These Easy At-Home Workouts Can Be Done In Your Living Room

I have always tried to stay in shape but of course, it is hard to find the time as the mother of two busy school-age children while also working outside of the home. I love to exercise for many reasons and I try to fit in work-outs at least three times a week, if not more. It is not always convenient or even possible for me to get to the gym- on a typical day, I am out the door at 7:15am and not home until 5:30pm and that is without going to the gym. If I do, I am obviously home a lot later and this can make life difficult for myself and my family. Not only do I want to see my children after work but I can’t stick my husband with homework/dinner/bath duty every single night.

That said, I have found many ways to work out at home that do not involve having a treadmill or weight bench. In fact, the only fitness equipment I own is a jump rope, a few sets of small hand weights, a yoga mat and an exercise ball. Sometimes I do workout DVD’s but there are days where I don’t even have time for that. Luckily, I have discovered that Pinterest is the place to check for brief but effective work-outs that can be done in my living room with little or even no equipment other than yourself and a pair of sneakers. I have pinned and tried several workouts that only take between 10-30 minutes and I have been doing them at least once or twice a week for the last few months. Below, I have listed my favorites that I found to have the best results for the time invested. Have some music ready, tie up your sneakers and try one of these easy at-home workouts:

1. The Super Quicky

I call this the “Better Than Nothing” workout. It doesn’t take long but it makes me sweat and at the end, I’ve burned more calories than I would have by sitting on the couch.

2. Cardio Blast

I usually do this one at least twice through and sometimes, I hold weights while doing some of the moves.

3. 30 Minutes at Your Own Pace

I like this workout because you can do each 60-second move at your own pace and the series can advance as you do. You can turn the knee push-ups into full push-ups or do the plank all or partly on your knees. You can try to fit in more jumping jacks and high knees each time. It is a very adaptable workout for any skill level.

4. Weights in Your Living Room

This workout with weights is amazingly thorough and challenging for something you can do at home. I do it with only 5-lb. handweights and find it to be very effective for toning.

5. At-Home Yoga Sequence