Whether you are hoping to be able to fit a workout into your lunch hour while you’re still at the office, or you live in a dorm room and are hoping to stave off the freshman fifteen, trying to stay in shape within a small amount of space can be challenging. However, with the right workouts, you can make sure that your body receives the daily exercise that it needs, regardless of where you are.
While it’s still a very good idea to get out and move around in a place where you can truly stretch, such as with a brisk walk or a good swim, the following workouts are possible regardless of the amount of space you have in your home or office.
Cardio – This is the real calorie burner and is great for easing stress while strengthening your heart and your lungs. You want to do this three to six days per week, in sessions of 30 to 60 minutes.
• March in place to the beat of fast music or while watching TV. Don’t forget to swing your arms for more calorie burning!
• Side step (step-touch your feet from side to side).
• Jog or run in place, raising your knees as much as comfortably possible.
• Jumping jacks
• Dance in place to your favorite tunes
Strength training – This builds lean muscle and helps you to burn more calories regardless of whether you’re active or sedentary. Try to do this at least twice per week for a total of 8 to 12 exercises with a goal of giving every muscle two workouts per week.
• Crunches or crunches with a twist
• Plank, reverse plank, or side plank
• Chair knee lifts
• Bicep curls and triceps kickbacks
• Pushups or wall pushups
• Squats or weight squats
• Forward lunges
• Hip flexors or hip extensions
• Resistance bands
Flexibility and stretching – Though this won’t burn a lot of calories, it can make a big difference for improving your fitness level and reducing your risk of injury. Try to do these a couple of times per week.
• Learn yoga poses from an instructor or video and practice them
• Gently and slowly stretch out your joints and muscles such as opening your arms like wings and closing them, rolling your shoulders, gently reaching for your toes, etc.
• Learn range of motion exercises and practice them.
