My new home workout routine set up.
To be completely honest, I have never been a fan of the home workout and have always looked forward to jetting out to my favourite gym or fitness studio to get my sweat on alongside a group of other fitness fanatics. Of course, all has changed quite suddenly and as we all practice social distancing and isolation, it’s been a bit of a challenge to not only find ways to motivate myself to work out, but also make it an enjoyable experience when I do. Physical exercise is a key component of maintaining my mental health and in such uncertain times I knew that I needed to come up with a new home workout routine I could stick to, and fast.
After a few weeks of sporadic home workouts that took place once or twice a week at most, I decided that I needed to create a daily home workout routine that would work for me (and the very little space and equipment I have on hand).
Also Me (via @TheNonnaLife)
After a full week of getting a workout in each day, I’ve found that I not only feel better and actually look forward to my home workouts, but I have less desire to get outside, even for a short walk with my dog. In fact, I’m currently on my 6th day of not going out AT ALL. But don’t worry, Olive has still been getting her walks in thanks to Josh.
In need of some help to get you back into working out regularly? Here are some small changes and simple that I did that worked for me.
Keep reading for the 7 simple things I did to create a daily home workout routine while self-isolating:
Create The Space
After a few stress inducing workouts in my sunroom that involved knocking things over unintentionally and getting extremely distracted by everything i wanted to throw out and organize, I decided a change of space was going to be necessary for achieving my dream of working out regularly at home. So I moved things into my main room instead, where instead of looking at clutter I could look at my art wall instead. Now, I put my laptop on my dining room table, place my yoga mat in front of it and get to werk!
Set Up Your Mat
It’s easy delay a workout (later and later) when you procrastinate getting set up. Initially, I was so focused on what I didn’t have at home and used it as the main reason why I couldn’t “really” work out. Then I decided it didn’t matter, and that all I needed was a mat and my body to get started. I dug out my best yoga mat and placed it on the floor. Now I keep it rolled up near my set space so it’s easy to grab and get going. On many days I roll it out far before I even begin so I can’t ignore the workout plans I’ve set up for myself.
Stick To A Specific Time
In pre isolation days, I would always schedule a workout in my calendar like a meeting and would book around it so it wouldn’t get cancelled. This is also why I loved booking into classes at my favourite fitness studios – once you were booked in you couldn’t cancel! This is obviously much harder to stick to when you’re in charge of making your own home workouts happen, or not. When I decided that my daily home workout would happen every day at noon, this was a big game changer. As a new mom, this time also worked for my baby’s nap schedule. Personally I prefer my workout to be baby-free and use that 30 minutes to an hour for “me time”. However, even if you don’t have a baby who controls your schedule, a pre-determined time can be really helpful for sticking to making your workout happen, and bringing some structure to your day in a time when there may be no structure at all.
Put Gym Clothes On First Thing
Days at home in self-isolation can make it far too easy to spend all day, every day in PJs. It can be difficult to feel the need to get changed when you don’t have anywhere to go, or anything to do, which is why I like having a reason to change into something else, soon after waking up. Thankfully, most workout gear is just as comfy!
Utilize Online Classes
I really love the thrill and excitement of a group fitness class, which is definitely hard to achieve when you’re working out at home alone. We are lucky to live in a time when it’s so easy to access online workout classes for every type of workout you could want to do, and exploring different videos, classes an coaches has actually been really fun! Currently I’ve been enjoying workout videos through Classpass and routines shared by some of my favourite fitness influencers and studios on Instagram.
Click HERE to watch Beverley’s video!
Create Gym Equipment Out Of Everyday Items
If you don’t already have a selection of weights and fancy gym equipment in your home, it’s likely because you never had the space for a home gym in the first place. For most of us living in downtown dwellings, space is a major issue and I feel lucky that I can at least roll out a yoga mat. Since I don’t have any weights or equipment in my home, I’ve had to get a little creative by using canned goods for light weights, hand towels (or wearing socks) to replace sliders, and, personally I really loved Beverley Cheng‘s latest YouTube video for her amazing suggestions for how to create workout equipment with items in your home (like books and bags).
Find Workouts That Work For You
*And Your Space*
Trust me, I know how frustrating it can be when you feel as though you can’t do your favourite workout in your own home. Personally, I’ve had to shift my perspective and goals, and instead find new workouts I enjoy that I could do at home without getting stressed out or feeling annoyed by my situation. For me this has meant discovering more body-weight focused classes but even with this in mind I’ve easily found pilates, HIIT, barre and yoga classes that have been challenging, fun and, best of all, have made me look forward to working out at home.
You Got This!
xo
(Story by Editor-in-Chief, Gracie Carroll)