At-Home Workouts: Gym Equipment Substitutes

If you’re a mom, which you probably are if you’re reading this blog, then you know how hard it can be to get out of the house.  Whether you’re running your little ones to activities, taking your weekly excursion to the grocery store, or simply filling your car up with gas, it can be impossible to get out of the house in a timely manner with children in tow.

And working out without them? Even harder!

That’s why I’ve created an effective workout that you can do at home utilizing gym equipment substitutes you’ll find around the house.  No fancy gym equipment required! Set your clock for 7 minutes and complete as many rounds of the following exercises as you can within that time.  Take a 2 minute break and repeat 2 more times for a total of 21 minutes of heart-pumping work!

Ready? Set? Go!

Rocking Chair Incline Push Ups: By utilizing an unstable surface, you’re heightening your proprioceptive awareness (think all of the tiny muscles that help keep you stable) to increase your strength gaining efficiency.  Be sure to keep your abs pulled in an up the entire time and feel free to drop to  your knees if a full push up proves to challenging. Perform 20 reps.

Gallon Jug Overhead Press: Each gallon of water weights 8 lbs, so no need to purchase dumbbells! By engaging your abs, and pulling your shoulder bladed together, this overhead press is definitely a challenge.  Be sure to keep your arms at shoulder level when you bring them back down to start. Perform 25 reps.

Push Car Sprints: This exercise is one of my favorite because it gets the kiddos involved! With your child safely strapped in, start at one end of your drive way.  Squat low enough to form a straight line from your shoulders to your hips and sprint approximately 20 yards. Turn around and repeat 10x.

Bench/Chair/Stair Jump Ups: All you need for this booty burning exercise is a sturdy bench/chair/stair and some bravery.  Standing a foot or so away from your sturdy object, squat down slightly bringing your arms behind you.  Using the momentum of swinging your arms forward, jump up onto your object.  Land as lightly as you can with control.  Repeat the squat and arm swing to jump back down to the ground, landing lightly here as well.  Repeat 15x.

And there you have it, a full-body workout using equipment substitutes that most of us mamas already have lying around.

Do you have any other genius ideas for using your everyday stuff to get buff? Tell us about it!