I recently quit the gym for a variety of reasons. It's expensive, I have weights at home now, and I'm not too bad at remembering to do some exercises as part of my routine. I thought I'd share them with /r/loseit in case they're useful to anyone! My general way of thinking is to maximize my exercise per day by really using my muscles in everything I do rather than picking the easiest physical route, and since I've started doing it I've really noticed a difference in my muscle tone.
Here's my list of stuff I recommend.
Stand and sit up straight. Work on your posture and make sure you're never slouching. Shoulders should be above hips, not somewhere over your toes. If you have bad posture, stick a note on your desk to remind you to sit up. Write a note on your bathroom mirror, fridge etc and get into the habit of checking your posture regularly. Engage your core when sitting, standing and walking. Unless you're lying down or relaxing, tense your stomach muscles, keep your shoulders back a little and keep your chin up, neck muscles tensed (the more you can work your neck the better your face will look when the weight comes off).
Use your imagination to remember to remain straight and poised rather than relaxing. If I'm standing and waiting, I imagine I'm a ballet dancer ready to go on stage at any moment. If I'm sitting, I imagine I'm on a date at a fancy restaurant trying to look good in a dress.
Lean back a little when you walk. Have you ever noticed how supermodels tend to have a casual slightly backwards pose? Leaning back works your abs, leaning forward makes you hunch. If you're walking with a heavy backpack try to stay straight rather than leaning forward so that the weight goes through your core rather than propelling you forward, and always engage your whole core when walking. If you have to stop to wait for a street light, stretch your legs a bit.
Engage your full body in physical work/ household tasks. A great example is emptying the dishwasher - lean and stretch to bend down for dishes and put them away, and try to get a little creative with the angles so that you work out different muscles. If you're around people you can do this subtly but if I'm on my own I tend to turn this into a weird interpretive dance.
If you're doing any kind of housework, stick some music on. You're more likely to dance around to it.
Dance often. Dancing is easy access exercise - you can do whatever you want, dance as energetically or casually as you want depending on your fitness and how funky you're feeling. It's fun, it gets your endorphins going, and, as I recently discovered after too much cider on holiday, it actually pays off on the dancefloor. I dance while I'm cleaning the house or cooking, and highly recommend the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.
Find excuses to squat. Brushing your teeth? Squat. On hold on the phone? Squat. Going to the bathroom? If you're squatting anyway you can do it more than once!
Find excuses to stretch. Standing by the photocopier? Stretch. Waiting for the bus? Stretch. Standing in line? Stretch! Just try not to hit anyone in the face with your elbows. It's pretty embarassing.
Walk on your toes more, it tenses loads of muscles. I like to pretend I'm a ninja, a jaguar, or wearing high heels.
Go up and down stairs as often as possible. If you're fit enough to do this safely, go up on your toes keeping your core tight and get used to leaning back just a little, like you're a scary clown about to terrify the shit out of someone. Use the bannister to stay safe. If you happen to work in a place with stairs, running up and down them when you start to zone out a little will wake you right back up.
Don't overdo it! Overstretching is bad, so take it easy when you first get started.
(Sorry it sounds a bit bossy; I used to write articles for a living. I now find it impossible to write anything like this without it coming out like a Ten Top Tips For Feeding Your Llama' style piece and I'm too old to change).
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