DIY GYM. We are 2 weeks into Sleigh the Holiday challenge, give yourself some snaps!
Maybe even give yourself double snaps because we also made it through Thanksgiving and the turkey comas. So you know…I don't *love* a crazy shopping scene. But after Thanksgiving, I always end up with shopping bags laying everywhere. And I figured out this little hack for long shopping days. You can totally get an upper body workout in just using your full-to-the-brim shopping bags (or even walking around the mall!!!). I put the video at the bottom of this post! So make sure to get on it once you finish reading this?
Look…I am well aware that it's tough to get to the gym (if you do that kind of thing!) and not everyone has a home gym set-up. The beauty of all the Sleigh the Holiday and HBSGworkouts are that you don't need fancy weights or an expensive gym membership, buuut maybe you want to take it up a notch and really challenge yourself to go out of 2018 with a bang.
The same way you can use shopping bags as "weights" you would be surprised at how many things can double as exercise equipment that you already have. Here are ALL my up-level DIY's so you can take your #LSFSleigh results to the next level.
Laundry detergent jugs
I always remember, 16 oz is roughly one pound, so grab the handles of that Tide jug you have and use it like a dumbbell. You can start small by using water bottles or milk jugs and build the weight up.
Soup Cans
Maybe you've got cans of beans or soup in your pantry that make for awesome dumbbell alternatives! Plus, the ribbed sides can help keep your grip. Hold one between your knees during a wall set for a whole new isometric challenge. Or (my personal fave) hold a can behind your knee for donkey kicks (below) to add some extra resistance.
Chairs
I totally love using a chair for a workout hack. Anywhere you need a step-up, you can sub in a sturdy chair. But you can also use the seat for incline pushups or tricep dips, and the back of the chair makes for a good stabilizer for squats or stretching.
Wall
Wall sits give me a flashback to high school gym class but nothing can make my legs quake quite like thirty seconds sitting against the wall! Again, squeeze a can between your knees for two hacks at once!
Pillows
Snag a pillow from your bed or couch and use it as an alternative to an exercise ball. You can fold a small one in half and squeeze it between your thighs for added resistance in leg work or place it under your back during floor ab work.
Scarf
Wrap a scarf around your legs and tie a knot… BOOM, resistance band! Obviously, you'll want to be gentle so you don't rip your scarf, but you can really up your leg workout by using it to create resistance. Undo the knot and take one end in each hand for arm and shoulder stretches too!However, I'm not going to lie, the booty bands in the shophave the elasticity that will help you train your muscles even better.And honestly, one set of booty bands can basically be a whole home gym…so I would recommend getting your hands on those ASAP.
Get creative with what you have at home and share your favorite workout hack with me! Only a few more weeks until the end of the year ?, let's go into the New Year looking and feeling our best!
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