Exercise is something that everyone should do as part of their normal routine. Whether it’s to lose weight or whether it’s simply just to keep fit, exercising alongside a healthy diet is a good way to give your body what it needs.
The problem for some people though is that exercising can seem scary from the outset when they think about going to the gym, or they may struggle with the logistics of it all like childcare or travelling and having no access to a gym. It can also be difficult to figure out a good starting point, especially if you’re not used to exercising regularly or don’t know what an effective exercise routine should look like. That’s why we’ve created this handy guide of tips on how to get started exercising at home.
Use your body weight to help
Using your body correctly is probably the simplest way that you can work out whilst at home, although that does sound fairly obvious. What we mean by this is performing exercises that only require the use of your body, no weight or exercise machines needed.
There are a lot of different exercises that you can perform that work this way that can help you to build strength or burn calories (or a mixture of the two at the same time). For example, for cardio you could try something like jumping jacks that just require a bit of movement in one place or marching on the spot. For strength, you’re best looking at things that require some more resistance from your muscles like squats or push ups. As a way to maximise your efficiency, you can try circuit training (moving from one to another with a short, or zero, rest period).
All you need to do is squeeze it in when you have time, whether that’s when you’re getting dressed in a morning or whilst you’re putting laundry out to dry, and you’ll be on your way to incorporating exercise into your routine in no time at all.
Invest in good quality fitness equipment
If you’re planning on working out from home more often than just the occasional push ups or star jumps, it may be worth considering taking a look at fitness equipment for your home. Not everyone has the same budget or requirements, so it all comes down to what you’re looking to achieve from your exercise, but picking something versatile can make a difference as it ticks multiple boxes at the same time. For example, if you’re low on space and you purchase a treadmill then you can really only work on your cardio, but if you purchase some adjustable dumbbells then these can be used for a variety of different exercises.
When it comes to starting out, you can make do with everyday objects that you find around the home. The 1kg bag of flour that’s been sat in your cupboard can make an excellent starting point and stand in for a set of dumbbells until you’re ready to add more weight and upgrade. You can add in things like resistance bands and more weight gradually as you improve your form and it becomes easier to lift the weight as these kinds of things are essential to continue your progress. For a budget friendly cardio exercise, a skipping rope is a cheap and easy to store solution that can be performed almost anywhere.
Add more movement into your daily routine
Structuring your workouts and planning them out doesn’t work for everyone, so if sticking to a set routine is difficult (or you have difficulty finding time to squeeze exercise in) you can look at some activities to get you moving that are a little bit more outside the box and scope of a normal workout. By boosting your daily movement, you can provide a huge impact to your fitness levels, especially if you are replacing activities that require little to no movement. If you’re fairly active, this movement and activity can make up almost 50% of your daily calorie burn, but there are a number of other benefits to just moving around such as a reduced risk of heart problems.
As a quick and easy way to add more movement into your daily routine you can start with small and simple goals such as walking to work or the shops instead of driving, setting a timer or reminder to get up and move every hour or even just carrying out your hobbies. Things like gardening or cooking can help to increase your daily movement levels and keep you fit and healthy.
Working out at home instead of the gym gives you more options to increase your daily activity levels, and provides you with an unrivalled level of convenience as you can do it anywhere and any time. By starting out just using your own body weight and slowly increasing to the right equipment as you get used to the exercises, you can make a huge difference to your way of life.
To find out more about The Nantwich Clinic can help to provide support with exercise and the personal training courses that we are able to offer, give us a call on 01270 627118.