How to exercise when you’re not in the gym
Having weight loss surgery, whether that is a gastric band, bypass or sleeve, is a journey which requires you to be 100% dedicated to making a lifestyle change. But we’re not just talking about your eating habits, in order to achieve and maintain long-term weight loss results, your diet also needs to be supported by regular exercise too.
With this in mind, we want to show you how to keep fit virtually anywhere, and without spending lots of money on expensive equipment or being out of pocket on a pricey gym membership either.
Here are our top 5 easy steps to staying active along with the best exercise hacks without going to the gym:
1. Take walks when you can
In our walking to work blog, we talk about the main benefits that making this change can do, from burning those extra calories to reducing your carbon footprint. By walking the recommended 10,000 steps a day, this can improve your overall health, promote a healthier heart and reduce your total body fat percentage lowering your risk factors for these types of conditions. There are so many ways to get those extra steps in -here are just a few:
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Getting off the bus one stop earlier and walking the rest of the way
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Parking further away from work or even better, walking to work
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Going for walks on your lunch break during the week
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Walking to the shops instead of automatically jumping in the car
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Download a pedometer on your phone or put your Fit Bit to good use and challenge friends to a ‘walk-off’ challenge
2. Take advantage of free workouts
Although going to the gym can be really effective and is a great way to be more active, we know that it isn’t for everyone and that’s okay. But there are so many ways to exercise without the gym!
When it comes to working out in a public place, we can also emphasise with how intimidating this might feel especially when you are at right at the beginning of your journey.
But exercise doesn’t have to be expensive! There are so many resources that you can access from your smartphone including free workout apps that you can download with recommended stretches and easy to follow YouTube video tutorials.
3. Take the stairs
Many of our weight loss surgery customers will have attempted a plethora of diet and exercise regimes before deciding on surgery. We are no stranger to hearing stories of tried and tested gym membership fees that have gathered dust each month.
That is to say, exercise needs to work for you and your lifestyle and it might be that making simple, more holistic changes that you know you are going to commit too is much more effective from a long-term perspective.
Either at work or when out and about, making the effort to walk up and down the stairs instead of using the lift or an escalator is a small change you make which will really contribute to your weight loss goals. Every little helps when you are on a weight loss journey and this is a really easy swap to make that is practical to integrate into your day-to-day life.
4. Get the basic equipment
Some people find getting up that hour earlier to be a really motivating start to the day whereas others can only exercise after work in the evenings – there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to working out, it is about whatever works for you. If you get the basic equipment, it can be easy to get a great exercise routine going, without the gym.
We’re not suggesting that you need to invest in an expensive treadmill or a top of the range exercise bike in order to see results. A resistance band, light dumbbells, exercise balls, and other basic equipment are all relatively cheap and can be used from home with an exercise DVD or a mobile app to kick-start your weekly exercise routine.
5. Make housework your exercise!
It’s easier than you think to be more active around the house and to start burning those extra calories! Walking the recommended 10,000 steps a day is always a great place to start – and combined with our top household tasks for losing weight, you will be well on your way to achieving your weight loss targets, whatever they might be.
So, get your best playlist on, channel your inner Mrs Hinch and give our most exercise intensive household tasks a whirl:
- Mopping or hoovering the floors
- Scrubbing the bathroom floor
- Cleaning the windows
- Cleaning the car
- Doing the gardening
- Having a clear-out and walking to the nearest charity shop to drop off your unwanted clothes and belongings!
Ready for a new start?
We know that weight loss isn’t easy, especially on your own. When you’ve tried following a balanced diet and exercising and it’s just not enough, weight loss surgery could be the start of that new lease of a life you’ve been waiting for.
Start your journey towards a healthier you today! Together, we can achieve your goals of a healthy BMI, take the first step by getting in touch to see if weight loss surgery could be an option for you.