With the recent concerns about COVID-19, many people globally are following recommendations to stay home.  Many businesses have closed temporarily or are operating at a reduced capacity. As a result, people are isolated without much to do in terms of keeping themselves busy or healthy, thus stranded in figuring out how exercising at home can benefit them.

Many public gyms have closed, which has left many people without their usual way of working to achieve their health and fitness goals.  Exercising at home can be difficult for a lot of reasons: space, equipment, judgment from family/roommates, etc. This article will go over ways you can use what you have at home to exercise beyond just push-ups and squats (which are a great option by the way!).  

• Laundry baskets, grocery bags, backpacks, and storage containers – Weights are one of the most expensive pieces of equipment that gym goers can’t easily replicate at home.  Not so fast! That box of (nonfragile) holiday decorations just became more useful year-round. If you really need to replicate some dumbbells, put some stuff (soup cans, jars, etc.) into some reusable grocery bags, and viola, you have dumbbells.  If you need to replicate a barbell, you can use any bigger box with handles or put some stuff into a laundry basket.  Backpacks are another easy way to add resistance to exercises like push-ups and squats (again, a great option).  
• Furniture sliders, towels, and plastic food container lids – There are a lot of creative ways to use sliders for exercising (here’s a quick list).  If you don’t have a furniture slider, don’t worry!  For hard flooring, use a regular hand towel. For the carpet, use a plastic food container lid.  They’ll get the job done. If you’re looking for some exercises to try out with these, you could try:
  • Slider Squats (description)
  • Slider Side Lunges (description)
  • Slider Circles (description)
  • Slider Push Ups (these are REALLY hard – description)
  • Slider Crunch (description)
• Pillows, blankets, shoeboxes, and belts – These items can come in handy for stretching, especially in various yoga poses.  While “pillow” and “exercise” don’t seem to belong in the same sentence, consider that one of the best benefits of exercise is stress relief.  Restorative yoga is a great way to break that stress cycle. At the very least it makes a great way to cool down after some intense exercise with your grocery bags and plastic food lids (wait, are we exercising anymore?).  Be on the lookout for some posts on our Facebook page for some ways to use these items for your yoga practice.  

That should at least get you started.  Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be posting other ways to stay healthy and active while at home.  Our Facebook page is a great place to keep up, but be sure to check in regularly to our blog as well.  

Have questions?  Feel limited in what you’re able to do?  The staff at Limitless Physical Therapy in Eugene, OR can show you how to discover your future without limits.  

***The above information, including text, images, and all other materials, is provided for educational purposes only, and not as a replacement or supplement to professional medical advice.  Please contact a certified healthcare professional or your primary physician for any personal concerns.