working out

Flashback Friday: 88 Easy Ways to Get More Exercise

Chrissa Hardy — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 08:31:14 +0000

Working out is not easy. Conjuring up the motivation to work out is also not easy. When you're snuggled up in bed, the last thing you want to do is exit the blankets and pillows and move around enough to sweat. But unfortunately, it's a necessity to staying healthy, and well, alive. Take the effort out of it and get moving with these easy tips.

50 Ways to Make Exercise More Fun — In order to want to workout, it needs to not feel like a waking nightmare. It needs to be fun. Or at least, not completely terrible. These tips will give you that, so you never skip a workout again.

10 No-Sweat Workouts Perfect for the Workplace — A great way to get your daily workouts over and done with is to do them at work. That way, when you leave for the day, you won't have to head to the gym. These workouts are easy and won't cause you to sweat through your shirt.

6 Simple Ways to Get More Exercise Without Working Out — The best workouts are always the ones you don't even realize you're doing until you're done. If you take every possible opportunity to move more throughout the day by taking the stairs, parking further away, etc., you'll burn more calories without having to hit the treadmill.

7 Ways to Sneak More Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule — An excuse that we all use to get out of exercising is that we're "too busy" to make the time. We have things to do, meals to cook, and errands to run, so workouts land at the bottom of the to-do list. But if you set small active goals each day to move more, and practice healthier habits, you're on your way.

6 Apps That Pay You to Workout — We're all motivated by money, so why not use it to get us to move more? These apps will actually pay you to exercise, so you're officially out of excuses not to.

9 Quick Workouts You Can Do During Commercial Breaks — Even if you stream all your favorite shows, you'll still be stuck sitting through ads. During those quick breaks, hop off the couch and get moving. By the time the show returns, you've earned a break to sit back down.

This article is from Chrissa Hardy of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Ways to Earn Extra Money With a Healthy Lifestyle

Damian Davila — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 08:31:05 +0000

Whether you made yourself a promise to eat better, exercise more, or become healthier, you'll dramatically increase your chances of success by earning some bucks every time you stick to your plan. Here's a list of apps and sites that can help you turn your healthy lifestyle into a decent side hustle.

1. Explore your neighborhood for job opportunities

Use the Job Spotter app from Indeed to explore your neighborhood in search of local help wanted ads.The app gives you five to 150 points per eligible shot of help wanted ads and allows you to convert points into Amazon gift card codes (one point = one cent in Amazon credit). A stroll through your nearest mall or marketplace could help you get a couple extra dollars. Yours truly made $42.37 in Amazon gift cards in 21 days.

2. Bet on your fitness goals

With StepBet, you can put your money where your mouth is. By placing around a $40 bet, you'll join other players in a competition to meet personalized step goals every week for the entire duration of the competition. If you hit all of your personalized goals, then you split the pot with all the others that did, as well. (See also: 6 Apps That Pay You to Workout)

3. Compete with friends on weight loss

With HealthyWage, you can make a bet to lose a certain amount of weight over a period of time and win cash prizes. For example, if you were to bet $50 per month that it would take you up to nine months to lose 30 pounds, you could win from $500 to $1,323.53 in cash prizes.

However, by joining forces with four more friends or relatives, you could compete for three top prizes of $10,000, $5,000, and $3,000! You just need to bet $25 per member per month for three months. To get at least your money back, you must lose at least 10 percent of your body weight within a nine-month period.

4. Track your weight loss goals

Every time you enter your weight into the Walgreens Balance Rewards program, you'll get 20 points. With these points, you can accumulate points for dollars off your purchases at Walgreens. Every 5,000 points are redeemable for a $5 discount, but once you hit 30,000 points, you'll get bonus points (30,000 points and 40,000 points are redeemable for a $35 and $50 discount, respectively).

5. Walk dogs

Companies like Wag and Rover are looking for individuals age 18 and over who are able to walk dogs for a few hours a day. If you're outgoing, eager to hang out with some cute pups, and looking to increase your daily step count, this is a great side gig. (See also: 8 Ways to Get Fit While Hanging Out With Animals)

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This article is from Damian Davila of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

8 Ways to Get Fit While Hanging Out With Animals

Mikey Rox — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 08:30:08 +0000

Working out isn't always fun. You know you have to do it, but the sweating and the sore muscles aren't always appealing. Luckily, there are ways to get your sweat on and actually enjoy yourself, especially if that workout allows you to hang with your favorite four-legged pet. If your love of fitness rivals your love of animals, check out these ways to integrate your two passions for a healthier and happier lifestyle.

1. Goat yoga

Goats are frickin' adorable, that we knew already. But they've probably never been more adorable than when they're acting as therapy animals in the hot new exercise trend sweeping the nation that combines goats and yoga. Lainey Morse, who created the Goat Yoga concept on her farm in western Oregon, has people clamoring to get into her classes, which are starting to expand across the country.

These classes progress as you might expect — humans move through yoga positions while the goats do whatever the heck they want, like jump on your back while you're in child's pose. Morse says the classes are helping people with anxiety and depression, but there are other mental and physical health benefits associated with this type of animal-assisted therapy, such as: reducing loneliness, lowering blood pressure, and diminishing overall pain. (See also: 5 Things Yoga Can Teach You About Money)

2. Horseback riding

If your fitness goals include abs of steel, hop on a horse. Riding equines requires a decent amount of core strength to stay balanced, and continued riding can improve posture in day-to-day activities. You'll develop better coordination, enhance muscle tone and flexibility (your inner thighs and pelvis get the biggest workout on a horse), and you'll also enjoy the meditative effects that come with focusing on the ride and staying on the horse. Giddy-up!

3. Tending to horses

If riding horses isn't your thing, then tending to horses can satisfy your urge to interact with the animals while staying fit. London-based Pilates educator Julie Driver — who uses the exercise system to enhance riders' skills — says that there are plenty of other ways to tone up in the company of mares and stallions.

Alongside the benefits of riding itself, Driver suggests these other activities to break a sweat.

Mucking out soiled bedding in the stables

You'll feel the burn in your biceps and forearms after wielding that pitchfork for a period of time.

Carrying straw bales

The average straw bale weighs between 35 and 55 pounds, so replacing the soiled straw that you removed while mucking out the stall will have you burning calories and using your upper body as you move the bales around.

Grooming your horse

Drive suggests using long sweeping strokes to really clean your horse and move your shoulders.

Filling and carrying water buckets

Bend your knees and pick up those buckets. Preferably one in each hand to make sure you're balanced.

"All these chores involve an increase in heart rate and aerobic activity with the added benefit of being in the fresh air and outside of a gym environment," adds Driver. They can all be done as an alternative to the gym, and you could even time yourself!"

4. Dog walking

If you want to keep things moving but not overexert yourself, dog walking may be the gig for you. It's easier than ever to pick up this side hustle that allows you to trot somebody else's pup around the neighborhood while getting paid for it. I offer my services on Rover.com (probably the most popular peer-to-peer pet service out there), which is primarily a dog-sitting service, but there is a walking component to it. (See also: How to Make $400+ a Week as a Pet Sitter)

5. Dog agility training

Plenty of dog moms and dads send their pups away to be professionally trained, but now there are programs available, like Thank Dog! Bootcamp, that offers integrated human and canine personal fitness so you and your pooch can get physically and mentally fit together. This particular program is only available in Tennessee and Ohio at the moment, but you may be able to find something similar in your area with a quick online search. (See also: 7 Ways to Get Fit With Your Dog)

6. Cat hiking

Mallory Crusta is the owner of Wildernesscat Natural Pet Care, a site dedicated to "providing natural health solutions for adventurous cats." She's also a supporter of "adventure cats," a social media-fueled phenomenon that has cats stepping outside of the home and exploring the great outdoors. While kayaking, sailing, camping, and even skiing with cats are all activities growing in popularity, hiking is one with real potential for improving your fitness.

"Of course, it's crucial that your cat is comfortable with a leash and harness long before you start exploring the local state park," Crusta adds. "Take a few test walks, first through your house, then in the backyard, to gradually acclimate your cat to the experience. It's also critical that your hiking cat is trained to come when called. Treats are often the key to training: use them to teach your cat to follow you."

7. Weightlifting for livestock

I have friends who raise chickens on their property and they can attest to the strength-training they receive by hauling around feed bags and maintaining the coops. "The Critter Lady" Kelly Meister-Yetter also told me about her three flightless domestic ducks living in her backyard, and just about every facet of their care involves weightlifting.

"Their bags of feed weigh 50 lbs, and the bales of straw I use in their pen weigh over 20 lbs — all of which must be moved from the back of my car to the shed in the backyard," she says.

8. Birding

Novice and veteran ornithologists (and just regular Joes who like watching birds) will reap the benefits of birding through improved cardiovascular health. Bird watchers sometimes walk many miles in search of their flighty subjects. You'll gain increased upper arm strength by holding binoculars and cameras for an extended period, and quick reflexes.

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This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: Mental Hacks for Working Out

Amy Lu — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:00:08 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found articles on mental hacks for working out, grocery shopping tips for a zero waste home, and why you should buy winter tires now.

5 Fitness Gadgets Actually Worth the Money

Claire Millard — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 09:00:12 +0000

It's no secret that some exercise routines are costly, and without complete commitment, the benefits might be minimal. You could spend a fortune on a gym membership and personal trainers, but certain small, clever fitness investments can do the same (or more) for a much lower cost.

Here are a few fitness tech gadgets that really pay off.

Fitness Trackers

Fitness trackers have been hot for a couple of years now, and they are certainly a smart way for those of use with a sedentary lifestyle to gently increase exercise and improve overall wellness. As a bonus, they're cheaper than a gym membership and can help you incorporate more movement in your real life, rather than trying to make huge — and ultimately unsustainable — lifestyle changes.

If you're in the market for a fitness tracker, Fitbit Blaze could be the thing for you. At around $200, it is more expensive than bracelet style trackers, but makes up for that in both form and function.

Aside from the aesthetics (this is a watch design), the tracker includes all you would expect — step count, activity and sleep trackers, and so on — and more. The gadget has a heart rate monitor built in and even allows you to monitor your calls and texts on the go. The main bonus is the ability to access workouts on your device, which might make this a worthwhile investment if it means you can drop that costly gym subscription.

Smart Shorts

Lumo products are perfect for runners seeking to improve performance. The tracker clips onto your clothing, or can be inserted into a specially designed pocket in Lumo's own range of smart apparel, and measures your running style like no other. This gadget is more like having your own running coach in your pocket than an average fitness tracker, providing lab-standard biometric data all the way through your training. Get details about your stride pattern, bounce, and cadence, which can then be converted by the app into drills and exercises for improvement.

Use the sensor with headphones to get live, on-the-go coaching based on the measurements being taken, or simply download the data after your run for some analysis and action planning. Even better, the gear is available for preorder at a discount, starting from under $80 for the tracker and clip.

Fitness, Diet, and Goal Tracking Apps

The world of apps and gadgets has exploded in recent years. The theory goes that by monitoring as much as you can, you have a better opportunity to understand and ultimately improve your health and wellness. Over time you build a data set which allows you to see the progress, either through getting more active, eating better, improving metrics like your weight or heart rate, or cutting back on bad habits.

If you go out running or cycling regularly, try Strava, which is designed to track and share your training, and can help you share your progress by linking to your social media accounts. For an all round support system covering nutrition, stress, sleep and exercise, try Noom, a smart app that allows you to track your progress and receive expert advice.

Finally, if you're in the UK, check out Sweatcoin, the app that makes your exercise pay you. Track your steps and swap them for "sweatcoins" you can cash in for real rewards. Going global soon, so get ready!

Digital Coaching

Digital coaching is a great halfway house if you want some human input into your training but can't afford the time or money for a personal trainer. Apps such as coach.me are designed to allow you to track your progress against a goal, and enlist the support of a remote trainer.

If the midriff is looking a little wobbly, and the prospect of summer on the beach is sending a shiver up your spine, then don't be tempted to throw money at the problem. Instead, do a bit of research into the tech products and services that can help you get in shape without breaking the bank. The range on offer is developing every day, leaving very little room for excuses when it is time to bust out that bikini.

What fitness tech products are working for you? Tell us in the comments.

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This article is from Claire Millard of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

12 Cheap Home Workout Hacks for People With No Equipment and No Room

Jennifer Holder — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 10:00:06 +0000

If your two New Year's resolutions were to work out and stay on a budget, you might be faced with a conundrum. Working out at home seems like an affordable alternative to a gym until you realize that you actually need to purchase equipment. But you can forget the weights, steppers, and other costly equipment by grabbing these items from around your house and getting to work. There are no excuses left for your wallet or your workout.

1. Your Own Body

Your body is your best equipment. There are a ton of total body workouts out there. These workouts use absolutely no equipment except for a mat (which isn't really a requirement), and your own bodyweight. Just be extra careful to do your moves precisely as these workouts can be more intense than just push ups and sit ups.

2. Water Bottles and Jugs

Use one to five gallon jugs of water (or milk), which can double as eight to 40 pound weights. The jugs make great dumbbells or kettlebells for numerous workouts. For less weight, a 16 oz bottle of water weighs approximately one pound. The handles will be a little different than what you're used to, so make sure you don't injure your hand as you lift them.

Keep in mind that we're not all equipped to lift giant jugs of water, so start small and work your way up. Another alternative is the giant laundry detergent bottles like Tide. I buy the largest one available at Costco and consistently build up my muscles on laundry day, so why not use it during a workout?

3. Soup Cans

Large tomato and soup cans also make great hand weights. The ribbed sides help you keep your grip so you can use them like you would smaller dumbbells.

4. Bags of Rice

Really, anything in your kitchen weighs between one and five pounds. Bags of rice are easy to lift up and down, and weigh around two pounds.

5. Fruit or Vegetables

When you buy a five-pound bag of potatoes, they actually do weigh… five pounds. You can easily use these to lift up and down to build up your arm muscles. Pumpkins can work as an alternative to a medicine ball as long as they are thrown gently. Of course, there is also the array of bags of apples, oranges, and the like. Use all of these as an alternative to kettlebells or dumbbells.

6. Towels

Use towels as resistance bands. Start by stretching your arms straight out in front for you and pulling, then put your towel above your head and stretch, and then put the towel above and behind your head and stretch. This is a great shoulder and arm workout. Alternatively, use your bathrobe tie. The tie likely has some elastic in it, and will give even more resistance with your workouts. Towels can also be used as yoga mats, if you don't have one but want to get started with a video at home.

7. Chairs

There are numerous workouts you can do with an average, everyday chair. From tricep dips to incline pushups, the options are limitless. And if you love barre workouts, a chair is the perfect alternative to a barre.

8. Pillows

Pillows can be used for a number of workouts. They can make an incline, or can be used as a soft exercise ball alternative. If you love barre classes or inclined ab workouts, this is the perfect and less expensive version. Fold the pillow to make it fit even better between your legs for barre workouts or place under your lower back as you do ab crunches.

9. Wall

Walls are the best for toning legs, abs, or arms. Use one of your four walls in your home to perform wall squats, push ups, or crunches.

10. Books

Books are heavy and can be used in a number of workouts. Grab the textbook that you kept from college or that dictionary you've yet to use in place of dumbbells or weights. Try to keep steady and let your arms get the workout they need. Books can be cumbersome, so be careful not to twist your wrist.

11. Stairs

If you have stairs in your house, you have ready-made workout equipment. Use them for running up and down, stair jumps, or simply strengthening your calf muscles with toe lifts. Be careful not to fall, of course, but stairs can be great for building up leg muscles.

12. Your Child

That's right. If you have a baby or toddler, they weigh between five and 30 pounds (or more!). Not only that, but they require a lot of carrying around. Use your bundle of joy to your advantage by checking out these YouTube workouts. You'll get bonding time and a killer bod all at the same time.

What are your workout equipment alternatives?

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This article is from Jennifer Holder of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

10 Clever Ways to Improve Your Home Gym

Ashley Marcin — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 21:15:18 +0000

Gym memberships are expensive. At the same time, staying fit and active is important for your health. Heck — healthy habits, like exercise, can even save you money! Here are some tips for creating a great at-home gym without spending a fortune.

1. Use What You Have

Take stock of any equipment you already have. We have a spinning bike, some kettlebells, a balance ball, yoga mats, and hand weights. Put everything in one area so you're not always searching around the house. If you do nothing else, at least you'll be more likely to use your equipment if it's all in once place.

2. Check Around

Don't have much? You can find gently used treadmills, stationary bikes, rowing machines, other cardio equipment, weights, and more on sites like Craigslist. There are some things you should know about buying a used machines. Experts at Runner's World say you should research the brand of treadmills, for example. Don't forget to ask about the machine's background, obtain any service records, and even test it out before handing over the cash.

3. Calculate

The big price tags on cardio equipment can be frightening — but consider the return. The YMCA where we live charges $80/month for membership. We recently bought a treadmill (on sale) for around $900. If you divide this cost by a year, you come up with $75 a month. No, we won't get all the gym extras, but my husband and I primarily use the treadmill anyway. Plus, the machine will last for years and even comes with a warranty.

4. Think Body Weight

Getting a great workout can be accomplished with absolutely no equipment. If you don't have money to invest in your gym, try first making a dedicated area for working out in your home. You can search for free online workouts, do pushups, jumping jacks, sit-ups, and other basic moves, and even strike a few yoga stretching poses. (See also: These At-Home Exercises Give You a Gym-Quality Workout for Free)

5. Create the Space

You may not have a dedicated room to make your at-home gym, and that's okay. Carve out some space in your family room or even your garage. This blogger created her at-home gym in a corner of a room by putting a treadmill in the space. The rest — magazines, headphones, towels, a yoga mat, and resistance bands — is organized on a peg board and clip boards.

6. Get Organized

Here's another wonderful way to keep all your gym items neat and tidy. Buy or repurpose an inexpensive book shelf and place it behind your treadmill, elliptical, or other equipment. You can store anything from shoes to water bottles to hand weights on the shelf. If you have even more stuff, hang a wall shelf above that for the rest.

7. Inspire Yourself

Hang some inspirational quotes or posters to help you get moving. Try stenciling words in bright colors on your wall so you can see it while you're working out. You just need paint, tape, a brush, and some patience. Trace the letters and mark them in tape before painting.

8. Jot It Down

I love this idea to paint a chalkboard wall or two in your gym space to track workouts. If you don't want to paint directly onto your wall, try buying a chalkboard or even painting the glass in an old picture frame.

9. Floor It

Making your gym in your garage or basement? You don't have to suffer with that cold concrete floor. Cover it up with some rubber tiles that can be installed like puzzle pieces. You'll find a variety of prices on this type of flooring, so I encourage you to check local discount shops before taking the plunge. Many products I've found are around $1 per square foot.

10. Reflect

What do most gyms have in abundance? Mirrors! You can occasionally find large mirrors on Craigslist when hotels or other businesses are changing theirs out. If you're not having any luck, try buying several of those door mirrors at a big box store and arranging them together on your wall.

How have you gussied up your home gym?

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This article is from Ashley Marcin of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

14 Reasons You're Bad at Exercising

Sarah Winfrey — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 21:00:32 +0000

Maybe you exercise and you're not seeing the gains you'd hoped to see by now. Or you'd like to exercise, in theory, but putting that into practice is hard. Or maybe you exercise and exercise and exercise and you don't feel like you're getting anywhere.

No matter the reason you feel like you're bad at exercising, there are things you can do to improve. Here are some of the top reasons why people struggle.

1. You Don't Have a Goal

There are people out there who can sustain a long-term fitness regimen simply because they want to see a lower number on the scale. Most of us won't keep going, though. Instead, decide you want to get stronger, see defined muscle, run a 5k, whatever.

2. You're Not Eating Enough Protein

Getting enough protein helps your muscles recover. If they can't recover, they won't perform as well. So eat more protein and you will probably get better at exercising.

3. You're Tired

For some people, this is an excuse. But for others, it's legitimate. If you are exhausted, whether from exercise or for other reasons, you won't do well in the gym. Rest, recover, and try again.

4. You're Not Willing to Be Uncomfortable

Exercise means doing something that is uncomfortable. Since most of us don't like discomfort, we can end up avoiding exercise, even when we say we want to do it. Or, we can work out only in ways that are comfortable for us. To improve, you have to become willing to step out of your usual zone.

5. You're Making Comparisons

Most gyms have lots of people inside, and it's easy to get into the habit of comparing yourself to others. This kills your motivation, though, and makes it hard to give your workout routine your all. Look away if you have to, but only compare you to you!

6. You Haven't Found a Workout You Love

Running. Weight machines. The elliptical. Zumba. All of these are vastly different ways to exercise. It's pretty much guaranteed that you won't like every workout routine out there, and you will suck at exercise if you try to make yourself do something you don't enjoy. The best exercise for you is the one you will do. So try new things until you find something you love!

7. You're Obsessing

How long has it been since your last rest day? Trust me, you won't lose your exercise mojo if you take a day off here or there. And you may find yourself too tired to exercise or too burnt out if you force yourself to go every day. So take a break and do something else. You can always go back tomorrow.

8. You Haven't Committed

On the other hand, you might be bad at exercise because you haven't committed — to yourself or to a routine. It's easy to play around in the gym, but it's hard to get any results that way. Find something you love and make a plan for sticking with it if you want to get good at exercise.

9. You're Injured

Does something in your exercise routine hurt, so you go slower or you only do that part half-heartedly? An injury can make exercise really, really hard. If you're hurt, see a doctor, or a physical therapist or chiropractor, and take their advice. Fortunately, there's almost always an alternative way to exercise while you heal.

10. You Don't Take Responsibility

Whether or not you take the steps necessary to get good at exercise is up to you. It's not anyone else's fault when you haven't found or committed to a routine that works for you. Sure, there are mitigating factors. But when it comes down to it, you either choose to show up and improve, or you don't.

11. You're Not Willing to Change Your Life

Getting good at exercise involves changing your life. Going to the gym or getting out for a run doesn't just happen magically. You won't become a person who exercises overnight. If you want to be good at exercise, you need to be willing to make time for it, and to become whoever you become when exercise is part of your life

12. You're Bored

Are you stuck in an exercise rut? Feeling like you aren't improving? Maybe you need to try something new. Even if you love the exercise you do, not changing it up now and then can lead to boredom. Do something you've never done before and see if you feel better at exercise.

13. You Don't Know How to Exercise

Maybe you don't go to the gym because those machines intimidate you, or you don't see results because you're not doing it right. Fortunately, most gyms have trainers who can show you how to use equipment, and you can find experts at almost any sport who can help you improve. You don't have to be bad at exercise simply because you don't know how to be good at it.

14. You Feel Self-Conscious

When you're afraid everyone is staring at you, you won't exercise well. If feeling self-conscious makes you bad at exercise, try going to the gym during a down time, taking an intro class, or exercising in a place where people won't be likely to see you. You can also remember that most of the people in an exercise situation are focused on their own routine, not on you.

What's keeping you from being good at fitness?

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This article is from Sarah Winfrey of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Ways to Work Out When It's Hot Outside

Ashley Marcin — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 17:00:15 +0000

Summer heat cutting into your workout routine? Don't let it. There are plenty of exercises you can complete without breaking more of a sweat than necessary. Here are a few of our favorites that you can do in the comfort of your air-conditioned living room. (Related: 6 Simple Ways to Get More Exercise Without Working Out)

1. Sprinter

Too muggy to run? Try working on your strength and stability instead. This sprinter workout gets all the major areas, all while helping you increase your speed. You'll complete a series of jump squats, speed climbers, knee-tucks, jumps, skips, and bounds.

2. Jumper

An inexpensive jump rope can surely get your blood pumping, including double foot jumps, boxers, skiers, and more. You'll feel this workout in your legs, arms, core, chest, and behind!

3. Stair Climber

If you have a flight of stairs (preferably without carpeting), you can do this awesome stair workout challenge. Run up the stairs, do some ladder repeats, and then sprint.

4. Hula-Hooper

The hula-hoop is yet another fun summer toy turned exercise device. Try this fun hula-hoop routine when you want to target your core. You'll move side to side, front to back, bump, and even orbit. Really like this workout? Consider getting a special weighted hoop for more challenge.

5. Deep Cleaner

When all else fails, clean your house and turn it into a major exercise session. Lift heavy loads of laundry, bound up staircases, do lunges as you vacuum the living room. Blast some music, scrub all those hard-to-reach places, and finish with a nice, cool shower.

Safer Outdoor Workouts

If you don't want to break your normal routine, a few modifications can make your workouts safer and more comfortable. First and foremost, watch yourself for signs of dehydration. These can include headache, dizziness, thirst, and confusion. (Related: 10 Tricks to Get You Drinking More Water)

Mind the Time

Try exercising in the early morning or late evening hours when the sun is lowest in the sky. You'll also minimize your exposure to harmful UVA/UVB rays this way.

Drink Water

You'll want to drink water before, during, and after your workouts to avoid dehydration. If you don't like carrying a water bottle with you, try finding parks or routes that pass by water fountains. You can even stop into public buildings, like libraries or hospitals, to grab a sip.

Go Short

When the weather is overwhelming, try doing a couple quick, short workouts versus a longer one. Studies show that short bursts of intense activity throughout the day can have some major physiological benefits.

Take a Dip

Mix up your routine by swimming, paddling, or otherwise exercising in the water. You'll still need to mind your hydration and sun exposure, but you'll keep your cool. Water also provides lots of great resistance without impact.

What's your favorite way to exercise this summer without melting?

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This article is from Ashley Marcin of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

13 Easy Ways to Save on Your Gym Membership

Andrea Cannon — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 11:00:15 +0000

Gym memberships can be really expensive. While the average monthly gym fee comes in around $60, fitness centers in large cities like NYC can charge closer to $130 per month just to use their facilities (and that doesn't count the exorbitant initiation fees). And with so many great ways to get a full workout at home, it poses the question — is a gym membership really worth it?

Along with saving money, you can also save time by achieving your fitness goals at home. So, stop spending an hour at the gym and start living more frugally. By following the tips below, you can get more from your membership, or find out why it might be time to break up with your gym altogether.

1. Shop Around

Find out how much each gym charges in your local area. You can check Yelp to find out which gyms are nearby and start your search from there. Compare prices, perks, and gym availability to find the one that works best for your needs.

2. Take Advantage of Free Trials

Ask your local gyms if they offer free trials. Often, they will offer free classes or membership options (such as a free day or week) so that you can test out the gym before starting a membership. Adding these various trial offers back-to-back can amount to a month of free gym memberships, and in the end, you can really decide if it's worth it to join.

3. Look for Deals or Coupons

Sites like Groupon and LivingSocial can help save you a lot on a gym membership. In fact, you may be able to save up to 85% on your membership with one of these deals. It's worth a look to see what's available in your area. You can also visit your local gym's website and social media pages to see if they are offering any coupons or discounts at the moment.

4. Inquire About Discounts

Often, fitness centers offer discounts that aren't clearly displayed for everyone, so you will need to ask about what deals they are currently offering. If you are a student, senior, or work for a large corporation that may have a deal with your local gym, make sure to mention that to see if there are any discounts available to you. Some gyms even offer discounts for members who exercise on off-peak hours (such as late at night).

5. Join With Your Spouse or a Group

Most gyms offer a group discount. If you can sign up with a friend, your spouse, or a group from work, you might be able to save big bucks. If you have a friend or family member that subscribes to your gym, make sure to mention that they referred you. You both might be eligible for perks or a discount thanks to the referral. Some of these discounts can save you 10%–30% off your membership, so it's definitely worth inquiring about.

6. Inquire About Corporate Memberships

Ask your employer if they offer any deals with a local gym or fitness chain. Your local gym may even have corporate membership options. Joining with some of your coworkers at the same time can also lead to group rates and discounts.

7. Check Your Health Insurance for Deals

Some health insurance plans offer discounts on gym memberships. You may also be eligible for a reimbursement from your insurance company if you join a participating gym or fitness center. Call your health insurance representative to see what's available to you.

8. Sign Up During the Slow Season or End of Month

Gym membership prices tend to drop during the slow season, which takes place in the summer and toward the end of the year. If you can wait until this time, you will find better rates, or you will be more likely to negotiate a discounted rate. At the end of the month, many gyms are also trying to meet their monthly sales goals, so if you can't wait until the slow season, at least wait until the end of the month to see if there any good deals.

9. Negotiate

If you find the perfect gym, but it isn't in your budget, see if you can negotiate with the membership associate. They may be able to provide discounts or other suggestions on how you can save money on your gym pass, training sessions, guest passes, or other items that come with your gym membership. Many gyms are also willing to drop the initiation fee if you pay upfront, which can save you hundreds of dollars. If they can't save you money, maybe they can throw in some free classes, training sessions, gym passes, or other freebies.

10. Don't Splurge on Extras

Stripping away extra amenities and options you don't need (such as group classes you won't use, water bottles, and other small bonuses) will save you money and ensure you get exactly what you need from your membership. Many gyms also offer a la carte pricing.

11. Don't Sign a Contract

Once you sign a contract at a gym, you are locked into that contract for up to a year. If possible, choose a month-to-month agreement or a shorter-term agreement so that you don't end up paying for a gym membership that you may not use.

12. Put Your Membership on Hold

If you are planning a vacation or business trip, make sure to put your membership on hold. Your gym will not refund you for time that you don't spend in the gym, so make sure to let them know when you're out of town so that you aren't paying for days you can't use.

13. Skip the Gym Altogether

The best way to save money on a gym membership is to skip it altogether. After all, statistics show that approximately 2/3 of people who join a gym don't even use their memberships. We've included some ideas below on what you can do instead of spending an hour at the gym.

Exercise at Home

Exercising at home can provide the same results that you can expect from the gym. A healthy at-home workout plan can also help you avoid bad weather and lazy days when you simply just don't want to travel to the gym. (See also: 36 Workouts You Can Do in Your Living Room While It's Cold Out)

Try an Exercise DVD

Exercise videos aren't what they used to be. Nowadays, if you put in the time and effort that the exercise video or program requires, you will absolutely see results. The trick is to find the right video or program that can provide the results you want, using a style that keeps you interested and motivated. Invest in some dependable gear, such as quality running shoes, an exercise mat, resistance bands, a yoga block, free weights, kettlebells, and whatever else you need to successfully complete your at-home workout program. This will help you get the most from your workout DVDs.

Take Up Running, Hiking, or Biking

Running, hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities are completely free and are extremely effective at burning fat and calories. Make sure to invest in quality running shoes, customized to fit your running style. If you aren't sure which ones are right for you, go to a running store near you and ask them to evaluate your running style and challenges. They can help you choose the right shoes to help you go further, faster.

Download Free Workout Apps

There are thousands of free workout apps available to you. All you need to do is download the app and follow the instructions. You can find complete workout regimens, customizable programs that are designed for your particular fitness level, or apps like Couch to 5K, which can help you meet your goals of running a marathon faster. Some other popular free fitness apps include 7 Minute Workout, Simply Yoga, DailyBurn, Nike Training Club, GymPact, Fleetly, JEFIT, and RunKeeper.

Do you have any other tips for ways you can save money on a gym membership, or avoid having one altogether? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

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This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Get a Great Workout for Free With 11 Simple Moves

Philip Brewer — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:00:15 +0000

I belonged to a fitness center for most of 20 years. It was expensive (even with the corporate discount I got through my employer), but I scarcely regret the money. What I regret was the time I wasted trying to get fit that way.

The Modern Fitness Center

There have been gymnasiums going back to the ancient Greeks, but the modern fitness center was invented in the 1970s.

It was, to a considerable extent, the creation of a single man: Arthur Jones, the inventor of Nautilus machines. That invention, together with a couple of business practices that he championed, completely changed the economics of the fitness center business.

Before, a fitness center owner need to hire skilled trainers. Otherwise, clients wouldn't know where to start (and if they tried to just wing it, would probably hurt themselves). But with a few hours of training, anyone could teach someone how to use a Nautilus machine.

All by itself, that made fitness centers a highly profitable business. It didn't just greatly reduce the cost of staff; it also made it possible to cram a fitness center into a narrow strip-mall storefront (because you no longer needed the large spaces required by free weights, jump ropes, medicine balls, Indian clubs, etc.). On top of that, another of Jones's strategies — the notion that you should do one set to muscle failure, rather than doing multiple sets — increased the rate at which members ran through their workouts and departed, making it possible to sell more memberships.

Which is all fine, except...

Exercise Isn't Movement

Most people exercise, or at least mean to. But really, exercising is a strange thing to do. After all, animals don't exercise. Animals move. People move, too — they just don't move enough, because they're stuck sitting behind a desk for hours a day, stuck sitting while commuting to and from their desk, and very often sitting during many of their other activities as well — reading, watching TV, eating meals.

Exercise is something people invented as a way to fill that gap — it's an attempt to cover the bases very efficiently, so as to to fit a week's worth of movement into just a few hours.

But trying to replace movement with exercise is simply never going to work. No matter how efficient you (and your fitness center) are, you simply can't get a week's worth of movement in a few hours. What you need — what your body needs — is to move more all day, and that movement needs to be much more diverse than what you've probably been getting.

For all the nitty-gritty details on why exercise is no substitute for movement, and the physiology of how and why spending hours a day in the same few postures is bad for your body, the best resource I've found is biomechanist Katy Bowman. Her blog Katy Says has five years worth of careful explanations of how your body adapts to the way you use it, and why the adaptations to sitting for 10 hours a day can be reasonably expected to produce all sorts of problems. She also has a great podcast, and has written several books on the topic. (I suggest starting with Move Your DNA.)

Fit More Movement Into Your Day

Most people have spent years figuring out how to minimize movement — in the name of efficiency, but also because people are lazy. From that perspective, the whole idea of moving more on purpose may seem oddly backward.

For example, your office, kitchen, or shop has probably been carefully arranged with an eye toward putting everything you need at hand when and where you need it, and what I'm suggesting amounts to telling you to undo all of that. But the fact is, minimizing movement does all kinds of harm. What you want is almost the opposite: That you fill your day with natural movement.

If your goal is to fill your day with movement, the standard advice — park further away so you can walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator — is pretty minimalist. It will take more than that.

Since I don't know what your day looks like, I can only offer general suggestions, but here's a bunch of ideas.

More Movement for Desk Workers

The first thing to do is to just mix up your sitting position a bit. With a few boxes of different heights, you can improvise workspaces at the right height for sitting differently:

Sit on the floor with one leg tucked (and then the other, and then with both legs stretched out, and then with your legs crossed).
Kneel on one knee (and then the other)
Kneel on both knees
Squat
Sit on boxes or stools of various heights

Even if you mix it up, you shouldn't spend all day sitting. Maybe a standing desk (or even a treadmill desk) would be in order, but before resorting to that, try to fit in some standing and walking in simpler ways:

If you need to read a document but don't need to type, try angling your screen so you can read while standing at your regular desk.
Similarly, you can lie down on the floor to read a document, much as you almost certainly did as a teenager.
Take a laptop to the break room, put it on a countertop, and stand while answering email.
On days it's not too windy, take conference calls while walking outdoors.

I suppose some of those postures would appall an expert in ergonomics, but that's okay. Ergonomics is not the science of keeping you healthy; ergonomics is the science of keeping you at your desk as long as possible. If you want to be healthy, you need to move more. (You don't need to find the posture that lets you sit as long as possible.)

More Movement for Everybody Else

Add movement everywhere.

Something like a FitBit or an Apple watch or a phone running Google Fit is useful, mainly to remind you that all the short bits of movement — walking to the bathroom or to your boss's office or to a colleague's cubicle — all count.

Unless a medical condition like a joint replacement makes it unsafe, regain the ability to squat. If you can squat on your heels (the way everybody did every day before the invention of the chair), you can put that capability to good use every day. It's a good position for working, for cleaning, for getting things off low shelves, for picking things up off the floor, for weeding your garden.

Keep an eye out for things to hang from — bars, branches, etc. If you can't support your full bodyweight, just bend your knees or lean back and use your arms to support some of your weight, and gradually increase it. The ability to hang by your hands is useful in all sorts of ways besides saving your life if you find yourself unexpectedly in a scene from an action movie.

Movements

If you've been exercising, you've probably already got some specific movements in mind. Even if you haven't been, you've surely seen some lists of tips for fitting more exercise into your day — lists that almost always begin with walking.

Walking is great — it's arguably the definitional movement for human beings — and I'll get to it, but I wanted to point out some movements that are even more fundamental than walking. My list of natural movements starts with four that you almost certainly did before you even took your first step: Roll, crawl, squat, and stand.

1. Roll

Lie down on your stomach and (preferably without pushing into the floor with your hands or feet) roll over onto your back. Then (either continuing on the same way or reversing) roll back to your stomach. This will work your core, and remind your vestibular system of a whole range of possibilities that you otherwise scarcely experience except when you're asleep.

2. Crawl

Rediscover how to crawl, both on your hands and knees and your hands and feet. Once you can go forward for more than a few yards, expand your range to include crawling backward and crawling sideways. Once you have those covered, add in supine crawling, where you crawl on your hands and feet while facing upward. (That last seems like an odd posture on flat ground, but try going down a steep incline, especially one where the surface is loose or slippery, and it will instantly seem like an entirely sensible way to move.)

3. Squat

Squat down as low as you can without bringing your heels off the floor, then stand back up. Most people who've spent years sitting in chairs for a large fraction of the day can't squat very low, but the strength and flexibility will return surprisingly quickly if you spend a few minutes each day squatting.

4. Stand

The value of standing as an alternative to sitting burst into the public consciousness a few years ago, with many people switching to standing desks. Of course, filling your day with just standing is as bad for you as filling your day with just sitting — the point is to move, not to find a different static position. Still, if you always sit and never stand, standing more is a great idea.

5. Walk

Now we get to walking. Walking is the best. Walk as much as you can.

6. Run

Running is a popular form of exercise, although too many people use it as a way to cram their minimum daily requirement of aerobic exercise into the shortest time possible. Abandon that idea. Instead, making running one piece of your movement diet. Run when it's useful — when you want to get somewhere on foot in a hurry. Run when it's fun — when you feel like running. If you're running that much, you're probably running enough.

7. Climb

After walking, climbing stairs is a key recommendation for people trying to fit exercise into their day. Climbing stairs is great, but there are so many other things to climb! I suggest you climb them all: Climb hills. Climb ramps. Climb ladders. Climb playground equipment. Climb trees. Climb ropes. Climb boulders. Climb walls. Climb mountains.

8. Balance

Improving your balance is a key way to reduce injuries from falling. Practice standing on one leg. Practice walking on something narrow — a fallen log, a curb, a rail. If you're not ready for something more challenging, try walking along a painted parking lot line. Once that's easy, lay a 2x4 on the ground and walk along that.

9. Lift and Carry

There are many opportunities to fit lifting and carrying into your day. Instead of the grocery cart, get a grocery basket. Carry your groceries in, carry your trash out, carry your luggage, move furniture. Developing the strength and skills to lift and carry actual things — landscaping rocks, bundles of firewood — as opposed to just the strength and skills to lift a barbell or dumbbell — will stand you in good stead in all sorts of real-world situations.

10. Throw and Catch

You can throw little things like balls and you can throw larger things like sandbags or logs. Besides roundish things, you can throw non-round things like sticks (both cross-wise, so someone can catch it, and lengthwise like a javelin). Throw a frisbee with friends. If you don't have anybody to play catch with, get a rubber ball and bounce it off a wall.

11. Jump

You can jump down, you can jump up, and you can jump across. All are useful sorts of movement that are well worth rediscovering. In particular, jumping down just a little farther than you can step down is easy and very practical. Start by jumping down a distance of just one or two steps, and once that's easy, try jumping down three or four. Redevelop the capacity to jump down, and you can gain all sorts of opportunities for efficiencies in terms of getting from point A to point B — enough to replace some of the efficiencies you gave up as way to increase your opportunities for movement.

A good place to start for basic information on executing natural movements is MovNat. Created by Erwan Le Corre, MovNat advocates for and teaches natural movement. Just because movements are natural doesn't mean that you don't have to learn them and then practice correct form, and MovNat has generously provided a vast YouTube library with literally hundreds of short videos showing natural movements such as I listed above.

I'd suggest, though, starting with The Workout the World Forgot, simply because it's a beautiful visualization of natural movement.

Movement: The Natural Alternative to Exercise

Fitness centers aren't evil, of course. It's just that their whole focus is helping you exercise, and exercise is not what you need.

Oh, it's possible to get fit with exercise, and some people certainly make a valiant effort, coming up with workout plans that aim for the right mix of walking, running, cycling, lifting, yoga, and martial arts training.

My experience is that it's really hard. It takes a lot of time to get enough exercise, if you spend most of the rest of your day sitting still, and people come up with all sorts of tricks for fitting in their exercise. They get up early to go to the gym. They squeeze a workout into their lunch break. They put on reflective gear so they can go for a run after dark.

But as long as your exercise is a separate thing, there's never going to be enough of it. Unless you're independently wealthy, or you're a movie star or a fitness model and being fit is your job, there simply aren't enough hours in the day.

The solution is to quit exercising and start moving.

Everything you do has the potential for movement. Take advantage of that potential. Fill your day with movement. Then you'll be fit. And going to the gym to exercise will seem like a weird idea. Why exercise when you can move?

What are you doing to fit more movement into your life?

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This article is from Philip Brewer of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

8 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Enjoying Cardio

Mikey Rox — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:00:16 +0000

If you want to live a fit and healthy lifestyle, cardio is a necessary evil. Personally, I hate cardio — with a passion. But what I hate more is looking in the mirror and not liking the body I see staring back at me. So I run and I sweat and I work hard to stay in shape — even if I cheat a little along the way. Pull a page from my book and enhance your own cardio flow with these eight tricks to help you enjoy the burn a little more.

1. Have a Reason for Doing Cardio

First and foremost, you need to have a reason to get on that treadmill or pound the pavement or whatever you do to get that heart rate pumping. "Just because" doesn't cut it, and with no motivation to keep at it, you're almost destined to fail. Give yourself a fighting chance at sticking to your cardio regimen by thinking about why you want to get and stay active. It can be a broad reason like a desire to lose weight (though, a specific number should be the goal), or it can be a short-term goal like conditioning yourself for a race.

For my own part, when I decided to take my body back last year after many years of neglect, I set a weight goal — a specific number — that I wanted to reach. It took a few months of engaging in cardio activities several days a week, but I finally reached the goal. And then something awesome happened. Once I reached the weight loss goal, I was invigorated with the sense that I can really accomplish my fitness goals if I follow through. I started running farther and longer and harder. I've been committed to my fitness for over a year now and my body has made an amazing transformation. The same thing can happen to you too if you just give yourself a chance.

2. Schedule a Workout Before You Have to Be Somewhere

Pressed for time? That could be the best time to fit in a cardio workout, according to Arial Friedman, an NYC-based fitness trainer and instructor who created a series of online workouts tailored specifically for people always on the go.

"Schedule a workout just before you have to be somewhere," she suggests. "That way, you know you'll have to get it in quick and be done with it. Do it before work, a dinner date, or picking up the kids and the energy you get from your sweat session will carry you through the rest of your day."

3. Listen to Music to Keep Your Body Moving

Music compels us to get up and dance at parties, so it only makes sense that it helps us keep moving during our cardio workouts. But in this day and age — with so much technology at our fingertips — you're experience can be much more fun and dynamic than running that same tired playlist.

For instance, Spotify recently added a great feature on its mobile iPhone app geared toward runners that alters the tempo of the music. Using the hardware in smartphones — like the accelerometer and GPS capability — to determine pace, Spotify Running creates customized soundtracks to match the tempo at which you're running, which can help you feel more energetic and motivated by moving to the beat.

4. Slow Down, Take a Break, Catch Your Breath

When I first started running, I somehow got it in my head that I wasn't going hard enough if I didn't run the full length of my workout — however long it was — without stopping. Now, however, I don't believe that at all, because I never would have built the cardio stamina I have today to run 10 miles (from a very breathy three miles a year ago) without slowing down, taking a break, and catching my breath sometimes. My cardio session wasn't a race, and neither is yours. Push yourself, for sure, but do your cardio at your own pace so you can eventually go that extra mile.

5. Set Goals for Yourself to Achieve

The first point of this post was to have a reason for doing cardio, and that can be anything. But having a reason isn't necessarily a goal — and you should absolutely set a goal for your cardio. There are several goals you can set, in fact, like time, distance, or a weight goal. It really depends on what you're training for, but no matter what it is, you'll have an easier time staying the course if there's a light at the end of the tunnel you're trying to reach.

6. Pair Your Cardio With a Fitness Tracker

There are plenty of great fitness apps available that you can put on your phone to help keep track of your cardio workouts. Personally, I like MapMyRun because of its ease of use. It allows me to plan a route, and it saves my progress with statistics so I can see where I'm at health-wise. It also tells me my time and distance as I'm running — a great motivator to run a little harder — and when I'm finished I can share my accomplishment on social media. Which brings me to my next point…

7. Share Your Cardio Success on Social Media

MapMyRun and other fitness apps allow you to share your progress and success on social media, but be warned that there's a whole faction of people out there who whine and moan about people who post about their workouts online. Here are a few reasons I don't give a damn about that.

There's no social media bible that tells me what I can and can't post.
You can hide or block my posts from your feed if you don't like what I'm sharing.
I work hard to stay in shape and I want to share it if only to receive those motivating comments and likes.
If I have to see pictures of your babies all day; you can handle shots of my sweaty, glistening, gorgeous abs.

Sharing my cardio success on social media helps me stay active and push harder for another reason — it holds me accountable for my own success. I post a lot of pictures of my workouts and I take a lot of shirtless selfies, because, well, this is the best body I've ever had in my life and I want to show it off. But I also want to keep at it. I don't want to post pics where I've let myself go, and I don't want anyone to think I have either. Plus, looking at the old pics of my healthy, fit frame remind me of how good it felt to put in that work to get it that way — so I can get up tomorrow and do it again.

8. Don't Worry About What Anybody Else Thinks

Remember that episode of Friends where Phoebe runs like a maniac through Central Park and it embarrasses Rachel so much that she doesn't want to run with her anymore? Take my advice: Get your cardio on like a Phoebe.

"Actors have a term for being able to act realistically even when an audience is watching them: public solitude," says filmmaking-app developer George Spyros. "It means really committing to the belief that no one is watching you. And you know what? Most of the time at the gym it's the truth. In the best sense, nobody cares what you're doing; they're just struggling to get through their own workouts. So swing your arms over your head, clap your hands, air-drum on an invisible drum set to the beat of your favorite tracks in your headphones. Mouthing song lyrics also keeps you entertained and occupied as well as makes you concentrate on your breathing without thinking about the burn in your lungs or legs."

Do you have other ways to cheat on your cardio to make it more enjoyable? Let me know in the comments below.

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This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: Creative Ways to Get Paid to Work Out

Amy Lu — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 19:00:15 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on ways to get paid to work out, items under $10 that can save you money, and Gmail features that will make you more efficient.

10 Tricks to Avoid Workout Burnout

Kentin Waits — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 11:00:14 +0000

We all strive to get there — that magical point where working out evolves past drudgery and becomes a healthy addiction. That state of being where we crave a 30-minute jog the way we used to crave a tin of butter cookies. That's the goal, right? Help yourself achieve it by avoiding the all-too-common fitness fizzle. Here are 10 tricks to avoid workout burnout.

1. Ease Into It

Things that start intensely usually flame out quickly. Take a measured approach when you begin working out; try two 20-minute sessions each week and build from there. If you start equating your fitness routine with exhaustion and pain, you'll soon abandon it.

2. Stay in to Work Out

Sometimes, just the logistics of working out burns us out. Packing the right gear, battling traffic to get to the gym, finding a parking spot, changing…it's like two workouts in one. Simplify things with gym-quality workouts at home or squeeze in a few no-sweat office workouts between meetings.

3. Make Minor Changes Often

Shuffle the order of your workout, add new challenges, or change the venue if you're outside of a gym environment. Little changes every week or so will keep things novel and help avoid burnout.

4. Make Major Changes Regularly

Shake things up completely every couple of months. Use new machines, target new muscle groups, add a yoga or tai chi class, or split one long workout session into two or three shorter ones.

5. Freshen Up the Soundtrack

Music moves us. Even the most monotonous workouts come to life when put to a new soundtrack. Channel your inner DJ; freshen up your playlist and make your fitness routine far less routine.

6. Take a Vacation

That's right, take a vacation. We're all adults here. A temporary break doesn't always mean we're destined to end up eating Cheetos and fried chicken in our La-Z-Boys for the next six months. If you need a break, plan for it, make it brief (three or four days) and then pick up where you left off — refreshed and recommitted.

7. Reward Yourself

If your fitness plan is losing steam, power through by adding a few simple rewards. The trick is sticking to the promise you've made yourself. Make it through the week and take yourself out to dinner. Hit a major milestone and spring for a 90-minute deep tissue massage to work out the kinks.

8. Partner Up

What better way to perk up a workout than by sharing it with someone else? Add a partner to spark motivation, encourage mutual accountability, provide good conversation or comic relief, and keep your goals on-track.

9. Mix Up Machines

I get it. You're a creature of habit and you like what you like. Still, if you're sticking to one or two cardio machines, you're setting yourself up for burnout. Change machines for just five or ten minutes to keep your mind engaged and your body challenged.

10. Play

Working out doesn't have to feel like work all the time. Explore ways to make exercise more fun. Better yet, get social and spice up your normal routine by organizing informal games of racquetball, kickball, volleyball, or tennis matches with friends or coworkers.

Remember, monotony is the enemy of long-term success. Once you've found your fitness groove, it's time to brainstorm ways to keep things fresh, interesting, and challenging. And as long as they keep your goals on-track, there are no bad ideas.

Do you work out regularly? What's your favorite way to stay motivated?

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10 Ways to Get a Good Workout... Even With Kids Around

Kyle James — Thu, 07 May 2015 15:00:17 +0000

I remember chasing my three-year-old daughter around the front yard, 40 pounds overweight, staggering to keep up, and knowing I had to change. Change my eating habits, change my lifestyle, and most importantly, change my exercise habits. But finding time to squeeze in some cardio or core strengthening can be hard and often takes time away from the family, which I didn't want to do. Nor did I want to pay for an expensive gym membership that I probably wouldn't use regularly.

So I came up with some ways to get a muscle burn and decent workout throughout my busy day. If you work from home like me, or are a stay-at-home parent, here are some things you can do to get a solid workout and burn some calories.

1. In the Kitchen

Calf Raises

The next time the microwave is on, do calf raises until you hear the beep. With your feet close together, simply raise your heels off the ground and slowly back down. Try not to let your heels touch the ground for the maximum burn. My calves got pretty darn strong doing this, a minute here and a minute there really adds up.

2. In the Bathroom

Push-Ups

While the kids are in the bath, grab 10 quick push-ups on the bathroom floor. When I first started doing this, I had a hard time doing more than five so I modified the exercise by doing push-ups from my knees. After a couple weeks, I was able to throw in some standard push-ups as well. Once you are able to do more of them, switch to "sets" of push-ups. Three sets of 10, several times a week, will quickly strengthen your abs, backs, triceps, and core all while your child splashes in the tub.

3. In the Playroom

Arm and Chest Workout

When you have little kids, you inevitably end up hanging out with them in the playroom/family room after dinner. This is typically where the toys and games are located along with a place for you to sit and relax. Next time, before you chill out, look around for something you can curl with your arms. We had a Home Depot play barbecue that weighed about 20 pounds that I would curl several times a week. I'd start with 10 bicep curls, 10 tricep extensions, and 10 chest presses. You might look kind of silly, but as long as you're getting a good muscle burn, who cares?

4. In the Bedroom

Bed Plank

Every morning before rolling out of bed, do a one minute plank on the mattress. Start by laying on your stomach, then push yourself up and balance on your elbows, keep your back flat all the way down to your feet. A plank is one of the best exercises you can do for your core and engages your back, arms, shoulders, and hamstrings. Being on the mattress only increases your core engagement as it's a little more flexible than the carpet and requires better balance.

Bed Push-Ups

After you do your plank and make the bed, do 15 quick bed push-ups. While facing the bed, simply put your hands on the side of the bed and extends your feet away from it. Then do a push-up and try to bring your chest down far enough to touch the mattress. This is essentially a modified push-up that is quite a bit easier than a standard push-up. When I started doing this four-five times a week, I was able to increase my sets quickly and finally got up to three sets of 25.

5. In the Dining Area

Lunges

When setting the table, I'd carry the plates and do leg lunges to the table, and back to the kitchen. My kids thought this was hilarious and actually started doing them with me which was a cool side effect.

Scarecrows

With your hands at your sides, take a dinner plate in each hand and lift both arms straight out in front of you, then slowly back to your side. Then lift your arms directly out to your sides, and slowly back down. Start with 15 repetitions of each and your arms will burn like crazy.

6. In the Hallway

Stair Climbing

If you have stairs in your home, try jogging up them as quickly as you can. Focus on hitting every step with both feet to maximize your leg burn. If you're not ready to jog up the stairs, then walk up and down them twice when you're not in a rush to get somewhere.

Plyometrics

When walking down the hallway consider doing "tires." Pretend there are car tires staggered down the hallway that you have to jump in and out of as you work your way to where you're going. I'd do this every time I was headed to my home office and it became a fun game. I'd also switch to fun things like high knees and butt kickers. High knees are when you jog and bring your knees up as high as you can, and butt kickers are when you try to hit your butt with your heels as you jog.

7. In the Front Yard

Run Anywhere

Our mailbox is about 500 yards away from our house, so I started jogging to it every day to get the mail. At first it sucked as it was all uphill coming back, but slowly I was able to build up my endurance and actually started jogging the route several times a day, two-three times per week. If you don't have a front yard, then start walking or jogging the neighborhood. Bring your kid(s) and let them ride their scooter or Big Wheel as you attempt to keep up with them.

Make Everything a Game

Once you start to build up your cardio endurance, start looking for reasons to get your heart rate up. Make up games with your kids that require some running or chasing and get everyone involved. You'll be amazed with how great you will feel, and if you eat right, the pounds will really start to shed.

The key is to be creative and find areas in your life where getting a quick muscle burn is possible. The more places you find, the more calories you'll burn, and the quicker your metabolism will fire up and really start burning the fat. Take it from someone who never thought it could be done, it absolutely can! Here I sit typing these words 40 pounds lighter, and the best part? I never paid a gym membership fee.

Be sure to talk with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine, even my "around the house" workout.

Do you have any other tips for finding unorthodox places around the house to get a quick workout?

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This article is from Kyle James of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

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