Create a Home gym out of Common Household Items

Take two small hand towels from the linen cupboard and put them in your bag. Arrange the towels under your hands or feet on a wood or tiled floor to make standard abs routines like mountain climbers, knee tucks, and pikes more difficult.

As long as they have a handle, laundry detergent, milk or juice jugs and other bottles can be used as hand-held weights. Even an empty one would suffice—just fill it with water and you'll have the right weight for a bent-over row to strengthen your back and biceps.

Bent-over Rows: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent, then lean over until your upper body is nearly parallel to the floor. Raise the detergent bottle in one hand (if you have two, you may work out both sides at once) until your elbow is in line with your hip, then lower it back down. Perform three sets of 15-20 repetitions.

Fill a backpack with cans and bottles to add some extra poundage to your bodyweight moves. Wear it anytime you're doing squats, lunges, push ups, or racing up and down the stairs.

Begin by taking a short walk around the neighborhood or a hike on nearby trails. Use a bathroom scale to weigh the bag so you know how much you're working with and gradually increase as your strength improves.

Do you want to provide your lower body with a great workout while still getting in some cardio? Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Climbing the stairs for one hour burns over 1,000 calories! That's a lot but it can grow boring after a while. Turn it into an HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout by walking the stairs two at a time or at a quicker rate for 30 seconds, then pausing for 10 seconds between laps.