Successful weight loss will almost always involve two factors – eating less and exercising more. The usual suggestion for increasing levels of physical activity is to join a gym, but for many people, a workout is an ordeal to be dreaded rather than an invigorating way of getting fitter. If you’re one of these people who despise gym sessions, you can increase your exercise by adopting some simple changes to your daily habits. In this article, Larry Greenfield, New York-based fitness guru, provides six ideas on how to do exactly that.

Check the list

Start Walking

A simple way to increase your fitness and the amount of steps you take per day is to start walking! If you live close enough to work to walk, give it a try. You can start by walking to and from work 2-3 times per week and then increase it from there. You could also walk to the grocery store, nail salon, to pick your kids up from school — anywhere that you live remotely close to, try walking instead of always hopping in the car. This is a great habit for you to get the whole family involved in too, and it will make those walks a little more fun. You can also get your pup involved and make sure they are getting enough exercise by taking them on a long walk each day or several shorter walks.

Start Biking

Biking is another way to get from place to place and get some exercise at the same time. If you live a little too far out to walk to work or school, why not give biking a try? The bike will enable you to travel farther than walking while still providing you with excellent cardiovascular benefits and helping to build up your endurance. If being outside isn’t your thing, you can still get a great cycling workout from the comfort of your home with a Peloton bike or something similar on the market.

At-Home Workouts

These days, it is not necessary to step foot into a gym in order to receive an amazing workout led by a personal trainer. Thanks to things like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, you have access to thousands of workouts all from the comfort of your home. So many workout options mean you will undoubtedly be able to find the ones you like, switch them up, and prevent becoming bored with your workout routine.

You can also buy free weights, kettlebells, squat racks, and other workout equipment to keep at home so you can define your muscles without having to deal with the crowd at the gym as well. What about purchasing a piece of exercise equipment like a treadmill or an elliptical? Place these items where you have some extra space in your house and you will never have an excuse to skip the gym again!

Do Body-Weight Exercises

Push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, squats, and planks are some of the most common body-weight exercises that can be done from anywhere. Body-weight training is an excellent way to build strength, build endurance, and see weight loss results.

Jump Rope

Jumping rope offers amazing cardiovascular benefits and it is a calorie cruncher. You can burn 15-20 calories per minute while jumping rope. It is also an excellent exercise for your arms and legs while being lots of fun.

Running/Jogging

While we’re on the subject of calorie-torching exercises, we have to bring up running. Running is an incredible way to increase your cardiovascular health, your endurance, tone up your legs, and lose weight. Running can be done around your neighborhood or inside if you purchase a treadmill. Running also has incredible stress-relief benefits and can also be enjoyed with your partner, a friend, or your kids. Running burns about 400-500 calories per hour. Just make sure you have a good pair of shoes and some water before you head out to hit the pavement.

As you can see from this post, you don’t need a gym to lose weight. Sometimes, it just takes a little bit of creativity and putting more effort into your daily tasks.

About Larry Greenfield

Larry Greenfield is a fitness professional from New York, NY, with an extensive background in helping people over 40 to get into the best shape of their life. Mr. Greenfield believes that it’s never too late to start taking care of your health. He creates a unique personalized strategy for each client to guarantee long-lasting results based on sustainable changes in lifestyle.