Working from home comes with a whole new set of perks and pitfalls that I’d never imagined before. Don’t get me wrong, I love my business casual attire of flannel pajamas and bunny slippers. However, even an elastic waistband comes with some caveats. Being in control of my daily schedule has its own sort of appeal as well. Such as the sort of blissfulness that can come only from doing nothing at all. Don’t judge, I consider the Dr. Oz show valuable research.
The problem with this sedentary lifestyle is the unwanted body changes that come with it. Fortunately, working out is far simpler than people make it out to be. The tendency is for someone to decide they are unhealthy, want to do something about it, and get gung-ho about some workout regime that promises fast fitness. Just buying a fitness DVD makes someone instantly feel better about themselves.
Turn Action into Satisfaction
Setting realistic goals for yourself is especially important. If your goal is to lose some weight, you don’t need to train like an Olympian. Just pay attention to your diet and start with some basic exercises near your couch. Or even on your couch. There are a lot of exercises you can do without leaving your couch, so remember these when you are watching TV.
Turn That Couch Into a Home Gym
- The couch pushup – Start with your feet elevated on the couch and your hands on the floor, then do several pushups. You should really feel this move in your chest, arms, shoulders and abdominals. Remember to maintain proper position throughout the entirety to avoid injury. Four push-ups, executed properly, is far better than fourteen sloppy push-ups that result in back pain.
- The couch situp – Place your feet under the couch and pull yourself up to your knees, then slowly lower yourself back down, one vertebrae at a time. Save this one for commercial breaks so you don’t miss anything important, this will also give your abdominals a much needed break, allowing you to do more situps over time.
- The couch press – Stand on one side of the couch and try to lift it using your knees and arms. Have a friend sit on one end for extra weight. This is not recommended if your couch includes a pull-out bed, those suckers are heavy and only for advanced athletes!
- Press and pull – This is an exercise which relies upon your own ability to create resistance. Sitting on the edge of the couch, press your right arm forward, crossing your chest at roughly a 45 degree angle, followed by your left arm. Next, pull your hands back to your sides. The important thing here is you really press, like you’re pushing something away, then pulling really hard on the return motion. This easy move will tone your chest and your back. Do this through one commercial.
- Pull up and press away – Similar to the press and pull in that you’re relying on resistance, this move mimics a pull up and a standing push-up. Remember to retain lots of resistance throughout the entirety of the move as you pull your arms down, then press away.
- Side leg lifts – Recline on the couch, but don’t just stop there, tighten your abs, press your legs together and then lift your ankles about 6 inches off the couch. Lift your top leg through one commercial, then leave it extended at the top point of the move, and start lifting your bottom leg up to meet the top leg for a fantastic inner thigh workout. Swap directions during the next commercial break for a balanced workout on sides.
- Knee-to-nose – while stretched out on your couch, bring yourself up into a plank position, which is basically the starting position for a pushup. Now bend your right leg, bringing your knee up through your arms to touch your nose. Extend your leg to starting position, then bend it again and this time bring your knee to touch your right elbow. Return to starting position once more, and repeat the move again, this time crossing your leg up to touch your left elbow. Now do this with the left leg, bringing your knee to your nose, your left elbow, followed by your right elbow. Try to do this through a full commercial break.
Exercise Doesn’t Have to be a Pain
These are just a few clever ways to get in some exercise in between commercial breaks. If you want to have a body chiselled from rock then obviously you are going to need to research the best exercise bikes, join a gym, or maybe even a personal trainer. But if you just want to stop and begin to reverse the weight-gains of a lazy lifestyle, think about trying a few of the exercises I mentioned during half-time.
Freelance writer Rachel Cook hates exercising, but she dislikes her expanding waistline even more, which is why she strives to make every workout feel like a play date. She enjoys working from home because clients can’t see her doing bicep curls and tricep presses during conference calls with her phone muted. With the help of http://www.allexercisebikes.net she even managed to convert her recumbant bike into a work station. When she’s not busy multitasking her extra pounds away, Rachel can be found watching subtitled movies with her cat, Patches