3 Living Room Workout Moves Feat. the FabFitFun Body Sliders!

After many a failed fitness resolution, I've recently started to figure out how to make working out work for me. I've come to accept that I will always have days when I have zero interest in braving the winter weather in the name of hitting the gym. But even when I'm in my laziest, homebody-est, sweatshirt-and-loungepants-iest mood, I've figured out that there are still ways I can keep my fitness track record in tip-top shape.

The Brooke Burke Body Sliders in FabFitFun's latest box, for one, have been an awesome solution for those at-home workout days. I can keep my parka and boots hanging in my closet and still get in a challenging body-weight-based workout from the comfort of my living room. Like, while I'm wearing pajama pants. And watching Real Housewives.

These are three of my favorite moves to do with these body sliders. All you need is a carpeted space with enough room to move around in, and if you don't have sliders, two paper plates can do the trick, too! Full disclosure, I'm (obviously) not a fitness professional, so think of this post as a recommendation from a pal rather than a personal trainer. (If anyone IS a personal trainer out there, let me know what suggestions you'd make, especially in terms of form!)

And remember, if you're into fitness and beauty, you've gotta check out FabFitFun! Right now, you can try the lifestyle box that hooked me up with these great body sliders for $10 off with code MSA10!

3 Easy Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do in Your Living Room

Here are a few of the moves I've been doing with my Brooke Burke Body Sliders from the comfort of home. Usually I try to do 2 or 3 sets of 10-12 reps each with a little 30-60 second break in between. Or, if I'm watching something on TV, I'll do as many reps as I can during a single commercial.

Again, I'm no expert, but I always try to prioritize form over doing a bunch of reps. If I can only do 3 of a move with my abs engaged (so my spine is safe), so be it! I'll get stronger over time 🙂

1. Plank to Knee Tuck

For me, the hardest part about this move is getting the alignment right. I always try to get my wrists to sit right under my shoulders, and my ankles, hips, shoulders and head in one straight line. It's harder than it sounds—I always know when I'm in the right spot because all of my muscles feel like they're working super hard! The main trick is to tuck your pelvis up and under so that your abs engage and your booty drops down. (The easiest mistake to make is to let your hips pop up out of alignment as your abs get tired.)

I start from a plank position with my feet on my sliders. Then I slide my knees up into my chest, being careful to keep my hips shoulders and neck in the exact same spots. Then I push my heels back to their original position, again making sure I'm totally still from the hips up. Ooof! Take that holiday cookies!

2. Curtsy Lunge

I started doing roller derby this fall (I know, right?), which means I've been spending a lot more time than usual on legs and any exercises that help with balance. This slider-supported lunge covers all my bases at once!

I start out by standing tall with a slider under one foot and my abs in tight to help keep my back from working too hard. I put a little bend in my non-slider leg and shoot the foot with the slider directly out to my side (just far enough that the ball of my foot is still on the ground, but all of my weight is over my standing leg). Then, I cross the slider foot back behind me, bending my knee into a deep diagonal lunge and shifting my weight so it's even between my two feet. Oh, and I try to keep my front knee above my ankle even as I bend it (which helps protect it) and my chest up.

Now the tough part—I squeeze my core in, slowly shift my weight off of that back foot, and push through the heel of my standing leg to return to the original position. My torso always wants to lean forward to help me up, but keeping it upright helps keep the focus on my leg muscles.

3. Chair Pose Kick Backs

For this move, my non-slider leg stays bent almost in a chair pose position through the whole exercise (though as you can see, I'm not strong enough to get terribly deep... yet). Basically, I hold that chair pose (knees over ankles, back straight, chest up), keeping all my weight over that standing leg, and push the foot with the slider beneath it straight back. Then, I return it right back to the original position.

The key here is keeping everything but that slider leg still and strong, which helps with balance. And while the shallow squat is working my legs, the real benefit of this exercise is being able to work that spot where my upper hamstring meets my butt. I try to really focus on making that area do the work each time I kick back. Sometimes it helps me to think about how it feels to push off the side wall of a pool—each time I slide my foot back, I try to get that feeling of pushing/stretching all the way from that (oft' ignored) under-butt muscle straight through to my heel.

What are your go-to home workout moves?

Share how you've been using your FabFitFun body sliders in the comments! And if you haven't yet, read about our favorite women's lifestyle boxes like FabFitFun, or nab a $10 off discount with code MSA10!