As a physical therapist, I get a lot of people asking me how they "get into shape" at home after they finish their physical therapy sessions. Most of my patients aren't the health club types and they don't have a lot of money to spend on equipment or a lot of room to store it.

I generally tell them that it's fairly easy to stay in shape doing a workout without weights and that the hard part is committing themselves to a regular program. It's hard to keep yourself accountable when you have no incentive other than personal health! That may sound bad but it's the truth. My patients generally have to have permission from their boss, doctor, or family, to take responsibility for their own health.

Regularly performing 5-6 simple exercises will go a long way to ensuring that you will not develop conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. A good home exercise routine will include exercises to all major muscle groups. However, unlike most of the popular concepts of fitness, you don't have to kill yourself trying to reach some imagined sense of perfection or unrealistic goal for your physique.
Push ups, pull ups, and squats are the foundation of any good home exercise program. If you perfect these and a couple of other movements, you will be amazed at the difference they will make in your life.