Swap your household items for at-home fitness equipment.

April 23, 2020
Parks & Recreation

Are you missing your regular workout? There are plenty of ways to get fit right at home! You can get a great workout using items that you already have in your kitchen, closet, or around the house.

These household items can be used as alternative workout equipment for your makeshift home gym:

Dumbbells

Soup cans and water bottles can be used as hand weights. If you need more weight, pour sand, rocks, or dry rice into empty water bottles to make them heavier. If you require heavier weights, consider filling a milk jug with water. 

Try to make each rep slower and focused. For example, instead of taking one second to lift and one second to bring back down, try two-three seconds on each movement.

Gliders/Sliders

Paper plates work well on a carpeted surface or fold some dishcloths if you have a hardwood/laminate floor. Coffee filters work well too, but do not last as long.

Fitness Ladder

Take some painters tape and use it to tape out the ladder on the floor. Voila! You have your very own fitness ladder. For an outdoor option, try chalk.

Battle Ropes

Pull out your comforter from the back of your closet. Hold onto each corner and make wave motions with your arms, either one arm at a time or both together. If you have the outdoor space, you can use garden hoses.

Medicine Ball

Try a pillow, soccer ball, volleyball, or basketball. While these are light alternatives, you can focus on your form and balance. If you need something with more weight, try an old textbook or a jug of laundry detergent (just make sure it is sealed!).

Bench

Use a chair or stool to do tricep dips, incline push-ups and sit-squats.

Foam Roller

Try a rolling pin. Hold the rolling pin firmly in both hands and firmly roll out your thighs and calves. If you are looking for a foot roller, try a wine bottle or frozen water bottle.

Dowel

A broom with a removable brush head, can work as a dowel. Try using it for overhead squats or use it lying facedown and lifting the broomstick overhead with arms outstretched.

Yoga Strap

Try using a belt, the sash from your bathrobe, or an old necktie to help you stretch and comfortably hold yoga poses.

Stairmill 

Instead of using a stairmill at the gym, try regular stairs. If you need a challenge, put some books in a backpack for added weight, or walk up and down the stairs with the dumbbells you made.