How to Get Fit at Home Without Gym Equipment

Whether you’re trying to save money, don’t have access or can’t access a gym near home, or just prefer to focus on your fitness alone, there are several easy ways to get and stay fit at home without gym equipment.

Try some or all of these tips and tricks to stay fit from the comfort of home while ensuring you reach the recommended 2.5 to 5 hours of exercise weekly for maintaining your health.¹

1. Explore arthritis-specific stretches and exercises—most of which can be done without any extra equipment or with items found around the house. Try exercises designed to strengthen the muscles around the joints where you most often experience arthritis flares, such as the wrists, the knees, and the ankles.

2. Turn housework into a workout—it’s a great way to get moving, burning calories, increase your heartrate, and keep get the chores done. While completing tasks like vacuuming, mopping, or sweeping, try exaggerating your movements while you tighten your core muscles for an extra challenge..

3. Don’t underestimate the health benefits of taking a walk—it’s not necessarily as leisurely as it sounds. Whether you choose to walk to do errands, to take out the dog, or simply to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine, walking is a low-impact, equipment-free fitness option.² Consider parking the car farther from the entrance of place to which you drive, sunrise walks, and after-dinner strolls, too.

4. Put your TV time to work—plenty of the above stretches can be completed while you watch TV or during commercial breaks, or you can simply march in place in front of the tube.

5. If your knees agree, take the stairs—you’ll get your heart pumping and burn more calories than if you went for a run.³ Stairs are also a great tool for another tried-and-true at-home exercise: push-ups! The higher the step where you place your hands, the easier the push-ups will be to complete, so you can start slowly and build up to more challenging push-ups when you’re ready.

There are many more options out there for how you can get fit at home without gym equipment, so if you’ve exhausted all of the above, consider exploring web-based or streaming exercise classes or aerobic routines, or ask friends or your doctor if they have any suggestions for getting fit at home. It’s always good to check with your doctor prior to starting an exercise program to make sure it is right for you.