Insights
the blog of Porter Hills
Tips for Exercising at Home
MPA, ACSM CPT, NASM-SFS
Fitness Specialist at Porter Hills Village
There are many great ways to stay active and fit, even at home. This series of exercises can be done in approximately 15- 20 minutes and requires no equipment. Make a goal to perform these exercises 3 or more days per week. Begin with a lower amount of repetitions and as you feel stronger and the exercises feel easier, increase the number of repetitions. Remember to focus on your breathing.
Seated Exercises:
Begin seated in a sturdy chair (a rocking chair or recliner is not ideal).
- Perform 10-15 chair stands: Move from a seated position to standing. You may use the chair armrests for support but make your legs do the work, not your arms.
- Seated leg extension: Extend your leg straight in front of you, getting a good squeeze in the quadriceps muscles on the top of your leg 10-15 reps.
- Seated knee lifts: Perform 10-15 reps. Sit in your chair and lift your knee high, lower and repeat (squeeze your abdominal muscles while you do this).
- Seated Abdominal Exercise: Sit at the front of your chair and cross your arms across your chest. Keep your feet on the floor while you lean back and touch your shoulders to the back of the chair and pull yourself back to seated using your abdominal muscles, like you’re sitting up in bed without using your hands to push you. Perform 10-15 reps.
- Lift one or both feet off the floor and rotate your ankles and point and flex your toes.
Standing Exercises:
Hold a sturdy chair, a countertop or table.
- Stand with feet hip width apart and rock back on your heels and then forward onto your toes. Rock slowly and focus on your balance and shifting your weight. Perform for 20 seconds and increase the amount of time as you get comfortable.
- Stand and balance on one foot. Focus your sight on an object that’s not moving.
- Stand with feet hip width apart, perform 10-15 squats using a support to keep yourself stable.
- Pretend you are standing on one foot in the center of a clock. Use your other foot to tap the numbers on the clock moving your hip as much as possible by touching as many numbers as you can. Repeat with each leg standing in the middle of the clock (2 times).
- Stand and hold your support while gently rotating your neck side to side, looking over your shoulder.
- March in place or march around your living room to increase your heart rate. Do this for 1-5 minutes.
- Wall Pushups: Stand facing a wall and place your hands on the wall at shoulder height, bend your elbows moving your chest toward the wall and push yourself back with your arms. Your feet stay flat on the floor. Remember that the further your feet are from the wall, the more challenging it will be. Perform 10-15 reps.
