12 Ways To Be Active Without Going To The Gym

Can’t afford a gym membership? Don’t enjoy working out in public? There are no gyms near you? If the gym is just not an option for you, no worries! Although the gym is like the heaven of all fitness enthusiasts, it is not the only place where you can burn calories, sweat, and get fit in. It might be the best place to do so, but it’s definitely not the only place. You can be active at home, at the gym, at the park, or literally anywhere you can think of! So, if you’re trying to be more active this year, here are 12 ways to be active without going to the gym or spending any money.
📌 SAVE THESE 12 WAYS TO BE ACTIVE WITHOUT GOING TO THE GYM FOR LATER!

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12 Ways To Be Active Without Going To The Gym
1. WORKOUT AT HOME
This is probably the most obvious and common alternative to going to the gym, but I simply can’t emphasize enough just how effective at-home workouts are. Besides having access to equipment and machines, you can do almost everything you do at the gym at home.
Hey, exercise is exercise is exercise.
You can truly exercise anywhere you want. There are no limitations other than the limitations you put yourself. If you can do 30 push-ups at the gym, you can do 30 push-ups at home. If you can do 50 squats at the gym, you can totally do 50 squats at home. You can complete a variety of exercises at home, without the use of equipment (unless you do choose to purchase equipment) Plus there are many free workout videos on YouTube strictly designed for people who choose to workout at home. How rad?
If you need fitness inspiration, a guide, or exercise ideas, here are some of my favorite fitness channels. There are honestly no excuses, limitations, ands or buts when it comes to working out. You can have a successful workout at home just as you can at the gym. Don’t know where to begin? No worries, I have created a complete guide on how to achieve a successful at-home workout (here!).
CLICK HERE FOR A COLLECTION OF AT-HOME FITNESS POSTS
Workout challenges to try at home
- 7 Day Winter Fitness Challenge To Do At Home
- 10 Day Workout Challenge For Beginners
- 10 Day Ab Workout Challenge For Killer Abs
- 12 Day Summer Workout Challenge
- 14 Day Workout Challenge For Boss Babes
- 20 Day Full Body Workout Challenge
2. PLAY WITH YOUR FURNITURE
If you don’t have any equipment at home, put your furniture to use! And no, this is not a joke. I’m being completely serious! We all have chairs, couches, benches, pots and pans somewhere in our house, right? So, why not spice up your at-home workout and make it more challenging with the use of your own home “equipment”? Instead of doing a regular plank, do one using a chair. Or try doing squats while holding a pot. Or how about triceps dips using a couch?
There are so many ways you can make your workouts more challenging and effective just with the use of your own things. Click here to learn how to transform your household items into exercise equipment! See, you can so be active without going to the gym!
3. HAVE AN EXERCISE MARATHON
Choose an exercise that you love and complete it before or after doing a certain activity. For example, do 20 squats every time you go to the bathroom, or 10 push-ups after sitting for x amount of minutes/hours, or 25 plank jacks before eating! Doing this will help you remain active throughout the entire day. Sedentary body, who? Yeah, we don’t know her. Oh, and incase you don’t know what exercises to do, here are 100 bodyweight exercises you can do without using equipment or going to the gym!
4. STRETCH IT OUT
I am personally more of a fan of dynamic and intense exercises rather than static exercises, stretches, yoga, etc. For some reason, I rather sweat and raise my heart rate up than meditate and be calm. Yoga is not really my my kind of thing. I do enjoy stretching my body but only as part of my warm up, not my entire workout. However, I know a lot of people love yoga and yoga loves them too, ha. So, if you’re not into intense and dynamic exercises, I suggest you try stretching! Take 15-20 minutes of your day to stretch your muscles. Stretching improves your flexibility and posture, while relaxing your mind, reducing your stress, and keeping your body active.
5. GET THOSE STEPS IN
Don’t like to exercise or stretch? Then, walk. Like the heading says, get those steps in. Walking is one of the best ways to stay active, healthy, and fit by doing the minimal. Go on 20 minute morning walks, walk around your house, go on evening walks or try out this easy walking challenge, here for beginners.
6. WALK WITH RESISTANCE
Walk around your house with a pair of dumbbells or ankle weights! Even if it’s just for a few minutes, the added resistance will make your walk much more challenging. As a result, your walk will be more effective! You can build muscle and burn some calories all while walking.
7. USE STAIRS FOR YOUR BODY
Whether you live in a house or in an apartment, you most likely have access to stairs. You can use stairs for minimal walking, intense cardio, or static and dynamic exercises. For example, if you want to do some cardio, run up and down the stairs for two minutes straight (or for as long as you possibly can!) This will work your glutes and legs while getting your heart rate up. You can also safely do exercises like tricep dips, squats, lunges on your stairs.
8. JUMP ROPE
Jump ropes are extremely portable, affordable, and easy to use. If there is any cardio equipment you must have at home, it is jump ropes! You can use them indoors and outdoors, at home, and when you’re traveling on vacation. This is why jump roping is such convenient option! If you don’t have time to get a workout in, jump rope for a few minutes. Jump roping is beneficial to your health overall because it helps you burn calories (who doesn’t want to burn calories?) improve your coordination, prevent injuries in sports, and keep you active and in shape (what a bonus) without going to the gym.
9. PRACTICE A SPORT
You don’t have to be a professional to play a sport. If you enjoy playing volleyball, football, basketball, or any other sport, go to the park or your backyard and have fun! Simply play to have fun and to get your body moving. There are many people who would rather play a sport than exercise. If you’re one of those people, go out, play and be active! This is also a great way to bond with friends and family members. You can spend time with loved ones while burning calories.
10. ENGAGE IN HOUSEWORK
Everyone’s least favorite thing to do, housework. It may not be as fun as playing a sport or working out, but it is still a good way to be active while handling your house chores. There are honestly a billion things to do at home, so finding a way to be active at home shouldn’t be a problem whatsoever.
Here are some quick housework ideas:
- Sweep the house,
- mop,
- clean counters,
- wash dishes,
- clean your refrigerator (this one gets you sweating in no time),
- declutter your closets,
- move furniture around, etc!
11. ENJOY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
This one only applies to people who own a home or live in a home. There are so many ways you can be active OUTDOORS while taking care of your home!
Here are some quick outdoor ideas:
- You can mow the lawn (hate doing this, but this is a full body workout, sheesh!),
- plant flowers, fruits, vegetables,
- take care of your garden, etc!
12. ALL IN ALL, MAKE BETTER DECISIONS
One decision can change everything. Make sure you always choose your health over your comfort!
Here are some ways to make healthier decisions:
- Choose stairs over elevators and escalators.
- Park your car far away from your destinations.
- Sit less, walk more.
- Leave your phone far from you when you’re busy/working that way you can motivate yourself to walk in order to get your phone.
More Posts You May Like:
- How To Stay Motivated To Consistently Workout At Home.
- How To Design An Effective At Home Workout Plan.
- At Home Workout Plan Basics For Beginners.
- 8 Benefits of Working Out At Home.
- How To Have A Successful At Home Workout.
FINAL THOUGHTS
You don’t need a gym membership to do any of the things listed above, so no more making excuses! Let’s get active, because if not now, when? I hope you enjoyed this post and found a way you can be active without going to the gym. If you have any other ideas on how to be active without going to the gym, share them with me in the comments below.
Until next time,
Gabby Abigail
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Wow, you provided some great exercise tips and workouts! I love to do Leslie Sansone’s walk workouts at home. Let’s keep blogging for better health and fitness!
I have never tried out Leslie’s workouts before, but I’ll def give them a look now that you mention it. Thank you so much & here’s to more! xo
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GABBY
Since I work remotely, I bought a jump rope for cardio and some resistance bands for strength. I can’t wait to put them to use!
Rachel || http://anotherstationanothermile.com
Jump rope is amazing for cardio! Resistance bands always make my workouts more effective! Have fun, girl.
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GABBY
L O V E this. I seriously need to look back at this post when I relinquish my gym membership! Why pay all that money when you can effectively work out at home eh? Great tips! Thanks Gabby <3
Geraldine | https://geraldinetalks.com
Exactly! I love the gym, but I also love having options and being able to share them with those who don’t or can’t go to the gym! Thank you, girl! xo
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Gabby
OMG I needed this … especially good timing considering that I just ate a big bowl of ice cream lol! I really like the idea of using ankle weights or adding little moments of exercise in-between doing other tasks. What would you recommend for someone struggling with consistency / struggling to find momentum to work out again?
Haha, I have been eating so much ice cream this summer and have 0 regrets lol.
I would recommend:
1. Setting a realistic goal of how many days you want to workout a week (ex: 3 days a week)
2. Using a workout planner to track the days you workout that way you’re more accountable.
3. Rewarding yourself at the end of the month after hitting x amount of days.
Something that really helps me find the momentum to workout is following fitness accounts on IG & subscribing to various fitness YouTube channels.The more I see these fitness gurus with incredible bodies, the more I want to workout. Hope this helps!
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GABBY
Great ideas! I love working out at home and use various tables and chairs as props! I hate paying for things when I can do the very same for free haha
Haha, glad I’m not the only one! And yessss totally with you on this. Have you tried using waterbottles? I love using them for arm workouts.