Want to get in shape, but don’t have the money in your budget for a gym membership?
Or, maybe you have the money but the thought of working out next to other scantily clad, already in shape people scares you? 
The good news is that you can get in shape in the comfort of your own home, without needing expensive or bulky gym equipment.
All you need to exercise without a gym is a little creativity.
Here are some everyday, household items that you can use to build muscle, lose fat and feel better about yourself:
Brooms
Not only do you burn calories while sweeping the kitchen floor, its long handle can turn this cleaning tool into a great workout enhancement.
You can lay it across your shoulders and hold it with both hands, like you would if you were a professional weight lifter with a barbell, and do squats. Having the broom in this position will help you stay in good form while you make your thighs feel the burn.
Chairs
Chairs have many uses, other than for sitting. You can actually get a total body workout with this one standard household prop.
- Work your butt by slowly acting as if you are going to sit in the chair, but stopping just short of actually making contact. Hold for two seconds and then stand back up.
- Or, you can rest your hand on the back of a chair to help you keep stable while doing lunges and working your hamstrings, which are the back of the thighs.
- Want to get rid of that upper arm jiggle? Take the heel of the palm of your hands and rest them on the front of the seat while you’re squatted down right in front of it, back to the chair. Now, extend your legs in front of you and use your arms to raise and lower your body weight.
Paint Cans
Who doesn’t have some old half-empty paint cans lying around from when you repainted the bathroom or living room?
Or, maybe you have cans where the paint has dried up from years of sitting in the basement.
Either way, they make excellent dumbbells for exercises like bicep curls because they already come with handles.
Water Bottles
If paint cans seem too daunting, start with water bottles.
Most are approximately one pound in weight. While that may not seem like enough, if you’re doing an exercise for a minute or two at a time, the weight starts to fatigue your muscles quicker than you may think.
- For a quick shoulder and upper back tone up, hold the bottles at your side at shoulder length and do mini circles.
- Or, hold one in each hand and let your arms hang at your sides. Slowly life your arm up to shoulder height and then lower them back to the starting position.
The great part of using water bottles is you have adequate hydration at your fingertips when you’re done working out!
Stairs
If you have access to stairs, inside or out, you have the opportunity for a great cardio workout right at your fingertips.
You can go up and down them repeatedly for as long as you wish. One word of caution, you may want to skip this if you have knee issues.
And, of course make sure you don’t go too fast. You don’t want to fall up or down the stairs and put yourself into a position where you can’t work out at all.
Open Floor Space
Even if you say you don’t have anything lying around that can help you get in shape, you can still exercise with just a little bit of open floor space.
- Walk or jog in place
- Do push-ups, crunches or jumping jacks
- Lie on your side and do leg lifts
- There are tons of exercises you can do in just a limited amount of space
You can use most anything to help you get into shape, so don’t let yourself use the excuse of not having the right gear.
Sylvester Stallone didn’t have a gym and trained in an old barn and the rough winter elements to fully prepare for his fight in the Rocky movie.
If there’s a will there’s a way.
You have two choices in life. You can make excuses or you can make changes. Which one are you going to do?
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