We can mobilize, consult "experts," protest, march and write our politicians, but the real seeds of change spring from such gatherings; gatherings in which people genuinely connect and in which love is an essential ingredient.Our relationships, according to Dr. Bruce Perry, known worldwide for his work on trauma, allow a "controllable revisiting of traumatic experiences."If you forgo the gym to get your workouts in at home, you know outfitting your home gym can be just as expensive as a gym membership itself, and with the holidays upon us, chances are there isn't much room in your budget to splurge on yourself.Don't let that justify waiting until the New Year to get fit. You already have everything you need in your kitchen.
The kitchen traditionally is a place you want to avoid when getting into shape, but if you use it right, it can be the home gym of your dreams.Use soup cans as hand weights. Soup cans are very light, so if you are just starting out, they are easy substitutes for weights. As you become stronger, you can trade the soup cans for heavier objects such as jars of coins or frozen water bottles.Use milk jugs as kettlebells. Anything heavy with a handle can double as a kettlebell. Use a jug of milk while doing a kettlebell workout or lower-body strength training. Save old jugs and fill them water, or for a heavier kettlebell, fill them with different levels of sand or pebbles. Save them and you'll have a whole set of kettlebells without spending an extra dime.
Use bags of rice as sand bags. Sandbags are an effective piece of fitness equipment because they are awkward to handle and heavy, perfect for lugging and throwing to break up a cardio workout. Use a bag of rice, or even a bag of flour, the exact same way: Throw one over your shoulders as you do lower-body exercises or climb stairs, use one for resistance during crunches, or bring a partner into the mix and toss the bag back and forth. Just make sure the bag is sealed tightly to avoid any mess.