Workout Tips

TIPS FOR WORKING OUT FROM HOME:

  • Dedicate a space that will provide enough focus and room to do your workout
  • Push yourself to get the results you want
  • Be creative and substitute equipment you have available to use at the Y.  While these aren’t perfect replacements, they’ll help keep you in shape:
    • Your Body Weight: You can use your body weight for all types of strengthening and toning exercises.
    • Milk Jugs: One full gallon of a milk jug weighs about 8.5 pounds.  Perfect for an arm workout.
    • Laundry Detergent Bottles: Laundry detergent bottles are good weight alternatives.  A 72-ounce bottle weighs about 5 pounds.
    • Stairs are great for cardio. If you’ve got stairs in your home, you can get a cardio workout just walking up and down them a few times. Carry around any heavy objects while you do, and you’ve added weight resistance. It’s simple but effective.
    • Use a stable chair for three workouts
      • Dips- Place hands on both front corners of the seat, extend your legs, bend your elbows to lower yourself down, then straighten your arms to raise yourself back up.
      • Incline push-ups-lowering your chest to the chair, then raise yourself back up.
      • Decline push-ups – your feet are on the chair instead of your hands. By performing multiple types of push-ups, you’re blasting all of those chesticles. Loading a backpack up with weight adds intensity to exercises. This can be added on your walk, pushups, etc.
    • On a wall, you can do a wall push-up
    • A towel is another person’s resistance band. Use a towel to help with stretching or for an arm workout.
  • Your workout should contain five main components:
    1. Warm-up—something to get your body ready for your workout. It could be an easy walk or slow pace on a bike.
    2. Cardio—an activity you enjoy that gets your heart rate up, like jogging, step aerobics, or jumping rope.
    3. Strength-building—resistance exercises to help build and tone your muscles. Try squats, pushups, bicep curls, or leg presses.
    4. Flexibility—increase flexibility with yoga and stretching.
    5. Cooldown—similar to your warm-up; bring your heart rate down
  • Remember, some activity is better than ceasing it during this time!