Are home workout effective? Quick, fun and convenient workouts, it’s what everyone’s after. If you are looking to be comfortable with your body, build up your strength or relieve stress from the comfort of your own place this article is for you.
With so many responsibilities, lack of time and on top of everything, the social distancing measures imposed due to COVID-19, many of us are wondering if home workouts are truly effective for beginners.
Home workout has multiple benefits. It helps you remove some workout excuses, you will save on gym memberships and won’t have to worry about Germs as much. Is a matter of knowing how to overcome the home roadblocks and how to keep yourself motivated.
Let’s Start with My Experience
Twice I signed up in a gym, and only to leave within two months. After a very stressful moment in my life, did I choose to turn everything around and took exercising as a goal.
Because extra time in my life still remained limited, I knew that visiting a gym was not an option for me.
I started jogging and tried a number of training programs. At first, it was really hard because I lack strength in my upper body and arms but I wanted to achieve my goal.
If you ask me what helped me persevere, it was listening to self-motivational podcasts, taking action every day and always remembering why I was doing it.
Are at home Workouts Effective?
As long as you want to go the extra mile, and do that extra repetition you will see great results.
At home, you have the opportunity to try many exercises as aerobics, Zumba, HIIT, yoga, weight lifting, rebounding (my favorite) as well as boxing. With these types of training you can burn calories and tone up your body, become stronger, increase your energy, and release stress but one thing needs to be done, ACTION and perseverance.
Workout can even be fun finding the exercise that you like.
Consider to have a Goal for working out at Home
For working out at home you need to have a vision, you need to have a goal. Ask yourself, why do you want to work out and what your goals are. Held yourself accountable to it
If you are looking to tone your body, build resistance and endurance, believe me, the working out at home has great benefits in store for you.
Exercise routines that include jumping on a rebounder, burpees, aerobics, HIIT, Zumba or rope jumping are very effective. You will be surprised of the great amount of exercise routines that can be done at home with little to no equipment and still manage to get your heart pumping like crazy.
On the other hand, if your goal is to lift weights or train to be a professional athlete you may need to consider the gym workout routines due to the variety of fitness equipment available. But if you are a stay at home mom or a busy parent like me you can definitely avoid the commute to go to the gym by working out at home.
Three main things you need to think about
- Some basic workout equipment
- Follow a training program
- A little of extra space at home
As with all good things in life, it will require everyday action without looking back.
Things could limit the effectiveness of home workouts
- Distractions like the TV, the kids, your smartphone, etc.
- Wanting to workout but not having enough determination to do so constantly.
- Not believing you can be your own personal trainer and think that you are too weak to achieve good results
- Not having a good workout program to follow
- Not having all the training tools needed at your disposal
Overcoming the Roadblocks
From day one, start thinking that you are going to make yourself stronger mentally and physically, it does not matter if you are working out at home or at a gym.
Identify your enemies, these can be laziness, lack of motivation and fear that you won’t achieve your goal.
STAY WITH ME. I know it can become a real challenge at first. You are not alone in thinking that one but I assure you that you will be stronger and healthier if you fight your enemies with everything you have.
IF YOU ARE STARTING OUT, choose a training program for beginners, this will help you avoid injuries and keep yourself motivated. Remember your posture, having a mirror close to you will help you see if you are doing it right.
Don’t forget to stretch before and after each session. This will avoid lesions and muscle tension. Start short term goals that are achievable and don’t forget about days of rest.
Lastly, but just as important, exercising is a lifestyle. Be proud of yourself during this journey and have a proper balanced diet for best results.
What to do for Motivation
Make sure you pick a nice place for your training, star with workout that you enjoy (mini trampoline, jogging, kickboxing, resistance band), include music or audio that will energize you…it takes emotion and passion to reach your goals.
Having access to a training program, be it online or DVD’s, will help you manage your time and follow a determined rhythm. I like programs that offer variety because it allows me to choose between different routines.
After you reach an intermediate level, you may try HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) programs. These are very effective workouts of 20 to 30 minutes in duration.
What to do for Procrastination
Even though procrastination is a tendency we all have, it is also true that this will stop anyone to achieve success.
Your life matter, let me tell you again, YOUR LIFE MATTER.
Fight for yourself, laziness, lack of enthusiasm and apathy are always around us, and they are our most dangerous enemies when it comes to achieving our goals.
Be patient with yourself, training your body takes time and perseverance is key.
Develop a positive mindset, will increase your confidence and will help you reach your goal. Feeding your mind with encouraging words for yourself is important!! Tell yourself “I’m a fighter and I will not stop until I reach my goal”, “I love my body”, “Having a healthy life matter”. Do it over and over, do it as part of the training.
Visualize yourself achieving your goal, make a list about all the benefits that you will receive.
Write down your goals in a visible place. There is evidence that we react more strongly to commitments made in writing. Things like “Workout everyday give me energy, I am healthier and stronger, I am an active person, because that helps me stay healthy”
Choose workout routines that are enjoyable to you, look for diverse workout program, doing the same thing over and over will often turn things boring.
Encouragement
The way you visualize yourself is key, you can have your body in shape, regain flexibility, lose weight, become more creative, enjoy better health if you start moving a bit more.
The power is within you!!! You need to let it out by taking action.
You definitely don’t need a gym membership or expensive weight machines to achieve results.
Reason why you need to take action and be more active
- A CDC study found that 8.3% of deaths of non-disabled adults ages 25 and older were attributed to physical inactivity.
- Vigorous-intensity aerobic for at least 150 minutes a week is associated with
reduced risk of:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Hypertension
- Type 2 diabetes
- Stress
- Dementia
- Anxiety and depression
If you have never done too much exercising you can start by jogging for 20 minutes and then, progress to other types of exercises.
You will be surprised to know the quantity of training programs available online. The industry of short training at home is huge and its growing more thanks for apps, video streaming and online communities.
Final Thoughts
I am with you, who doesn’t want to look better, feel better, or have a longer life?
Working out at home can be a challenge at first but also one of the most rewarding commitments in your life. With just 20 minutes of intense workout 3 times a week you will notice a difference in your body health, stress, mood and overall energy. So, what are you waiting for?
For weight loss and toning your body you need commitment and perseverance. It won’t happen overnight but with motivation and hard work, I assure you that you can do it. Training for strength, endurance and weight loss takes some time but is achievable so start now.
Live a healthier life and take care of your body and mind. Working out at home is effective!
Ria