Do THIS If You Have No Time or Income To Get A Gym Membership

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Here in the Midwest or the north, it's getting cold. Doing outdoor activities is nearly impossible without bundling up. So, how does one stay active when they lack time or income for a gym membership?

I get asked this often as someone in the nutrition and fitness profession.

Believe me, I get it. I was a single mom for many years and had low income. I had to be creative with my workouts.

Now I'm suffering from lack of extra time. Spending 15 to 30 minutes to drive and change into gym clothes is nearly impossible for me.

One huge blessing that's been valuable is being certified as a turbulence trainer. This is a wonderful program I have learned, and I have taught many people how to do resistant resistance exercises using our bodyweight. Plus, workouts are done in 4, 10, and 20 minutes for those of us who lack time for exercise but know the importance.

I'll give you a quick rundown on some main bodyweight exercises you can do. There are ways to modify them to make them easier or more difficult depending on your fitness level.

Bodyweight squat:

Start by standing in the end with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart.

Begin movement at the joint hip joint. But push your hips back, like getting ready to sit back in a chair. Bringing your hips back far.

Keep your back in a neutral position.

Push through your heels with your glutes and hamstrings.

To make this harder, add dumbbells.

One leg hip extension:

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.

Tighten your abs, contract your Glute muscle, and lift your left leg off the floor and hold.

Use the right Glute to bring up your hips as a bridge.

Slowly bring your hips down until they're about an inch above the ground.

Perform all reps on this leg before switching.

To make this harder, put your foot on a bench instead of the floor.

Make this easier by putting both feet on the floor.

Plank:

While lying on your stomach, raise body in a straight line while resting your body weight on your elbows and toes, so your body is hovering.

Keep your straight back hips up. Contract your abs tight as if someone is about to punch you, while breathing normally.

Hold, start for 20 seconds, and move up in 10-second intervals as it gets easier.

Easier: kneeling plank. Bring your knees to the ground.

Harder: rocking plank

Stick ups:

Stand with your back, bottom, upper back, and head against the wall. Feet 6 inches away from the wall.

Stick your hands overhead. Keep all your body parts on the wall as you slowly slide your arms up then back down. Bringing your elbows into your side.

While bringing your shoulder blades up, then back down together, contract the muscles between the shoulder blades.

This will help improve shoulder mobility and posture.

Kneeling Push-ups:

Place hands on the floor a little wider than your shoulders. Knees on the floor.

Keep your abs braced and body in a straight line from the toes to the knees to the shoulders and the top of the head.

Lower yourself slowly until you are an inch off the ground. Push through your hands, if they're on your chest, exhaling as you return to the starting position.

Keep your body straight the whole time.

Here are just five exercises you can incorporate at home with no weights.

Starting with one through five, going through them as a circuit.

Using a timer is best when starting. This allows you to focus more on the movement and your breathing, instead of how many reps you're doing.

Start with 20 seconds per exercise work through exercise number one, number two, number three, number four, number five. Rest for one minute and repeat the circuit two more times.

Have fun with the movements.

Remember exercise is crucial. Using our muscles is highly essential for keeping a high metabolism. Also, remember, as we age starting in our late 20s, our muscles begin to break down and deteriorate. We absolutely must continue to use our muscles or we will lose what we have now.

Let's live life with a vision of seeing how it will be five, 10, and 20 years from now.

"Use it or lose it", as the saying goes.

Here's to our Journey,