Remember the 80s? Sweat bands, leg warmers, neon Lycra leggings and big hair? Are you one of many who owned several editions of Jane Fonda workout videos or listened to Olivia Newton John’s, “Let’s Get Physical” at your weekly aerobics class?
I recently spent an evening looking through old photos with my kids and we literally laughed out loud at how BIG my hair was in the 80s. (I also noticed a strange pattern of my socks matching any shirt I happened to be wearing in a given photo. Pink shirt, pink socks. Yellow shirt, yellow socks. Lol)
As funny as some of the fashions of that era might have been, it’s true that the music and trends got people up and moving. Glittering disco balls beckoned couch potatoes to the dance floor for hours at a time. Walkman radios gave jogging a good name once more.
As the 80s faded away, so did exercise, that is until it became fashionable to join a gym. This trend still exists and sometimes causes people to procrastinate where exercise is concerned. If only there were a gym near their home — if only they could afford to join one — if only they had time to use the gift membership their co-workers gave them last Christmas.
The bottom line is that you don’t need a gym or the perfect workout attire to get fit and support overall good health. There are plenty of free activities you can do every day to work toward such goals. The following list provides suggestions for free exercise that can easily become good habits in your daily life:
- Walk around your yard while your kids play or take a daily stroll through your neighborhood. It doesn’t have to be fast (although if a cardio workout is your aim, faster is better) and it doesn’t have to be long (perhaps 20 minutes) to be effective.
- Every time you use the restroom at home, pause before returning to whatever it was you were doing beforehand and do some type of exercise for several minutes. You can drop and do 10 pushups (five times per day means you’re doing 50!) or jumping jacks or crunches (talk about opening a can of worms – raging debates remain ongoing as to whether crunches are good or bad—I figure I had great abs throughout my youth and well into adulthood and it was always one of my go-to exercises so it’s okay with me) etc.
- Can you get where you’re going without a car? Take a bike ride, skate or walk if you can!
- Play with your kids if you have some. Nothing helps keep a body in good shape quite like running around outdoors with children. They’ll keep you moving, challenge your agility, balance and speed, and besides that, they’re fun to be around!
Exercise doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to unfold according to a rigid, strenuous regime. As long as you make healthy eating and lifestyle choices and make sure you get up and get moving every day, you’ll be in good shape.
New Year’s is just around the bend! It’s a perfect time to make free and easy exercise part of your new routine!
Writer Bio: Judy Dudich
Judy Dudich resides in the beautiful woods of Pennsylvania, where 24 acres of land and a home-office provide the perfect setting for her children’s home-education and her own homesteading and business ventures. Life is full of blessings (and challenges!) for Judy, as a wife, mother of 10 and Grammy to six. She is a published author, whose book, “I Surrender/A Study Guide for Women” continues to encourage and support others in Christian family lifestyles throughout the world. Judy has also previously worked in the online speaking circuit. Her passion for permaculture, re-purposing, foraging and organic gardening fills her days with learning and adventure that she loves to share.
