The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes, including our exercise routines. Many of us in the UK are still exercising at home because we realise just how much easier and more accessible it is – especially as busy mums who have to try and juggle motherhood, work, the domestic scene and our fitness. That said, leaving the gym behind isn’t always easy. So here are some of my top tried and tested tips as someone who loves to work out at home to help you stay fit and on track with your fitness goals and motivation.
Set a Schedule
One of the critical problems with exercising at home is that it’s easy to put off. If you go directly from work to home, you may feel exhausted and want to relax for a while. However, try to set aside an hour a day for fitness. It may be challenging for the first week, but eventually, it will become second nature.
It’s important to find a time that works for you. For example, I know the best time for me to work out is straight after school drop off. So on my workout days, I’ll make sure I am in my workout gear, read to head to the park for a run or HIIT session in the kitchen before pick up. When you are wearing your workout clothes there really is no excuse to not exercise, because you feel silly (and guilty!) wearing them without actually doing a workout.
Find an Activity You Enjoy
Whether you enjoy cardio or weightlifting, make sure you choose an exercise you like. If you dread the time you spend working out, it will be too easy to skip your exercise session. Working out will feel like less of a chore and more of a reward for being healthy if you enjoy what you’re doing.
Top tip: dance workouts very rarely feel like a dance workout. Check out Kyra Pro’s Youtube Channel for some awesome dance workouts including my favourite one at the moment – her Harry Styles dance workout! I also recently discovered the online Clubbercise classes which is essentially an hour or old school raving which is so much fun and will leave you sweating like a beast!
Be Creative with Cardio
Aim to get your heart rate up by including interval training in your cardio routine. This option won’t only improve your cardiovascular fitness, but will also help you keep things fresh. You can increase your intensity by running sprints or doing cardio boxing.
Nix the Long Cardio Sessions
Taking part in long cardio sessions just once a week won’t be enough to maintain your cardiovascular fitness. Do it every day if you want your cardio to be as effective as possible. In the two or three days off from exercise, focus on something less intense, such as pilates at home, perfect for small workout areas and excellent for reducing stress.
Get Those Steps In!
You know the best kind of workout? The one where you don’t even realise you’re working out. Tracking your steps during your usual day of school runs, running up and down the stairs to get the things you forgot and running errands all count towards low-intensity physical activity. But you may not realise it unless you’re wearing an activity tracker.
I’ve recently started wearing an Xplora XMOVE, an affordable (only £49.99), family-oriented activity tracker that goes back to basics. It’s designed for families and collates the number of steps each person and applies them across a range of different sports. It’s a great way to be motivated to workout from home but also inspire the whole family to be active too – my daughter and I have been doing a lots of running on the spot!
Xplora’s app (available on both Apple and Android) gives out awards, badges and ‘Xcoins’ that can be put towards digital content and consumer goods, all in an effort to gamify an entire family’s attempts to be more active – something both my daughter has really been enjoying!
There’s a sensor to monitor activity, and the option to monitor inactivity, which is perfect if you need a reminder to get moving. reminding the wearer to get moving and/or drink water at specific times. It has running, walking, cycling, and swimming modes to record activity data, plus a heart rate monitor and sleep tracker, along with some other smartwatch functions like recording the duration and quality of your rest.
Overall it’s been a great way to help me stay successful at working out from home and also encourage the family to get on board with exercising at home too!
Set a Goal and Reward Yourself
Don’t exercise because you should, but because it gives you something to look forward to. Try to set yourself a goal, whether losing weight or winning a 5K race. Then, once you reach your objective, treat yourself to a massage, a new workout outfit, or something else fun.
Keep Your Workout Log
A log can motivate you to push yourself harder when working out on your own—record all of your successes and defeats, as well as how you felt during each workout. A log will help you see your progress and will also help you if you lose motivation. It’s easy to get discouraged when you think you’re not getting anywhere, but a log will help you realize how far you’ve come.
Don’t Neglect Your Rest Days
Taking some downtime is as essential as exercising each day. Rest days are necessary for your body to heal and rejuvenate, so don’t skip them just because you feel obligated to work out every day. Your body will thank you later when it doesn’t make up for your rest days by hurting all over.
Exercising at home is a great way to stay fit without the risk of infection. If you follow these tips, it should be much easier to keep up with your fitness routine and enjoy yourself while doing so. Remember, those rest days are just as crucial as exercise days for healing, so don’t neglect them if you want an effective workout plan.
I have failed a lot ion this but this time will be worth it and I want to see results and consistency. Thank you for the motivation and tips