6 Easy Exercises You Can Do in Your Home

When it comes to exercise, people can come up with some very creative responses as to why they don't take the time to exercise. Two of the most common excuses are "I don't have time", or "I can't afford it." The truth is that neither one of those excuses are good ones when it comes to not exercising. When it comes to exercise, you can do it right in your home. It doesn't take much time and it costs nothing.

I was the queen of excuses when it came to exercising. I thought I had to join a gym or buy fancy workout clothes. Walking around the block wasn't good enough. I had to find a park with a walking trail. I always managed to come up with some kind of excuse not to exercise, rationalizing it in my mind.

If you are really serious about starting an exercise program, you have got to stop making excuses. Here are some great exercises you can get started with right in your own home.

Climb stairs. If you have stairs at your house, climb them. Climb them every chance you get. Start a routine on the stairs. Make a trip up and down them 5 times twice a day. You can start with less repetitions if you want to and increase as your stamina increases. Climbing stairs is not only great aerobic exercise, it is also a great way to strengthen your leg muscles as well as your buttocks.

Do modified push-ups. Regular push ups are hard for many people. Instead of doing a regular push up, try a modified push up. Find a table in your house. Walk up to it and put your hands on the edge of the table. Back up a few steps until you are leaning over your arms. Lower and raise yourself as you would in a push up. Try as many repetitions as you can. Increase them gradually over time. As you gain strength, you can gradually move to the floor to do regular push ups.

Dance. Not only is dancing great exercise, it is a stress reliever and loads of fun. I found that dancing is a great way to get some exercise in to my day. You don't have to look good. You don't have to know any fancy steps. I love dancing in my kitchen to my favorite music. My favorite music to dance to is the music of Lady Gaga. It's fun to stretch and move and make up my own dance moves. Before I know it, an hour has passed by.

Try book stepping. If you want to work out and put a little extra effort into it, put a big book of some kind on the floor and use it as a step. You don't have to go out and buy an exercise step. Just use what you have in your home. It works just as well. Just make sure the book is solid and steady enough so that it will not slip as you are stepping on it. Put on some music and get to stepping!

Try a commercial break workout. If you're a couch potato and your favorite pastime is watching TV, even you can find time for both TV and exercise. The great thing about this is the more TV you watch, the more exercise you can incorporate into your day. During every commercial break, exercise. Do sit ups, leg lifts, and push ups. Run in place. Do jumping jacks. Do strength training. You will be surprised at how effective a series of commercial break work outs can be.

The time for excuses is over. There is no excuse not to exercise. Get moving, and you will see how little time it really takes. Make your health a priority.