The holidays are awesome. Time to enjoy family and indulge – both in terms of eating and spending. But now that January is upon us and we’ve received our latest credit card/bank statements, as well as realized we can no longer fit into our favourite jeans, we have to find a way to loose those extra pounds without racking up any more dept in the process.
Have no fear! You certainly don’t need a big wallet or a membership at a gym to establish a kick-butt workout. All you need is a little imagination and some good shoes. The rest is a combo of will power, determination and consistency. A.K.A. - up to you.
Here are some great exercise suggestions.
No cost… FREE… exercises. The best kind!
Body weight exercises are very effective, especially when first getting back into a workout routine (you don’t want to over do it as you can get hurt or discouraged easily). Squats, lunges, pushups, tricep dips, planks, and mountain climbers are the classics. These are excellent when performed in supersets performed in intervals to get a full body strength boosting workout as well as increasing the heart rate and burning even more calories!
Squats: 15-20 reps
Push ups: 15-20 reps.(knees for beginners, toes for advanced)
Alternate these without any rest in between sets. Do 2-3 sets to start and work yourself up to 3-5 sets.
No cost equipment
Look in your kitchen cupboards or in your laundry room and you’ve got yourself a great set of free weights! You can use soup cans, water bottles, detergent bottles, computer or duffle bags filled with books… be creative. Here’s a little chart that shows you the weight associated with some of these commonly found household items.
| Item | Weight in Pounds |
|---|---|
| Soup Can | .5-1lb |
| Detergent Bottle (full) | 3-4lbs |
| Water Bottle | 1.5-2lbs |
Spend a little for max results
There are some great items everyone should have in their home. They are cheep, fun and add great dimension to one’s workout (especially after six to eight weeks of body weight only exercises). For example a jump rope is only a few dollars and is an incredible cardio workout. Try doing intervals of fast jumping and slower, double jumping. Do this for 5 minutes and your heart rate will be through the roof. Other great items for under $20 include: resistance bands/tubing, stability ball, pilates ball, light hand weights, discs, kids soccer ball.
Hello stairs!
They are everywhere and a very effective workout. Run the stairs at work, at home… really anywhere to get that heart rate pumping. Jumping jacks are also a great way to get the blood flowing and cost nothing.
Get outside
Winter or not… get out and get some fresh air. Do it as a family. Build a snowman. Bundle up and go for a walk in a park. Use benches you find along the way and incorporate some of the exercises listed above. Have fun, explore and enjoy!
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