Twenty-Minute Workout in the Comfort of Your Home

There are many ways to exercise indoors now that winter is upon us. I will list a few exercises below that can be done for a 20-minute workout inside your home with a minimum of equipment and other items:

• If you have some dumbbells, try this workout, take one in each hand and lift them up above your head as far as possible, then bring them down. If you have different weights of dumbbells, start with lighter ones, and work up to the larger ones as you add more workouts. I have a set of two-pound dumbbells and a set of three-pound ones. It is amazing how these can get your arms in shape.

• There is also a stretch fabric that is good to exercise your arms and hands. I do not know what this is called, but you can tie it to a doorknob or something else that is permanently stable. Then you pull it out as far as possible, and let it go back. I usually try to do at least ten of these with each arm.

• You might have a stationary bicycle that is sitting there gathering dust. This is one of the best ways to exercise inside your home. If you do not have an odometer on the bike, figure your time spent cycling. This kind of exercise is a whole-body workout.

• There is also a small peddler that you can set on the floor and peddle away, or you can set it on a table and peddle it with your arms. This will help to firm up arms or legs, about the same as the stationary bicycle.

• There are a few exercises that can be done without any extra items. Stand erect, and bend and try to reach your toes. If you can't reach your toes at first, keep trying. Perhaps on the second day you will be surprised to find you reached your toes on the first try. This exercise is good in helping you flatten your abs. When you can reach your toes, try to do at least ten bends and work up to more each day. Another exercise that will exercise the stomach muscles is set-ups. I like to catch my toes under a piece of furniture wearing slippers or light-weight shoes, then lay back and do your set-ups from there. I try to do at least 15-20 of these daily.

• One more exercise that will help to firm legs and thighs is to stand straight and hold one leg out to the side (keep it at waist height as much as possible). Extend the left leg to the left beginning with ten times, and then extend the right leg to the right the same way. In doing these exercises, try to stand on one leg if possible. If that is too difficult, hold on to the back of a chair or whatever is handy. Keep trying to balance on one leg, which will help with your balance over all.

You can combine more than one, or several, of these exercises within your 20-minute workout. You can also try doing one each day for 20 minutes. The most important rule is to do the 20-minute workout each day.

Sources:
Personal experience