Household Items to Keep you Healthy and Fit

Here are some household items you can use to tone up and get your heart pumping:

1. The couch or a table
   These are great for unilateral movements, balance and even strength. You can perform exercises such as squats (using the couch as a good stopping point), Bulgarian split squats, incline push-ups, tricep dips, side-to-side walks, incline mountain climbers, sit-to-stands, hip thrusts and incline glute bridges. You can even do these while watching your favorite show!
2. Laundry detergent bottles
   These can be used as an alternative to a kettle bell! Anything with a handle large enough to fit your hands inside and some weight will also work. You can do many strength-based exercises with this such as kettle bell swings, upright rows, Romanian Dead Lifts (RDLs), Russian twists, single arm bent over rows and around-the-body pass. You can even do this outside and if you need a mat, just lay down a couple of towels.
3. Milk, juice or water jugs
   These can be used to supplement dumbbells. Since these can be pretty light for some of us, you want to focus on time under tension meaning more repetitions, instead of just eight or 10 times, try 15 or 20. Perform exercises such as bicep curls, shoulder press, tricep extensions, floor press, shoulder raises, etc.
4. A chair
   A chair can supplement a weight bench, but is also great for stretching. Try performing exercises such as leg lifts, figure-four stretch, seated pigeon twist, eagle arch, forward bend, seated twists, skater switch, chair running, etc.
5. A backpack
   Load it up with things like cans, water bottles, rocks, etc. Just heavy enough to give you some much-needed resistance. This can be used as a weighted vest. Try it with bigger movements such as squats, push ups, lunges, mountain climbers, etc. Make sure to pull the shoulder straps as far up as possible so the backpack sits as high on your back as possible.
6. Cans and bottles of condiments
   These are going to be used for your smaller dumbbell weights. With these items, you want to do isolation movements. These are movements that you hold in place for a certain amount of time. Try some WYTs, one of my favorite shoulder exercises, and trust me, barbecue sauce will never feel so heavy!

Other objects you can use around the house include:

• Full grocery bags
• Full laundry basket
• A broom for ab exercises
• Books
• Towels to use as sliders for added resistance