The majority of us lead pretty busy lives; from working full time, to keeping the apartment in check, bringing kids to and from school, caring for pets, cooking, most people have jam-packed days! Figuring out where you are going to sneak a workout in usually takes a backseat to the more pressing matters of life. The greatest lie is believing you have to attend a gym to keep fit; you can get full-body workouts without stepping out of the apartment! Check out how you can stay in shape while staying inside.
You Pay for the Fitness Center, so Use it
If you live in a luxury apartment, you most likely cannot even list all the amenities available, and a superb fitness center is probably high up on the list. Why waste money on a gym membership when your building’s fitness center has more than what you need, and you already pay for it in your rent? When the gym is literally another room in your building, there is no excuse for not working out. Get your athletic attire on and go to the fitness room, the hardest part is walking through the halls.
Brush the Dust off Your Yoga Mat
Yoga is an excellent way to better your flexibility and keep yourself in check. Since yoga only needs a foot or two on the sides of your mat, you can do it in the convenience of your own apartment unit. Likewise, yoga routines vary in duration, some are five to ten minutes while others are twenty to thirty. If you only have a few minutes to spare, no big deal, you can easily get a fast yoga session in before work or bed. Even short yoga sessions will make you feel exponentially better! Inspiration and new poses are at your fingertips with YouTube and numerous apps to model your yoga session after, such as this one, which specializes in yoga routines that can be performed in five minutes or less.
You Have a Yoga Mat, so You Might as Well Try Pilates
If you are looking for a way to do some strength training without the weights, you need to try Pilates! It can be done with the same amount of space as yoga and Pilates routines normally last approximately fifteen to twenty minutes. The great part about Pilates is you can really do it whenever you want. If you are a morning person, do it when you wake up. If you have a decent lunch hour, break up the workday. Perhaps you would prefer to work out when you are finished with work, then do it an hour before you eat dinner. Pilates can be implemented with yoga for a two-part, full-body workout that will make you feel refreshed. Pilates regiments are on YouTube or like yoga, there are more than enough apps out there. If you seek an application with both yoga and Pilates, try FitOn, which has other workouts as well.
Swim If You Got It
If your luxury apartment has a fitness center, there is a good chance that it has a swimming pool, too. Since the pool is included in the cost of your rent, you should be using it every chance you get! Whether you are just getting your toes wet or have mastered the butterfly and backstroke, swimming is a great way to stay fit without leaving the apartment building. Swimming is one of the best whole-body workouts as it is low impact on muscles and joints. Whether you want to find a new way to work out or rehabilitate an injury, swimming is one of the best ways to go.
Look Around and Rock What You Got
If all else fails, you just have to improvise. Tons of basic workouts can be increased in difficulty when you use what you already own in your apartment. One of the easiest ways to innovate a workout is with your furniture. Next time you do crunches or push-ups, kick your legs up onto your chair or couch to push your movements to the limit. The absolute best thing you can do is conquer your functional fixedness and use household items instead of weights. No one says you have to buy a ten-pound dumb bell, the gallon of milk in your fridge will work in its place! Get creative and innovate with what is around you and make your workouts amusing.
