Want to move more in the New Year? How to do it without a gym membership: Video

Show Caption

No matter what your level of fitness, there are so many easy ways to get your body moving that don’t require a gym membership. 

Adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week, plus two days of muscle-strengthening activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In other words, that’s about 30 minutes of cardio five days a week, plus a couple of weightlifting days.

However, the gym can be both costly and intimidating, and some people just simply don’t have the time due to work or travel schedules. Keep reading for some easy alternatives to the traditional gym membership that you can do at any fitness level and wherever you are. 

Watch this video for some easy ways to workout outside of the gym. 

At home workout 

We know YouTube is great for streaming all of our favorite content, such as Problem Solved videos, recaps of your favorite shows, painting tutorials, and airplanes landing in very windy conditions. So it should come as no surprise that it’s also home to free workout videos. 

There are a lot of options so you can find the workout that’s perfect for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for one that is apartment-friendly (aka no jumping), high intensity, low impact, kickboxing, yoga…I could go on! Just searching “workouts” will bring up a lot of different options, so include keywords if you’re looking for a specific type. 

If you have a gym membership, see if they have an app. They likely have workouts that you can do anywhere. 

Take a look around the app store to see what else is out there. There are many apps with different types of workouts suited for all fitness levels, so it should be pretty simple to find one that fits your needs. However, some may require a subscription or limit the amount of free content you can access.

Shop top-rated related products: 

Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. 

• Best meditation app: Headspace  
• Top-rated adult coloring book: Cindy Elsharouni Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Book 
• Customer-favorite eye massager: Renpho Eye Massager with Heat 
• Best weighted blanket: Gravity Blanket Weighted Blanket for Adults 
• Budget-friendly diffuser: Asakuki Essential Oil Diffuser 
• Customer-favorite lighter: REIDEA Candle Lighter Long USB Rechargeable Lighter 

Workout playlist

Whether you’re in the gym, on a hike, power walking or in your living room, creating a custom playlist can help the workout go by a little faster. Start the playlist with some slower songs to help you get warmed up. Transition into more fast-paced songs to keep you going, then finish with a few slower tunes to help with your cooldown. 

Make the playlist for however long you want your workout to last, that way it starts when you start, and when it's done, you’re done. 

Dumbell alternatives

If you find a workout that requires weights but you don’t have any, that’s ok! You can still get the same resistance using items around your home. When you need some weights or resistance, consider using:

• Water bottles. 
• Canned goods. 
• Laundry detergent. 
• A towel. 
• Socks and paper plates.  
• Books.
• Garden hose. 
• A bag of beans.