Halle Berry and Her Trainer Just Shared an at-Home Workout You Can Do with Just a Towel

Not everyone can afford a personal trainer or gym membership, but that doesn't mean you can't find ways to shake up your fitness routine at home. Going for a walk around the neighborhood, doing yoga or simply dancing around your kitchen can help you lose weight, boost your mood and protect your brain as you age, among many other benefits. But if you want to target your core with some exercises at home, Halle Berry's trainer, Peter Lee Thomas, just shared a five-step routine on Instagram you'll love. The best part? The only equipment you need is a towel.

Berry is in peak form right now, since she trained hard with Thomas for her latest role in the Netflix movie Bruised, as Thomas explained to Entertainment Weekly in November. But since you can modify this routine to include whatever exercises and rep counts you feel comfortable with, it can be adapted for just about anyone looking for a challenging workout.

To follow in Berry's footsteps, grab a hand towel. Berry uses it in every exercise, whether she's keeping her arms engaged or using it as a makeshift line on the ground for exercise number 5 below. She personally uses a cooling towel from her line of wellness products, Re-spin, but whatever towel you have on hand will work.

Berry's routine includes sit-ups, Russian twists, squats, burpees, lunges, side knees and skaters. Thomas recommends doing 10 to 20 reps for each of these moves, but you should always take it at your own pace. Even if you try just one move for five reps, that's a great place to start!

How to Copy Halle Berry's at-Home Workout

1. Straight-Arm Towel Sit-Up

For this modified sit-up, hold your arms straight out, at a 90-degree angle with your torso. Stretch the towel between your hands, as if you were holding a barbell, and do a sit-up as you normally would.

2. Straight-Arm Slow Russian Twist

Sit on your bottom with your knees bent. Berry lifts her feet slightly up, so only her bottom touches the ground. Thomas sits with his heels on the floor as well. Holding your arms straight out with the towel between them, slowly twist your abdomen to the right until your right hand touches the floor, then twist to the left and repeat.

3. Squat, Press, Jump Through, Burpee

Sink into a squat, holding the towel taut between your hands just under chin-level. Straighten into a standing position and raise your hands straight up in the air, as if you were pressing a weight over your head. Bring the towel down to your hip level and jump up and over it, like a jump rope. (The size of your towel might make this part tricky! In which case, we just suggest simply jumping in place to activate the same muscles.) Move into a lateral position on the ground with your hands supporting you, as if you were going to do a push-up. With your hands still on the ground, jump so your feet are near your hands, with your hips in the air. Jump again, taking your hands off the ground so you're in a standing position. Repeat the whole process again from the squat position.

4. Overhead Towel Bulgarian Back Lunge & Side Knee

In a standing position, raise your arms straight up over your head with the towel taut between your hands. Shift your right leg backwards and bend into a lunge. Come back into a standing position and lift your right leg forward with the knee bent at a right angle. At the same time, bring your arms down to tap the towel against your lifted knee. Put your right leg down and raise your arms again, then repeat with the left leg.

5. Mega Plyo Skaters

Roll or fold your towel widthwise and lay it on the ground, so it forms a thin straight line. Starting with both feet on the left side of the towel, stand with your left leg slightly bent and your right leg behind you with your right foot hovering above the floor. For balance, lean forward with the tip of your right hand touching the ground. Jump sideways over the towel, landing on your right foot with the left behind you and not touching the ground. You'll look sort of like a competitive speed skater—just in time for the Olympics.