by Lisbet Loiselle

Created on: October 29, 2009

When it comes to losing weight, the gym is not the only venue for us to use. For some of us who never even go to the gym but have a membership, we are simply throwing away our money each month! Some people love the gym and use all of the great machines they have there, i.e. treadmills, weights, swiss balls, pools, bosu balls, squat bars, foam rollers, stretching mats...you get the picture. What if we want to lose weight and get in shape without heading to the gym? The answer is so simple. Use our own bodies and the great outdoors! For sake of simplicity, we will leave out the nutrition aspect of all this and focus on the physical fitness aspect.

Our bodies alone are the best fitness tools we have. We can do so much with them, but most of us have no idea how to start. Let's look at some great excercises to do using our own bodies/bodyweight.

1. Body squats - this is easy and works our entire lower body. Stand with your feet a little farther than shoulder width apart, keep your hands out in front of you, and sit back like you are sitting in a chair. The weight should bear down on your heels so that you almost feel as if you are going to fall backwards. Go down as far as you can, and come back up. Start with 12 of these and work your way up from there. Do 3 sets of these (12 or more reps).

2. Push-ups - this exercise works wonders. Not only does it target your chest and triceps, but it also works your upper back muscles and core! If you have weak core muscles you will notice this immediately. Start on your knees for these, but if you can do the regular push up form, that is great! Do 3 sets of 10 reps, and increase the reps depending on your strength.

3. Core work - there are hundreds of quality core exercises to do. You can start with the basic crunch, where you lay on the floor and place your hands behind your ears, and lift your head up off the floor into a crunch. If you want more exercises, research "core exercises" on the internet and you will find scads of them. Start with beginner ones and work your way up from there. Do some core work every day, and mix it up with a different exercise. Some ideas are planks, back extensions, and leg lifts.

4. Tricep dips - you can do these anywhere! You can use a coffee table, a ktichen counter, a chair, anything! If you don't know the correct form, check it out online as it is extremely simple. If you are starting out use a counter, then move down to a coffee table as you progress.

5. Use the outdoors - get outside and

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