6 new ideas for fitness in 2016
If huffing away on the treadmill or chugging along on the elliptical isn’t really working for you anymore, you’re probably not the only one. With people all around you recommittting to getting active, many of them start searching for an alternative to the boring, rote exercise offered by the gym. Refresh your workout routine this year by trying one of these ideas for keeping fit instead.
- Stream your fitness classes. You don’t have to hit the treadmill at all to stay lean or lose weight this year. You just need to turn on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or TV. Anything that has an internet connection can become a personal trainer thanks to websites like Jessica Smith TV and com, as well as countless YouTube channels dedicated to fitness videos. If you’re willing to pay for subscription, you can get access to even more online workout videos.
- Work out without a gym. You don’t even really need an internet connection to get a workout in your living room, or a set of hand weights, for that matter. Commit this simple five-minute workout from Women’s Health to memory, and you can run through it whenever you have some free time. It consists of lateral lunges, pushups, switch lunches, body walks, and side hurdles, all of which can be completed at home in just a few minutes.
- Get fit at your desk. We’ve all had those days when getting to the gym is simply not going to happen—even the fake gym in your living room. That’s when you need to take your workout to your office chair. Squeezing in some exercise at work is particularly helpful if you’re concerned about the toll that sitting all day is taking on your body. Try some of these moves from Fitness Magazine, like the straight-arm squeeze, to stretch and tone right in your cubicle.
- Go outside. Remember when you didn’t have to squeeze a workout into your busy schedule, when you ran around just because it was fun? That’s still a thing. Get outside for your exercise this year instead of sweating away in the stuffy gym. Find a state park nearby and go hiking; take a kayak out on a lake in your town; or just grab a soccer ball and kick it around with friends at a local park.
- Rock-climb. Rock-climbing is rising in the ranks of unconventional workouts, buoyed by the ever-growing number of boutique rock-climbing gyms across the country. Many of these gyms also offer rock-climbing lessons and traditional fitness classes like yoga and Pilates, maybe even a standard room of cardio and strength-training equipment for members. So if you start rock-climbing and don’t love it, you’ll still get use out of your membership.
- Play social sports. There’s no better way to motivate yourself to exercise than to work toward a beer with every step. If you join an intramural sports league, chances are every game will be followed by happy hour and socializing at a local bar. And you’ll be able to drink that beer or cocktail guilt-free knowing that you just torched a ton of calories out on the field.