If making it to the gym every morning or afternoon is stressing you out, try a few of the following tips for working out at home and let go of that stress! I tend to mix my workouts up, making it to the gym a few days a week and then working out from home on the other days. Whether you choose to workout from home because the gym is too far from home, you have young kids at home, your local gym is too pricy or you just don't feel comfortable at the gym, a home workout can be just as effective as any gym workout! By following a few of these tips for working out at home, you can fit in a great workout at any time of the day!
For many people, the hardest part about working out at home is the lack of motivation to actually workout. You have to first set up an environment that you will be most likely to complete your workout. For me, finding a good Pandora station or making an exciting playlist is one of the best tips for working out at home. Music is a great motivator when it comes to exercising, so turn it up and start pumping!
Kids, dogs, phones, or whatever it is, deal with things that might distract you before you even start a workout at home. Arrange a time that your spouse, friend or neighbor can keep an eye on your kids, put your dogs in another room and put the phones away so that once you start your workout, that is your time to get it done! There is nothing worse than getting half way through a workout all for your phone to ring and stop you. Think about it this way: if you wouldn't be distracted by it at the gym, don't allow it to distract you at home.
I have a set of weights that can be adjusted from anywhere from five pounds to 50 pounds for when I workout at home. This is perfect for me because I can hit all body parts, like shoulder raises using the five pounds and chest press using the 25 pounds. It's important to have all weights available so that you can get the most out of your workout, using proper form too. These are great if you are working out with a friend or partner at home too. I can assure you that my husband and I aren't lifting the same weights!
An exercise ball is great for many different reasons: it can be used as a bench when doing chest exercises, it can be used as a chair when doing shoulder exercises, or it can be used for several different abdominal exercises. I also like to push it against the wall with my lower back and use it to help me go lower when I'm doing squats. An exercise ball allows you to do many different things, never getting bored with your at home workout!
Resistance bands are a very inexpensive, space-friendly product to add to your home gym. They provide different levels of resistance, allowing you to move up as particular exercises become easier. I like to use resistance bands to tone several different body parts such as my arms, shoulders and legs.
Just when you thought jump ropes were for kids, I'm here to tell you how great they are for adults too! Jumping rope is the perfect solution for a quick cardio session when there's no treadmill or it's too cold to hit the streets. I like to do jumprope intervals by setting my timer and alternating between jumping and resting for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off for ten minutes. You might think this sounds easy, but jumping rope is no joke!
As you know, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Just like you wouldn't walk into the gym without a plan, don't workout at home without a plan. Do your research; watch how-to videos on YouTube; buy a great exercise DVD; whatever you do, go in with a well defined plan. Many people injure themselves because they don't know how to properly perform an exercise. Take five minutes and figure out proper form and safety. There are even many personal trainers out there that provide workouts with a proper explanation of each move if you are a beginner to working out.
As always, when it comes to exercising, safety is crucial when completing any exercise program; always consult your physician before beginning any new exercise regimen. Do you ever workout at home or do you like to stay in the gym?