If you find that working out has been moving further and further down the to-do list, this guide to 10 easy at-home exercises is for you — and the best part is that it will take just 10 minutes out of your day.
Exercising might be the last thing you fancy doing in these weird times, with even the most well-intentioned among us feeling somewhat demotivated to get a daily workout in, but we all know that exercising is a brilliant wellbeing activity as it has been scientifically proven to make us feel better (and younger!) so setting aside just 10 minutes a day is a great place to start. Even chair based exercises can have an amazing impact on your physical and mental health. Plus, regular exercise has been linked to the prevention of dementia.
Easy At-Home Exercises: Where to start?
You don’t need to go all out, converting your garage into a home gym or buying bulky, professional-grade gym machinery in order to get a good at-home workout in. The 10-minute workouts listed below require just one economical piece of equipment each, which you may already have at home — and if you don’t, we recommend the best products for you. You may also want to download a fitness app to help give you some extra guidance in your workout.
A good exercise mat or yoga mat always comes in handy for at-home exercises, however, and an interval timer is also helpful so you don’t have to keep reaching for (and getting distracted by) your phone while trying to time exercises.
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Weu2019re loving this highly-rated, extra-thick yoga mat that protects knees and comes with a strap to roll it up for carrying or storing away.
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This interval timer with a clip that can be set with exercise and rest time in advance so you donu2019t have to keep pressing start and stop during the workout.
Since we all have different tastes and interests when it comes to exercise, the 10 easy at-home exercises we’ve chosen are vast and varied to suit all workout preferences, and are suitable for beginners and fitness enthusiasts alike.
Resistance Band at-home exercises
Resistance bands are a great way to get in a full body workout. They’re economical, take up virtually zero storage space, and can easily be carried in a bag for working out away from home. They allow you to go at your own pace and many top fitness personalities swear by them.
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This hugely popular set of resistance bands has more than 45,000 reviews on Amazon. It comes with five different bands u2014 each with a different resistance level. There are also five cool different shades to choose from.
Pilates Ring Workout
For anyone with sensitive joints — or even if you just prefer not to jump around a lot during a workout — Pilates is the perfect option as it’s performed mainly sitting or lying on a mat. This 10-minute Pilates ring workout is great for beginners and more advanced students too.
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Although there are a lot of Pilates apparatus options available, the Pilates ring is a versatile piece of equipment that really tackles those hard to tone areas (like the inner thighs and bingo wings). This resistance training ring is extremely lightweight (weighing less than a pound) and comes with photo instructions.
Stability Ball Exercises
Also known as Swiss exercise balls (you may recognise them as birthing balls), stability balls provide a fun workout and, with the right guidance, can provide a challenging fitness routine that targets the whole body.
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With almost 20,000 reviews, the Trideer ball is slip-resistant, anti-burst, and comes with its own pump so you can easily inflate it for exercise and deflate it if storage space is low. It can also be used as a healthier alternative to an office chair as it keeps the core engaged, improves posture and can help relieve back pain.
Dumbbell Workout
Dumbbells are not only the best way to tone up your bingo wings and upper body, they can also provide some extra weight when doing exercises for the lower body, like lunges and squats, too. If you don’t have dumbbells to hand, a couple of cans of baked beans or small water bottles will do to get you started.
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These adjustable weights are an innovative alternative to a rack set of dumbbells which could take up valuable space in the home that youu2019d rather not sacrifice. These clever things can change from 2u20134-pound weights simply by adding or removing the included metal block.
Medicine Ball Workout
Who knew working out with a simple ball could be so much fun? Although a medicine ball looks like a regular football, if you try to lift it, you’ll see there’s quite a lot more to it in terms of weight. You can always do this workout with a regular ball for a gentler intro to ball workouts.
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If you enjoyed the medicine ball workout, this option from the Amazon Basics line comes in highly recommended. Available in 3kg, 4kg, and 5kg versions, this high-quality medicine ball has a sturdy rubber construction with a textured finish all over so it will never slip from your hands.
Yoga Wheel Workout
You may have seen these yoga wheels on the Instagram accounts of your favourite inspirational yogis, but these things aren’t just a prop; they can help provide a full-body workout and stretch like no other piece of equipment. While it may seem daunting, this 10-minute video is the perfect intro to the yoga wheel and suitable for beginners.
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When yoga wheels first came out a few years ago, they were priced upwards of £100. Thankfully, since becoming increasingly popular with yoga enthusiasts and non-yogis alike, theyu2019re available at extremely reasonable prices. This yoga wheel from Reehut is fantastic quality, highly durable, and comes in a selection of three colours to choose from.
Ankle Weight Workout
Ankle weights are by no means a new piece of exercise equipment but there is so much more you can do with them than just the famed Jane Fonda-style side leg lifts. This 10-minute ankle weight workout demonstrates some easy exercises that anyone can do. If you haven’t worked out in a while, you can have a go without any leg weights to start.
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This basic pair of ankle weights from RitFit are made from padded neoprene and reinforced stitching meaning theyu2019ll probably be the last pair youu2019ll ever need to buy. In addition to your 10-minute home workout, they can also be worn on your daily walkabout to boost calorie-burning power.
Foot Glider Workout
If you don’t have a pair of foot gliders, some slippery socks or a couple of small towels under the feet (on a non-carpeted floor) will suffice to give you an idea of how effective — and rather fun — a good gliding workout can be.
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To save you having to work out in the kitchen, this set of Elite Core exercise sliders are made to glide effortlessly on even carpeted floors. One side is made for gliding on hardwood floors while keeping it damage free, and the other side is extremely smooth for carpets. Theyu2019re tremendously durable, and come in five different colours.
Foam Roller Workout
Foam rollers are known mainly for use in restorative work after a workout, but as this 10-minute video will show you, you can get a pretty good calorie-burning result while using it during a workout too.
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For an economical piece of equipment that can be used before, during and after a workout, a foam roller is a must as itu2019s lightweight enough to carry around effortlessly, but dense enough to support your whole body weight. It can also provide an amazing full-body massage to soothe sore muscles.
Low-Impact Step Workout
We’ve all tried step exercise at one time or another and the truth of the matter is, although it’s quite an old form of exercise, it’s highly effective. If you don’t have a stepper, you can use a small stool or the first step of your flight of stairs, but with caution.
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For a safer alternative to the stairs, this professional aerobic step is height adjustable, has a textured anti-slip platform, and the removable height levels neatly tuck in underneath the platform itself so you can easily slide it out of the way behind the sofa or under the bed when not in use.
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