If you live in a big city, and you're not Paris Hilton, odds are you live in a tiny apartment; at best a one-bedroom, but most likely you're cramped, like a rat in a cage, inside a tiny studio apartment. Eek!
So unless your spool coffee table can double as a Bowflex, you probably don't much have room for exercise equipment.
But don't fret. If you're just starting on the journey to fitness, here are eight space-saving exercises you can fit in your itty-bitty apartment. And all you need is your body and perhaps a few dumbbells or cans of soup if you want to up your game a bit.
Push-Ups
Push-ups are a tried and true classic; most people instantly equate them with exercise and fitness. For good reason, you can do this simple exercise almost anywhere and it works a variety of muscles, especially your triceps and pecs. Elevate your feet to make push-ups more difficult.
Abdominal Crunches
The bane of fat kids everywhere. Ab-crunches are push-ups sidekick; the two often come as a combo in physical fitness tests. Doing ab-crunches utilizes your abdominal muscles and internal and external obliques. Holding a dumbbell behind your head and adding ankle weights can make crunches more difficult, but be sure to use your abs not your neck to complete the movement.
Wall Squats
It might look like torture (it certainly feels like it), but wall squats are an effective way to strengthen your abdominal muscles and work out your thighs. Holding dumbbells while doing the squat will make them more challenging.
Arm Circles
You won't achieve lift off, but regularly doing arm circles will keep your shoulders loose and flexible and if you do enough of them (especially fast) you'll get your heart rate pumping.
Calf Raises
With or without a box or step to stand on, calf raises, even with their short range of motion, will work up quiet the burn in your calf muscles. Doing calf raises while holding more weight will increase their effectiveness and walking up apartment stairs on your toes is even better.
Running in Place
It's probably a dumb idea to do this to your downstairs neighbors at 2 o'clock in the morning. But if you can't run outside or get to a treadmill, quickly moving your legs up and down like pistons will leave you huffing and puffing.
Jumping Jacks
You should be mindful of your neighbors with jumping jacks too, but you should still try to do a few sets. Jumping jacks will make you sweat, keep you loose, and help tone your arms, legs, and butt.
Leg Lifts
Any exercises that requires you to lie down is attractive, but don't be fooled, leg raises aren't easy; if done properly and slowly, you're abs and hamstrings will be sore the next morning. Add a set of ankle weights to make them more difficult when you're ready.
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