There are plenty of reasons you might want to stay indoors, but that doesn’t mean missing out on movement.
If you don’t have a treadmill, weights or even resistance bands, there’s still movement you can do from the comfort of your home. Beyond equipment-free strength workouts, you can get your heart rate up by walking with intention.
Physical therapist and Balanced Body educator, Lindy Royer, recommends four ways to walk at home—all great ways to move your body and they might even lift your mood if you’re bored.
If you have a step counter or fitness tracker, Royer says you can measure your activity as you simulate many of the benefits of walking.
She suggests doing the following four exercises as a mini circuit, taking three to five minutes. Set yourself a time goal in which to complete as many rounds as possible.
1. Walk or march in place
- From standing, start marching on the spot.
- Lift your knees higher than you normally would when walking.
- Keep your chest upright and core engaged.
- Add intensity by swinging your arms or changing the pace to create an interval pattern.
- Vary the marching by widening and narrowing your stance, or do several high-knee repetitions on one side, then the other.
2. Try some butt kicks
- Stand in place with your chest upright.
- Kick the heel of one foot back toward your buttock, getting as close as possible to touching it.
- Alternate heel kicks or do several repetitions on each side, then swap sides if you prefer.
- Hold onto a wall or chair for balance support if you need to.
3. Take the stairs
- If you have access to stairs, walk up and down them multiple times.
- Vary stair climbing by going two or three at a time
- Walk up and down backwards, holding onto the handrail to avoid tripping, if you feel safe to do so.
4. Do laps around your home
- Walk the length of the longest space in your home or office.
- Vary the walk by going forward, backwards and/or side to side.
- If you don’t have a long space, try walking around the perimeter of each room several times.
