The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted our lives and forced us to change our habits, including hindering most group fitness activities. Whether you like to do your own thing outside, take a class, or work one-on-one with a personal trainer, you might be feeling a little lost when it comes to staying active in your own home.

Exercising is important to our health in a variety of ways. It can improve strength, improve balance, give you more energy, prevent or delay disease, improve mood, and improve cognitive function. As long as your doctor says it’s safe for you to exercise, you should workout to improve the quality and increase the longevity of your life.

It may be daunting to start an exercise program at home, so we’ve broken down some exercises you can do with just one piece of equipment: a chair or an exercise ball or kitchen countertop.

Modified Push Ups

Push-ups are an effective upper body exercise because they work so many muscles. By using a chair, table or kitchen countertop, you can decrease the difficulty of the exercise, decrease impact on your joints avoid getting all the way down on the ground.

To perform this move, place the chair so that the seat is up against a wall to make sure that it’s not going to move while you complete the exercise. Stand behind the chair with your feet shoulder-width apart. You want to stand far enough away that you can extend your arms but close enough to feel comfortable and stable. Engage your core and keep your body as straight as possible. Slowly bend your elbows and lean your body forward to complete a push up. Complete ten reps for three sets.

Remember during this time that it’s important to keep your body moving and also to keep yourself safe, but never attempt an exercise routine without confirming with your doctor that it’s safe to do so. These chair exercises are a great way to strengthen your muscles and get your heart rate up in this time of “social distancing.”