Keeping free weights close at hand is an easy way to workout at home!
Photo by Leslie Hassler

While I write these posts hoping to get everyone off the couch, the reality is there are days we get sidelined from hitting the gym or taking a run. However, being trapped in the house because your kid is home sick or you got caught up on a spring cleaning marathon doesn’t mean you can’t sneak in some activity. So on this Motivation Monday, I offer some simple ways to make your home work for you when it’s the only option you have for a quasi-workout:

TV room/den/family room:

• If you can bear the esthethics, switch out your favorite chair with a stability ball so you’re forced to sit with great posture and engage your core while watching TV.
• Stash resistance bands, free weights, a medicine ball and a foam roller in a box so you can grab something to work with while you’re reading or watching TV. If I can stash these items behind a chair in a corner of my 585-square-foot New York City apartment, you can find room in your place, too!
• Instead of fast forwarding through commercial breaks on your DVR, use those few minutes to bang out some hover squats. Lift your body a few inches off your couch or chair, hold up to five seconds and lower down and repeat. (Don’t forget to draw-in your navel and press your heels into the floor to engage your glutes.) Go for 10 reps before stopping. Keep going until your show resumes.

Kitchen:

• Bang out some wall sits and/or wall pushups while waiting on your food to cook.
• Use a counter for balance to do calf raises & squats while waiting for water to boil, coffee to brew or veggies to steam. 
• Give the gadgets a rest and put your forearms to work by using a manual can opener and chop veggies instead of tossing them in the food processor.

Bathroom:

• Do some calf raises while you brush your teeth and/or hold two-second “cheek” squeezes for each glute.
• Leave workout gear on a shelf or hanging on the towel rack. Since this is the first room most of us hit first thing in the morning, having your gear ready to throw on may be the small push you need to break a sweat afterall.

I realize these small moves won’t produce the same results as a normal power walk or run or hitting your weight circuit or favorite exercise class. However, on those days when your routine gets sidelined, every little bit helps when it comes to finding ways to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!