7 Small-Apartment Friendly Exercises

If you are a young professional, renting couple, or small family just trying to maximize your space, you may have realized finding time and space to exercise at home is difficult! Stretching into a new yoga pose and hitting the wall? No space for your fold-up exercise bike? No worries. Revisn has the best tips for you to make the most out of your small space to keep you exercising and engaged in fitness.

Stretches

Before you perform any exercise, even something as simple lifting weights in your bedroom, you must stretch the muscles you intend to work out. Forgetting to stretch can lead to pain and injury if those muscles have not been strenuously utilized in awhile. Stretch out your full body or concentrate on some specific muscle sets so you can avoid hurting yourself in the long run.

A 7-minute stretch routine we recommend:

• Child’s pose – 30 seconds
• Ab stretch – 30 seconds
• Cat-cow pose – 30 seconds each
• Hip stretch – 30 seconds on both sides
• Bound angle pose – 30 seconds
• Lower back stretch – 30 seconds
• Standing forward bend – 30 seconds
• Low lunge pose – 30 seconds on both legs
• Obliques stretch – 30 seconds on both sides
• Clasp hand forward fold – 30 seconds

Yoga Exercises at Home

Roll out that dusty yoga mat hiding in your closet! It’s time to finally use that thing, and you’ll be surprised why you haven’t been doing yoga before. Contrary to some belief, you can teach yourself yoga right at home with self-guided tutorials. Pay for an online livestream class, follow along with videos, or read some how-to instructions on how to start your own yoga flow and routine. Some exercises we like:

Some routines we like:

• Full Body Flow
• 15 Minute Morning Routine
• Yoga for Beginners
• Flexibility & Strength
• Bedtime Yoga

Body Weight Exercises at Home

Endless, simple exercises are available to you right now, right from where you’re standing or seated, and you don’t need any equipment to do them. How? Move your body! Cardio and strength training bodyweight exercises at home are easy, free, and accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

Some exercises we like:

• Squats
• Bridges
• Lunges
• Reverse crunches
• Leg raises
• Chin ups
• Shoulder presses
• Chest squeezes
• Climbers
• Plank jump-ins

Exercise Equipment at Home

If you’re a gym rat, but don't want to spring for another month's subscription fee, you can economically bring the gym home to you! Maybe those bodyweight routines just won’t cut it for you, and you need an ideal replacement for your lost gym membership. We recommend investing in some at-home gym equipment that is small, convertible, and multi-purpose.  Amazon offers an array of free weights and dumbbells, kettle balls, and other portable and discrete exercise equipment. If you’re not all about that muscle gain, we recommend investing in cardio equipment like an elliptical, treadmill, or the super-versatile and affordable DB Method to work out your whole body!

Jogging Exercises at Home

It almost goes without saying: jogging is one of the easiest and best exercises to guarantee your weekly cardio. Chances are you live in a neighborhood with sidewalks or a great shaded, woody area of town. Lace up those running shoes and hit the streets! There are plenty of apps to get the unseasoned jogger started, like Couch Potato to 5K, which was created with first time runners in mind.

Brisk Walking Exercises at Home

Walks are just as effective as running, if you know the proper form. Power walking may seem silly to the younger population as it’s typically associated with seniors and mall walkers, but it is quite an effective workout. A heal-toe walking strategy, feet pointed forwards, is the key to maximizing your power walk. Keep arms moving at 45-degree angles and carry some free weights, and you’ll feel the burn in no time!

Biking Exercises at Home

Find one on Craigslist or drag your old Huffy out of the shed! Biking is a largely popular pass time and for good reason: it counts as exercise, cheap and reliable transportation, and can bring people together! In Raleigh, you can enjoy biking along our massive system of greenways, hit up a larger nature preserve, or cruise the city! You can also find a neighborhood nearby that offers quaint, residential sights and more challenging uphill slopes. Bike exercises are entirely customizable!