Exercises to Do While Showering

Your shower can serve as a mini-gym.
i Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

If you feel like you're running uphill all day long, multitasking like crazy to get everything done, you're in good company. Anything that can save you a few minutes is worth considering, and exercising in the shower makes a certain amount of sense. There are a number of simple exercises you can do while soaping up and sudsing off to give you a short workout and jump-start your day. But as everyone knows, showers can be slippery when wet, so make sure you're moving around in an enclosure with safe and sound footing.

Lower Body

    An exercise recommended by Lifetime, which can be done in the shower or while brushing your teeth, is a toe raise, which tones your calves and glutes. Stand with your heels together and toes pointed outward. Lift your heels off the floor while you contract your calves and glutes, and pull in your abs. Squats and kickbacks -- for which you lean against the a shower wall and kick one leg back -- are also recommended shower exercises from The Beauty Bean.

Core

    "Shape Magazine" recommends standing on one leg when you brush your teeth, but you can do the same thing in the shower. This helps strengthen your core while improving your balance. Another simple core exercise is to alternate contracting your abs and glutes. Hold each contraction for up to 60 seconds. When you do this exercise standing up, it automatically stabilizes the spine and reduces the risk of back injuries

Upper Body

    Pushups against a wall of the shower work your arms and shoulders, as will more imaginative shower exercises. Use a full conditioning or shampoo bottle as a dumbbell. You can lift them overhead and do biceps curls and extensions. You also can throw punches in the shower. Work on your upper body and work out your aggression before facing the world and your work day.

Safety First

    In addition to saving time, there are a number of other advantages to shower exercises. You don't need any special equipment, a gym membership or even gym clothes. But all of those advantages go out the window if you are at risk of slipping or falling in a narrow enclosure. As ABC News emphasizes, "to keep your brains from splattering on the tile, make sure you have a skidproof shower floor." In addition to protecting your brains, you can protect your skin by using lukewarm water and limiting your shower exercise sessions to no more than 10 minutes.

the nest

×