How To Exercise Outside of the Gym

According to a recent report by Stannah Stairlifts, over 55 year olds are the worst in Britain for taking health and fitness seriously. Despite 98% of the group understanding the purpose and importance of healthy lifestyles, and 18% being asked specifically to exercise by their doctors, only 23% do on a regular basis.

Nearly 10% think that they are too old to worry about a healthy lifestyle, and 32% think that walking or playing golf is enough exercise to keep them in shape.

Over a third of this age group said they preferred to exercise at home or outside of the gym, but this is not always as easy as it sounds. This article consists of some ideas for ways to stay fit outside of the gym.

Fitness DVDs

Thanks to the proliferation of reality TV shows, there are a plethora of different celebrity keep fit videos to help you stay trim at home. These vary between very light and easy to start exercises, right through to DVDs with demanding exercise regimes to really help you get back to fitness.

A whole host of celebrities have produced fitness DVDs, including Jade Goody, Mr Motivator, Sheryl Cole and current GMTV fitness-guru the Green Goddess, Diana Moran.

Commenting on the research, Patrick Stannah said “We believe that keeping fit should be available to everyone, no matter what your age or fitness ability. One of the ways Stannah is trying to help is in our work with the fantastic Diana Moran. Together we have created a DVD with home exercises specifically for the over 55’s giving them the ability and confidence to exercise whenever they like.”

Step Aerobics

Do you remember Reebok Step? Step aerobics is a popular gym activity, and simply requires stepping on and off a plastic step, alternating left and right feet. Step aerobics can help you to burn calories, depending on the speed of the movements, the step height and the length of time exercised.

Step aerobics is good endurance training, helping to maintain cardiovascular systems. It improves gait and balance, provides flexibility training and enhances joint movement. Moves include the basic step, corner knee, repeater knee, t-step, over-the-top, lunges, v-step, straddle down, l-step, split step and i-step.

The best thing about step aerobics is that it can be undertaken outside of the gym, in a house or garden, with the simple use of a step. Paying to use a step at a gym is uneconomical when you can simply stay home and get fit on your own.

Running/jogging/walking

Another good way of getting fit without joining a gym is to start jogging or walking. Forget about driving to the gym to run on a treadmill in the air conditioning, and swap your boring gym workout into a sociable jog in your local area. If running or jogging is too much, then try power walking or simply taking a pleasant, relaxed stroll.

Take care; running on concrete can be bad for your knees.

Skipping

If running around town isn’t your bag, then perhaps you could consider doing some skipping. The great thing about skipping is that it can be done almost anywhere (as long as there is enough room for the rope to swing) including inside a home or in a modest garden.

Skipping helps cardiovascular fitness, coordination, muscle tone, weight loss and endurance. Many professional athletes skip as part of their workout routines. If you are going to start skipping, then make sure you keep your body straight to avoid straining back and legs. Keep your knees slightly bent to reduce the impact on the joints.

Exercise also has a positive impact on mental health. Particularly if exercises are fun and enjoyable, it can help release stress as well as those unwanted pounds.