Exercises At Home: 10 Ways To Lose Weight Without Equipment

Written by Arti Patel, The Huffingon Post

If the thought of going to crowded gyms with equipment hoarders makes you cringe, there's a simpler (and cheaper) way to stay fit right about now.

With New Year's just around the corner, there will be plenty of focus on fitness, with losing weight and setting health goals the second most popular resolution for most people. Gyms can not only get crowded, but finding time to work out becomes difficult.

"It doesn’t matter where you work out, it’s what you’re doing, how often you’re exercising and ensuring that it’s effective that makes it most beneficial," says exercise physiologist Andrea Doepker-Gavidia of Train For Life Fitness & Lifestyle Consulting in Saskatoon.

Doepker-Gavidia argues that you can easily get fit in the comfort of your own home — as long as you're up to the challenge.

If you can avoid the phone calls, the television and chatty kids or family members in the background, Doepker-Gavidia says you can set a schedule to reach your health and weight goals without spending any money on memberships or stability balls.

"Choose exercises that are full body movements that mimic everyday patterns. These will use more energy and incorporate more muscle groups and will teach your body how to move as a whole more efficiently," she tells The Huffington Post Canada.

Working out with weights has proven to both intensify and speed up your metabolism, according to Women's Health magazine, but sometimes using just your bodyweight or sticking to cardio can combat stress better than strength training.

To make things a little easier on you, Doepker-Gavidia suggests turning off your phone during your routine, invite a friend or another family member over as a fitness buddy and turn up your favourite music (like one of these awesome workout tunes from 2012) to tune out everything around you.

Ready to get motivated? Click here for Doepker-Gavidia's 10 exercises you can do on your hardwood floor — we recommend starting out with 15 to 20 sets and only adding weights when you're ready.