Aerobic Exercise for the Lazy 

Hate going to the gym? When weather prevents exercise outdoors, try aerobic exercises at home. 
Little or no equipment is necessary.
Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.  
                    —Carol Welch

10 Cardio Fitness Workouts Without a Gym

Young woman dancing in her living room.
When you plan to exercise, it’s too easy to say “Not today.” So what if the weather is bad, if it’s rainy or cold and snowy? You can still have a good workout. Many people do stretching, yoga, or tai chi at home. But for cardio fitness, it’s necessary to get the heart moving. Aerobic exercise means to make yourself work a little harder than stretching alone provides. Your heart rate needs to go faster and you likely will breathe a little heavier. If running, biking, or walking aren’t practical and you don’t have a gym membership, here are some aerobic workout ideas that you can try at home.
10. Dancing
The 1980s fitness craze called Aerobics was all about fitness dancing routines. But all you really need is a lively CD or i-pod mix, or even the radio. With vibrant music, dancing can be as tough or as easy a workout as you like. You can work out a rhythmic routine for yourself or just free dance. Be sure to move arms, legs, bend, and flex for the most complete workout. And....it’s guaranteed fun!
9. Stair Stepping
Stair stepping is a great way to burn calories and work up a sweat. If you have a staircase, simply run up and down a few times. Walk down the hallway for a break. Keep the movement going for a lengthy aerobic workout. If you don’t have stairs, set up a crate, a box full of books, or a sturdy stool. Step up and down, switch legs, find a rhythmic pattern. Set the step in front of the TV to be entertained as well as exercised.
8. Lunging
Lunging in place is a common workout item. Step one foot far forward so you drop low, then stand back up to move that foot back. But you can make it last longer by moving forward with each lunge. Work your way down the hallway and return. Move from room to room to keep it going. It can be a powerful leg workout and also aerobic if you move it forward.
7. Jumping Rope
This old-fashioned exercise is making a contemporary comeback. And surprisingly, it’s a pretty good workout to get your heart rate up there and burn some calories. You can vary the routine by jumping one foot, two feet, alternate feet, or swinging the rope between. The simplest jump rope has always been a piece of clothesline rope, but you can purchase jump ropes with handles or of various materials online. To get the right length, stand on the middle of the rope and the ends should be at about shoulder height.
6. Cleaning House
Housework takes physical effort, especially tasks such as vacuuming, sweeping, or mopping. If you put on some lively dance music and get some good energy into it, you might be able to make it an alternative workout. Moving furniture involves bending and lifting. Sweeping is an arm workout. Furniture polishing? Well…wax on, wax off. 
5. Running in Place
This is actually not the same exercise as running outdoors or on a treadmill. In fact you might find that it uses different muscles in your legs. But it does allow you to stand in front of a TV and watch movies, etc. However, if you want the greatest cardio benefit, it takes a little more effort. Try lifting your knees really high for part of it. Try speeding up and slowing down. Try marching doubletime down a long hallway. Also try moving side to side as well as forward and back.
4. Jumping Jacks
Yes, this is the same exercise routine that you did in elementary school. It’s easy to learn and it gets your legs hopping, your arms swinging, your lungs breathing, and your heart pumping. It’s an excellent all-around cardio workout. My biggest problem with it is that it doesn’t keep my interest for long. So what I do is…watch TV…and do jumping jacks during all the commercials!
3. Stand-Squat-Push
Have we done any exercises while laying down yet? It may be impossible to get your heart rate up by laying down, but there are a number of exercises on the floor that can get you moving and doing. Push ups are traditional and routine arm strength builders, but are more cardio-active if combined with squatting and standing as well.
  1. Stand with arms up in the air.
  2. Bend your knees and squat, hands on the ground.
  3. Left leg back, right leg back (or both at the same time) into push up position. 
  4. Do 1 to 10 pushups. 
Reverse the routine back to squat and stand. You can also turn over and add a few situps if you are so inclined.
2. Kicks and Punches
This may take a little previous martial arts training. But once you learn the stance or position and understand the form, it can make for a fun aerobics workout. Punches run from high to mid to low and you can vary the routine. Kicks are something like lunges in getting your whole body moving forward and back.
1. Kitchen Workouts
Spend a lot of time in the kitchen? Use the wait times between baking and boiling to get in a workout.
  • Counter Push Ups: Place your hands on the edge of the counter. Take a large step back, lean your weight into the counter and roll off a series of push ups.
  • Place canned goods in a plastic or cloth shopping bag and use for weight lifting.
  • Large beverage bottles make great dumbell-type weights for curls and lifts.
  • Five pound bags of sugar or flour can be passed from side to side as in weight balls. 
It would be great to find a way to make dishwashing aerobic, since I seem to spend so much time doing that every day. I still haven’t figured out how.
Cardio fitness is essential--perhaps the most important single thing you can do for your health and well-being. Watching TV, listening to music, laying on the floor—are all great activities for the lazy person. Add in some of these cardio routines and I promise you that no one will call you lazy any longer.

Check out the SimpleTens list of Motivational Quotes for Fitness to keep you motivated and on target.

If you enjoyed this article about cardio fitness, you might also read more about Fitness Your Way.

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