There are two things that get in the way of your workout routine. They aren’t small occurrences either. They aren’t the small, little things that can be pushed aside or ignored, they’re big issues that sometimes need just as much work. The two things? Yourself and life.
You, yourself, are your biggest enemy. More than likely you’ll get in your own way of thinking that you can’t do a certain workout routine because you’re afraid to push yourself and fail. Or maybe you let life get in the way– The house needs to be cleaned and the kids need to be shuffled around. Don’t give in.
Image source: Woman’s Way
What Can You Do Instead
Instead of allowing life or yourself to get in the way of your workout. Find an alternative that gives you the results. While it may be a slower turn around time if you use this method as your main form of exercise, it’s a great way to workout and gets everything you need to be done. You’ve got no excuses now. Check out this household workout that can be a great filler for when you can’t get to the gym.
The Kitchen Sink Leg Burner
Image source: Green Pan
While you’re standing at the kitchen sink doing the tons of dishes piling up, stand with your feet a shoulders width apart. Make sure your knees are slightly bent. Lift yourself up to your tippy toes and hold that position for fifteen seconds. Rest. Repeat. Continue this throughout your dishwashing endeavor.
You can also stand with your legs shoulder length apart and extend them backward. This stretches your thighs and works your glutes.
This builds leg and butt muscles.
The Vacuum Curl
Image source: Do It Yourself
Usually, you use your dominant hand to control the vacuum and you move along with the vacuum as you cover the space that you’re cleaning. Let’s face it, depending on the vacuum that you have, it is heavy. Allow your body, along with the vacuum, to be the resistance.
Stand in a solitary position in the middle of the floor with your feet together (this way, you can cover the floor space while utilizing both sides of your body). Start with whichever side you like and vacuum as far as you can without moving from the spot. Once you are finished with one side, move to the other.
The other option is to do walking lunges as you move around the house to vacuum! Try it yourself.
This exercise works your arms and your sides while the second works your glutes and legs!
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The Laundry Basket Squat
Image source: Pinterest
With a full laundry basket, as you walk to the laundry room, extend your arms in front of you, holding the laundry basket by the handles. Take the laundry basket where you need it to go– more than likely the laundry room.
As your sorting the laundry, bust out a few standard squats. You can also do squats while folding the laundry as well.
The walking squats with the laundry basket work your entire body, while the standard squats work your butt and thighs.
The Dust and Stretch
Image source: Good Housekeeping
Depending on how you dust your home, whether you use a duster or spray and a cloth, you’re going to have to reach, move, and groove to get all the nooks and crannies. While you can’t really work out with a duster… You can make a workout with your movements.
If you have to dust a spot that is out of your reach, stretch yourself out and do your best to dust it. Do the same for places that are below your reach too. This will allow your body to stretch out. It’s like housework yoga.
The Pickup Shuffle
Image source: Babble
Before you dust and vacuum, you’ve got to pick up the clutter around the house that will get in the way of the vacuum, right? The pickup shuffle is a great way to get an all around round about workout. Utilize the dust and stretch, the laundry basket squat, and the kitchen sink.
If you’ve got to reach for stuff, stretch it out. If you’ve got to pick stuff up, squat to get it, if you’re organizing a shelf, extend upward in the “kitchen sink” position.
This workout has the potential to work your entire body.
The Lawnmower Thigh Gap
Image source: Electrek
This one isn’t really a workout so much as a choice, but if you’re going to mow your lawn, use a push mower. Push mow your lawn and be sure to keep your core tight, stand up straight, and squeeze your cheeks!
This is a really cheap and easy way to do cardio and get a full body workout depending on how big your yard is!
The Weedy Flowerbed
Image source: Joshua Spodek
You’ve heard of burpees, right? Every time you have to get up to move, do a burpee. You may only do five, you may do ten, heck, you may be doing twenty or thirty depending on how big your flower bed is. It isn’t rocket science knowing that this will work your entire body.
More than likely you’ll be more tired from this exercise with the constant movement, but this will not only get your flower beds wed, it will also work out your entire body while doing it.
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The Wine Glass Lift
Image source: In-Style
This is probably my favorite exercise… It’s extremely self-explanatory. Pour wine in a glass, lift, drink as directed. Just kidding. This is more of an incentive exercise if you think of it that way. You’re going to want to keep your desired wine as far away as possible. Each time you need a refill, you have to physically get up and go get the refill.
You can honestly do this with any type of food or drink, but preferably something that will be better for you rather than something with poor nutrition.
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While this isn’t an exercise that will get you abs, this is an exercise that will keep you moving!
While doing housework is a chore, kill two birds with one stone. Get your housework done and get a workout in too. This workout will give you the ability to have the freedom of time all the while you’ll feel accomplished too. It may not be a superb, excellent gym workout but it is something that leaves you feeling accomplished, fresh, and able.
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