across the room, around a track, or through your yard.

Planks—a tried-and-true, very popular abdominal exercise you can do anywhere. Start face down on the ground and get up onto your forearms. Next, keeping your body straight, get up onto your toes. Hold this “plank” position for 30 seconds, working your way up to 2 minutes over time.

Supermans—working your back can be a little tough without gym equipment unless you have a pullup bar at home. If not, try Superman exercises. Start by lying face down on a soft surface with both your arms and legs outstretched. Next, squeeze your back to lift your arms, chest, shoulders, and upper body off the ground a few inches while simultaneously squeezing your glutes to lift your legs off the ground. Hold this position as long as you can. Then release and repeat.

Pushups—this is one of the best all-around upper-body exercises you can do. It works your entire chest and shoulder area, as well as the triceps, core, and ancillary muscles. If you’re a beginner, start on your knees with your arms straight and your hands directly under your shoulders. If you’re stronger, get up onto your toes. Keeping your back, butt, and legs straight, bend at the elbows to lower your chest toward the ground. Push your upper body back up by straightening your arms. Repeat.

Cardio Options When You’re Not Going to a Gym

Another necessity when it comes to fitness is cardiovascular exercise. While it’s important to keep your muscles strong, it’s also vital to work out aerobically to improve your heart health and circulation and to help manage your weight.

But, if you’re not taking a class or using a piece of cardio equipment at the gym, what else can you do? Try incorporating some of these options into your plan:

Walking—by far the easiest and most cost-effective way to get in shape, walking is something almost anyone can do in their neighborhoods, at a park, or even in some large warehouse-type stores.

Jogging and Running—with the proper footwear, jogging and running can be hugely beneficial both in terms of your health and to tone muscles and help lower body fat.

Biking—try biking with friends or finding a group near you that gets together for regular rides. Or, you can always go solo, virtually any time and anywhere.

Swimming—if you want to get your cardio from swimming, which is a great way to get in shape without a lot of stress on your joints, try finding spots near you. Try local public pools, neighborhood pools, or bodies of water and swimming holes near you. Often, schools and colleges will have indoor pools you can join for a fee as well.

Team Sports—maybe your office or neighborhood has a softball or basketball team you can join. Or, check local clubs for sports like soccer, field hockey, tennis, pickleball, and more.

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Harness the Power of Online Workouts

And don’t forget about all the workouts you can find online to do at home!

• Fitness Apps—many apps can help you get in a workout. You can follow along on your phone, laptop, or tablet.
• Fitness channels—there are a lot of fitness channels available on YouTube; some are free, and others offer subscription workout programs.

The bottom line: if you were using the “no gym” excuse for not getting in shape, that is officially out the window. Using the suggested strategies provided will help you get healthy and stay fit, all without stepping foot inside a gym.