Back to the Basics
Written By pkreschSo you want to start up a new fitness program. This time you’re going to be serious about it right? What do you need to really get a good program started? What is the hottest equipment and where can you find it? Are these some questions going through your head? If they are, the answer is simple. You already have what you need. YOUR BODY! That’s right! You don’t need to spend money of the fanciest, high tech equipment out at the sports store. The trend is to use your body weight and get back to the basics! So turn off the infomercial and think about this.
Benefits of using your body weight are:
- You will improve your functional fitness (your ability to move thru daily activities without injury)
- Increase strength and muscle tone
- Burn Calories
- Raise your heart rate for heart health
- Maintain bone density
So let’s get back to the basics. Remember your PE Classes from grade school? Your PE Teacher was not so off the mark on how to get you in-shape (wink, wink). Here are some ways to do aerobic exercise using your body weight that don’t involve purchasing expensive equipment.
- Jump rope
- Climb stairs
- Dance
- Jog
- Walk
- Skip
- Jumping Jacks
Here are some ideas for increasing strength and muscle tone.
- push-ups
- planks
- lunges
- squats
- triceps dips
- downward dog
- squat jumps
- inchworm crawl
- bear crawl
- crab walk
- Warrior pose
As you can see, all these exercises can be done right in the comfort of your home or neighborhood. You don’t need to spend a monthly membership fee at a health club to get fit. You may want to hire a personal trainer (wink, wink again) to help develop a plan and program for you. A trainer will also make sure you are doing the exercises correctly and without injuring yourself.
But more importantly, get yourself moving. Stop making excuses about why you can’t lose weight or get fit. You have everything you need. YOUR BODY!
Peggy Kresch
cPT, American Council on Exercise; MissFIT Complete Program Coordinator Find out More >
