Household items creating an inexpensive at-home gym

Household items creating an inexpensive at-home gym

When you don’t have access to free weights or fancy weight equipment at a gym, what can you use to still stretch and strengthen your body?  With a little imagination and creativity, common household items come in handy for maintaining a fitness program from your home after an illness, injury, or surgery that has caused loss of functional mobility. 

Before performing any of the moves, always check with your doctor or physical therapist to make sure they approve:

·      Hand towel for grip strength – Anyone with rheumatoid arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome can develop weakness in their wrist or hands.  It is important to maintain normal handgrip function to keep the muscles around your wrists and fingers strong.

What to do – Roll up a hand towel until it is about 2 to 3 inches in diameter.  Grip the towel lightly and hold your grip for 3 seconds.  Slowly release your grip.  Repeat the same exercise with the other hand for a total of 10 to 15 repetitions.

·      Hammer for strengthening the wrist – Another common household item for strengthening the wrist is a hammer which will simulate holding a free weight. 

What to do - Hold a hammer in one hand while your forearm is resting on a table.  Using a slow, deliberate move, roll your hand over so your palm is facing down and then return to the starting position.  Then, roll your hand over the other way so your palm is facing up. To vary the amount of resistance, hold the hammer closer or further from the end of the tool; holding the end of the hammer’s handle increases the difficulty of the exercise while holding the hammer closer to the head makes it easier.  Perform this exercise for 10 to 15 repetitions.

·      Bath towel for stretching – For shoulder pain, rotator cuff tendonitis or frozen shoulder, working on your shoulder’s range of motion is a must. 

What to do – Hold a long towel in one hand over your shoulder allowing it to drape behind your back. Reach behind your back with your other hand and grip the towel.  Gently pull the towel up your back until a stretch is felt in your shoulder.    Hold the stretch for 10 to 15 seconds and repeat it for 10 repetitions.

·      Soups cans as weights – Using soup cans (or bottled water, cans of beans or soda cans) can be very useful for anyone with arthritis or when recovering from an injury.  They are lightweight enough to not pose a risk for injury yet provide just enough resistance to help increase strength. 

What to do – Here is a link of several exercises that focus on strengthening the arms, back, legs, and shoulders that can be of benefit in recovery or to simply maintain fitness.

·      Basketball or volleyball to act as a bolster – Knee pain can be improved by strengthening the quadriceps muscles around your knee.  These muscles is what cross the knee joint and help in straightening your knees.  Anyone who has had a knee injury or surgery needs to restore normal function to these muscles to be able to return to normal activity.

What to do – A type of exercise that physical therapists recommend for knee strength is called the short arc quad exercise.  It requires a “bolster” or something such as a basketball or volleyball that can fit under a knee while you are lying on your back.  The exercise is performed by straightening the knee as far as possible and then tightening your quadriceps muscle on the top of your thigh.  Hold this position for a few seconds and then slowly lower your leg. 

·      Staircase – Having a staircase in your home will be one of your best built-in exercise equipment around.  Climbing a flight of stairs is a perfect cardiovascular workout, great for developing strong and shapely thighs and behind, and improves circulation.

What to do – Each day, have a set number of times to walk or hike up and down your staircase.  For a great calf exercise, stand on a stair so your heels are hanging off the back of the step. Use the rail to balance yourself as you stand onto your tiptoes. Lower your heel down and then repeat.

·      Any wall in your home – Pick a wall, any wall. A wall can be used to get yourself  in better shape, especially when targeting the buttocks, thighs, and hamstrings.

What to do – Stand with your upper back against a wall and feet shoulder width apart. Sit down into a squat with your upper back still touching the wall. Lower so your legs are in a 90-degree angle and hold for 30 to 60 seconds. This is a called a wall sit and is one of the best ways to tone your legs and core all at the same time.

·      Kitchen counter – Besides used for cooking, your kitchen can be temporarily turned into a home gym.  And one of the best pieces of equipment literally at your fingertips, is your kitchen counter

What to do – One very effective exercise move for shapely calves is to do calf raises. Achieve this by standing in front of your kitchen counter, place your hands on the counter edge, keep your feet about hip widths apart and then push off the balls of your feet, going up and down several times. Squeeze in a few push-ups while you’re waiting for food to cook by placing your hands on the counter edge, step back by about 2-3 feet from the counter, then bend your elbows to lower your chest to the counter’s edge, then push back to start.  Do this several times also to strengthen arm, chest, core, and back muscles.