Written by Walter Grio
Sometimes, you’re just so lazy that the last thing you want to do is put some pants on, change to workout clothes, get in the car, go to the gym, and actually perform a set of exercises. In that scenario, I can easily come up with 28 excuses in 14 seconds and never leave the couch so I can continue watching reruns of Game of Thrones.
But where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Here are some exercises you can do while watching TV in your own home!! You don’t even need to get dressed. You can do these in your pajamas. And regardless if you’re at a hotel or visiting a friend or staying at home because it’s raining outside or because it’s Tuesday — you now have some exercises that you can do! I like the fact that when it comes to overall general fitness, you can do so many things for FREE in your own home without any fancy equipment. For those trying to get more fit, it’s almost like finding cash out of thin air.
Obviously, none of the exercises listed below are groundbreaking ideas, but they’re great reminders for me and hopefully for others who are starting out.
PUSHUPS
* Standard Pushup
* Decline Pushup (feet up on the couch with hands on the floor)
* Incline Pushup (hands on the couch with feet on the floor)
* Weighted Pushup (sometimes I pack a backpack with a bunch of stuff and do pushups that way)
* Wide Hand Pushup (hands as far apart as you can)
* Close Hand Pushup (hands close together)
* If that’s too easy, you can try the Clapping Pushup and see if you can do it without falling on your face.
* Did you just yawn? Try the Back Clap Pushup.
If that’s still too easy, try doing them all with ONE hand. Or even no hands. Just kidding.
PLANKS
* Forearm Plank
* Straight Arm Plank
* Side Plank Crunch
* Push Up Side Plank
* Spiderman Plank
* Caterpillar Plank
* One Legged Plank
* Stir the Pot Plank (Personally, this is killer and should be called the Fall on the Floor Fetus Position Plank for the pain it induces. You need a Swiss Ball though. And possibly a baby binkie.)
Go here to see how to do the planks.
BENCH DIPS
Since most of us don’t have two parallel bars handy, I sometimes use the couch and the floor. For something more challenging, I’ll use the ottoman (or a chair) and prop my feet up on that. If the couch is cushiony, then remove the cushion. I’ve seen two chairs being used, but I find the couch to be more stable and safer especially if the couch is sitting on carpet or is against a wall.
OTHER STARTERS
* Burpee – always a classic
* Jump Rope – this was surprisingly challenging for me! It took me several days minutes to do it correctly without tripping.
* Stair Climb – remember when those Step Exercises were the hottest thing? These days, they call them “boxes”, but you can use your stairs.
* Bodyweight Reverse Lunge – if you want to use dumbbells, but don’t have dumbbells around, find something to carry with equal weight (i.e. tools, books, water bottles). If you can only find one item, then do one leg at a time.
* Bodyweight Squat
* Hip Raises
* And of course… Walking
STRATEGY
* Choose one exercise from each section
* Do three sets of each for as long or as many as you can on each set
* Done. You just did a full body workout at home, for FREE, in your pajamas. Boom.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Since launching fashiontographer.com on July 2011, Walter Grio has photographed over 250 runway shows and fashion events in Paris and New York.
In 2012, Walter Grio was accredited by the prestigious Fédération Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers to photograph and cover Paris Fashion Week Prêt à Porter and Haute Couture. He also has media accreditation from IMG to cover Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, Miami, and Berlin. He has received runway show invitations from Burberry, Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, Akris, John Galliano, Issey Miyake, Paco Rabanne, Tsumori Chisato, Herve Leger, Andrew Gn, and others. In addition, he has photographed the runway shows of Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Elie Saab, Diane von Furstenberg, Monique Lhuillier, Reem Acra, Tracy Reese, Vera Wang, and many more.
Walter Grio is also involved in philanthropy through his Shoot for Change initiative, where money from photography go to a nonprofit organization of his client’s choice. Since 2006, Shoot for Change has raised over $130,000 for various nonprofit organizations. In January 2012, Walter Grio created the Shoot for Change Scholarship at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. Based on merit and need, scholarships have been awarded to two students to study at the JKO School.
