10 Aerobic Activities You Can Do At Home

10 Aerobic Activities You Can Do At Home

As of 2019, there were hundreds of gyms and fitness centres across the country. But with a global pandemic ravaging the nation, your aerobic training takes on a new atmosphere: your home.

Doing laps around the block isn't the only way to keep your heart and lungs healthy until you can return to the gym. Keep reading to learn ten aerobic activities you can do at home—rain or shine, pandemic or not.

Circuit Training

Circuit training is a high-intensity workout session with five or more exercises that you perform in a cycle. You'll do one set of each for a predetermined number of reps or a certain amount of time, followed by a short 15-second rest period before moving to the next exercise.

For example, your at-home circuit might look like this:

• Jumping jacks (30 seconds)

• Weighted push-ups (15 reps, while holding a dumbbell, medicine ball, or a phone book)

• Wall sits (60 seconds)

• High knees (30 seconds)

• Squats (15 reps, weighted or not)

• Dips (10 reps, on a stable object of your choice)

• Burpees (10 reps, with or without push-up)

• Rest for 60 seconds, then repeat for 3-5 cycles

You can easily squeeze a 10-minute circuit training workout into your busy schedule without any weightlifting equipment. And according to a study published in Frontiers in Physiology, using circuit training can aid in weight loss, improve muscular strength, and enhance oxygen uptake.

Skipping Rope

Skipping rope is one of those aerobic activities that you can do anywhere, assuming you have a 12-foot ceiling (such as your basement, garage, or even your living room) or open space in your garden. You can feasibly burn 15-20 calories per minute while skipping rope, shredding 150 calories in a brief 10-minute workout.

It's also possible to make your skipping rope workout fun by shifting through different styles of skipping rope, including:

• Criss-cross

• Side swing

• Double unders

• Backward jumping

• High knees

• One-legged

And according to the European Journal of Applied Physiology, 12 weeks of a jump rope routine can reduce cardiovascular disease risk, improve lower-body bone density, and boost full-body coordination.

Zumba

If you want to work out without working out, it might be time to get up and dance! Zumba is a high-intensity, invigorating dance workout infused with salsa, hip-hop, and flamenco music and moves.

And you don't even have to leave your house to do it—crank up your favourite Latin tracks and start moving or follow along with the full-length 20+ minute Zumba videos on YouTube. Release your stress, shred up to 9.5 calories per minute, and build your endurance.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

There's no need to go on a 30-minute run or peddle 15 miles on your bicycle to see the most noticeable aerobic benefits. High-intensity interval training sessions can last as little as four minutes—such as via Tabata training—and encourage calorie-burning well after your workout session ends.

HIIT involves periods of high-intensity exercise (like running or jumping rope) followed by a short rest period (resting or taking it easy) that looks something like this:

• 10 seconds of running, 50 seconds of walking (beginners)

• 20 seconds of jumping jacks, 40 seconds of rest (intermediates)

• 30 seconds of burpees, 30 seconds of light jogging in place (advanced)

HIIT training twice a week, along with steady-state cardio sessions, can improve your blood flow, oxygen consumption, and muscular strength across the board.

Stairs

Have a go at staircase workouts if you live in a two-story home or a multi-story apartment building. Start slowly by walking up one flight and taking it easy on the way down. When you're ready, ramp up the intensity and get your heart pumping even harder by jogging up the flight of stairs and walking down.

A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that gradually increasing to five 199-step ascents five times a week can improve VO2 MAX by 17.1% (your ability to breathe comfortably during exercise) while also reducing LDL cholesterol by 7.7%.

Workouts Online or DVD

There are many different exercise class style workout programs online and on DVD that you can work out in the comfort of your home. No equipment required! Many of our local physical trainers are doing classes online - please support them.

Step Aerobics

Step aerobics is a great and fun workout and you can buy steps for only a few dollars.

Exercise Equipment

If you can swing it, you can choose from various exercise equipment to workout with at home.

• Exercise Bike

• Elliptical Machines

• Treadmill

• Various home gym systems

Free Weights

Free weight sets can be purchased for delivery to your home and there are hundreds of exercises that can help tone and build muscle.

Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises require no equipment because they use your body weight for resistance. There are literally hundreds of exercise using bodyweight that work any muscle in the body.

A few Examples Of Bodyweight Exercises

Full Body Moves

• Bear Crawl

• Burpees

• Deep Push-Up

• Frogger

• Inchworm

• Jumping Jack

• Mountain Climber

• Plank

• Plank-to-Push-Up

• Plyometric Push-Up

• Wall Walk

Legs

• Air Squat

• Calf Raise

• Chair Squat Pose

• Clock Lunge

• Curtsy Lunge

• Forward Lunge

• Lunge

• Lunge Jump

• Lunge-to-Row

• One-Legged Bird Squat

• Step-Up

• Sumo Squat

Chest And Back

• Lateral Raise

• Reverse Fly

• Standard Push-Up

• Superman

• Tricep Bench Dip

Shoulders And Arms

• Arm Circles

• Chin Ups

• Planks

• Pull Ups

• Push-Up

• Tricep Dip

Core And Abs

• Alternating Elbow Plank

• Crunch

• Double Leg Abdominal Press

• Oblique Core Crunch

• Rotational Push-Up

• Russian Twist

• Scissor Kicks

• Shoulder Bridge

• Side Plank

• Superman

• V-Up

Final Thoughts

Any of the at-home aerobic activities reviewed above can help you maintain a healthy weight, build your stamina, and improve your heart health. However, how long and how intensely you do aerobic exercise determines the health benefits.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week at an intensity where you can hold a conversation without having to catch your breath. You can easily break those 150 minutes down into five 30-minute at-home workouts.

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