How To Exercise From Home
We cover everything you need to know about exercising from home and getting fit in your own living space.
Nowadays, you do not need a gym membership to get fit, healthy, and enjoy the many other benefits of exercise. Many people are swapping the gym for convenient home setups so they can work out in the comfort of their own home, focusing on their own fitness goals on their own time and saving money in the process.
Today, we’ll be looking at how you can set up your home for exercise and enjoy a comprehensive workout in your living space. Read on for more information.
Firstly, choose a location in your home to set up your workout space. While many people choose the garage or basement to build a home gym, this is not always the best solution. If you don’t enjoy spending time in your workout area, you’re less likely to exercise. As such, you should find an area that is well-lit and comfortable.
In addition, you should ensure your home gym is in a room where you are not going to disturb any neighbors. Dumbbells are heavy and you don’t want to make any loud noises if you drop them. As such, you should ensure you have adequate mats to protect your flooring (more on equipment in a moment).
Try a room where you sit regularly, as the constant reminder of your home gym may inspire you to work out more.
One mistake many people make is buying lots of expensive equipment for their home gym without establishing a workout routine. You don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on fancy treadmills, exercise bikes, or an entire dumbbell rack, only for them to gather dust when you give up.
Focus on the essential equipment first. Purchase an exercise mat, resistance bands, an exercise ball, and a set of dumbbells. Keep in mind that you’ll progress in dumbbell weight quickly, so make sure your dumbbells are heavy enough to match your strength gains, otherwise, you’ll need to buy more dumbbells in the near future. Adjustable dumbbells are an excellent idea, as you can purchase weights separately for less money than a pair of dumbbells.
Purchase exercise equipment based on your requirements. Once you’ve established a routine, you can think about buying more serious equipment, as you know you’re likely to use it regularly. Consider a workout bench and a barbell if you are serious about strength training, or invest in a stationary bike or treadmill if you’ve developed a passion for cardio.
If you are the sort of person who makes big plans for a healthier body but loses interest soon after, you may want to make your home workout space more comfortable.
When working out from home, you have access to your television, computer, and any other entertainment devices. You don’t have to listen to the gym radio. Instead, you can switch on your favorite show or prepare a playlist of your favorite tunes and play it loud over your superior home speakers. You can cater your surroundings to your exercise routine.
So, if you want to break a sweat while catching up on the latest season of Dexter, you can!
If you enjoy exercise classes but want to save money by working out from home, you can find all sorts of online fitness classes with a simple google search. Whether you prefer dancing, yoga, or strength training, there are many free and subscription-based workouts to choose from. Some of our favorites include:
Alternatively, if you have a games console, you may want to pick up one of the many fitness-based games for multiple platforms. For example, Nintendo Switch users can buy Ring Fit Adventure, while Xbox and Playstation fans have numerous platform-specific games that make use of the console’s motion sensor capabilities. In addition, certain VR games provide a fantastic workout, particularly dance-oriented games like Beat Saber. Some games will calculate your calories burned, and others let you change the difficulty depending on your fitness levels.
When exercising at home, it’s easy to let household chores and day-to-day activities get in the way of your workout time. As such, you must schedule a block of time for working out. Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, you can exercise at home whenever you like (provided you are respectful of anybody else who lives in your home).
At the beginning of the week, consult your schedule and make time for your workouts. If you don’t have a journal, a workout chart on your fridge should suffice. Life has a habit of throwing a curveball, especially when it comes to plans. Figuring out your schedule a week in advance lets you work around appointments and other commitments – you can even work out in the middle of the night if necessary.
Once you get into the rhythm of working out regularly, you’ll find exercise gets easier and you look forward to your workout sessions. However, as we have just discussed, life sometimes gets in the way. As such, you may find you have to get creative with your exercise goals.
If you can’t fit a workout into your day, try burning calories and improving your fitness while you go about your daily tasks. For example, when you are cleaning the house, play some music and dance around while you dust and mop. If you are watching TV, do some light yoga or walk in place. Going upstairs? Make the same trip twice. There are many things you can do to burn calories alongside your usual fitness routine – use your imagination.
While working out from home can be more convenient, you should still consult a doctor before starting any exercise plan, particularly if you have any pre-existing health conditions or you take certain medications. In addition, we advise any man over the age of 45 and woman over the age of 55 to speak to a medical professional beforehand so you can enjoy your home workout safely.
If you live with other people, you may want to get them involved in your workout sessions as well. Exercise is an excellent bonding exercise and can bring you closer with your friends, housemates, and family. Take turns on console-based fitness games. Head out to the garden for a group yoga session. Motivate each other to beat your personal best dumbbell curls. Of course, you may not have enough room in your home to exercise with your loved ones, but you can still encourage each other to get healthier.
Quality nutrition is the best way to maximize the health benefits of a home workout. Eat carbs (fruit is always a good option) before you exercise, then make sure you get plenty of healthy proteins and carbs in your post-workout meal. Eat three meals a day, plus plenty of healthy snacks. We recommend eating every two hours if possible. Also, remember to hydrate. When exercising, we recommend drinking a cup of water every 20 minutes or so. You should also drink regularly throughout the day; dehydration causes muscle cramps and possible heat exhaustion.
We hope we’ve given you some useful advice for working out from home. If you are looking to save money or simply prefer your own company, you can still enjoy all the benefits of a fit and active lifestyle surrounded by your home comforts.