Fit For Life: Stay Fit Indoors

Saturday, October 05, 2013

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health + Lifestyle Contributor

Many use the dropping temperature as an excuse not to stick with their fitness routine. Don't let this be you!

So you don't like big gyms, can't afford small private training studios, and it's getting too cold to do your thing outside? Guess this means it's time to take the winter off from exercise, right? You can gain ten pounds, lose some muscle mass, and become depressed and de-conditioned, so you have to resort to frantic, unhealthy ways to get it back together in the spring. Or, you can spend less than $500 and purchase a few items that will give you a great workout at home, regardless of your fitness level.

My motto is, and always has been, no excuses. You can achieve your goals regardless of your situation. Time, weather, space, and finances are no longer acceptable reasons to neglect yourself or your fitness after reading this advice.

Getting started

First, you’ll need a spot to perform your fitness routine. One that you can leave set up, ideally. Basements and garages are ideal spots to create a workout space. I like these choices because the floors are concrete and you can move around without disturbing others, and do various exercises without shaking the house. If you do not have the option of either of these, a spare bedroom or even your living room will work.

Next, you’ll need to buy a few things, tools to make your routine fun and challenging. I can get and give a great workout by just utilizing body weight exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups, planks, and various plyometrics, and add progressions to all…but it is nice to have a few pieces of equipment, too. So here’s my list of suggested items to purchase and what you can do with them.

Swiss balls or stability balls

A great way to add balance to your routine. You do not need a lot of space to perform exercises on these, and you can purchase a top quality one for about $60. Some great moves are the supine ball roll, supine bridges, elevated feet planks with knee tucks, wall squats, and supine hamstring rolls.

Med balls and slam balls

You’ve seen them in old school boxing gyms. They come in different weight increments and can be used in moves—such as abdominal twists, sit-ups, and any range of motion exercises such as squats and lunges—to add weight and movement to any exercise. These do not bounce when slammed on the floor or against a wall, so standing, kneeling, and half kneeling chop/slams are a great way to work the core and stabilize the spine. Prices range from $15-35.

Rubber bands

Made popular in physical therapy programs, these can take the place of expensive cable machines. They come in different colors and resistances so they can create a challenge for all. Exercises such as rows, chest flies/presses, shoulder presses, raises, rotator exercises, and resisted rotations, can be done on different planes with different resistances just by shortening and lengthening the band. You can anchor to a pole, door, or piece of heavy furniture and add even more variation. A great versatile “must have” for about $15-30 each.

Jump rope

You’ll need ceiling height and a solid floor, of course. This is a great way to get a little cardiovascular conditioning while working on your coordination and footwork. Jumping rope also stimulates your calves and shoulders, and forces you to have rhythm. While jumping, maintain good posture, keep your abdominals tight, and vary your footwork by jumping on both feet, one leg, alternate legs, and increase speed. All this for $12-20.

Bosu balance trainer

These are popular right now. It looks like a Swiss ball cut in half with a platform on the bottom, and it’s a versatile tool for conditioning the entire body. You can use it for single leg training techniques, squats, and lateral movement, and it is durable enough to do jumping jacks on to reduce impact. Flip it over dome side down, for pushup and plank variations. These go for around $50-65.

If you want help locating equipment, you can go to my website at www.fitnessprofiles.net. Click on the Perform Better banner, and you’ll see everything you need to know about the equipment mentioned here. A heavy bag is a great inexpensive tool to train and relieve stress, but you need a sturdy place to anchor it. Cable machines are adjustable so you can train every body part, but they are also expensive and cumbersome. Start with what you can and make progressions along the way.

So just because the weather is getting chilly, don’t give up your fitness routines. Remember, we’re in this to be fit for life, not for just half the year. If you can join a gym, great. Even if you can’t, put together a little area for a home fitness priority. Before you know it all the members of your family will be asking you what to do with this piece of equipment and that. And that is the goal: to pass on a fitness regime that everyone can be part of. It doesn’t have to cost a lot. There’s no excuse for a sedentary lifestyle…so, look around your home and set up your own area that will serve you well. Come spring you will not have to start all over again; you’ll be good to go back outdoors.

Matt Espeut has worked as a personal trainer for almost 20 years with clients ranging in age from 14 to 86. His focus is on overall health, strength, and functional conditioning. Holistic health and nutrition is the cornerstone of all his programs. Matt works in private and small group training available at your home or office location or at gym facilities. Matt offers his services to everyone wanting to be more fit and healthy, overweight young people, youth/collegiate athletes, and seniors. Matt has worked and continues to train at several facilities in the Providence area including Gold's Gym and CORE Studio, and he believes continued education is a must in his field. Email Matt: [email protected], check out his website at www.fitnessprofiles.net or on Facebook at Matt Espeut or on Twitter @MattEspeut.

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