Did you know that you can get a great workout right in the comfort of your own home? A lot of people think they need to go to the gym to get in shape. Whether you can regularly get to a gym or not, I believe you can improve your health and fitness level immensely if you work out at home every day.
Personally, I prefer the convenience of at-home workouts. Working out at home makes it easy to fit exercise into my day, and it works perfectly with my intermittent fasting lifestyle. I don’t have to drive out of my way or carve time out of my busy schedule. Fitness becomes a normal part of my routine. I can squeeze simple, easy-to-use moves like squats, push-ups, sit-ups, planks, calf raises, and basic calisthenics into my routine just about any time and anywhere. I sometimes add free weights and chin-ups to keep it interesting.
If you want to work out at home or have to for personal reasons, here’s what you need to know to get started.
Fitness at Home: Getting Started
Are you getting in shape, staying in shape or trying to set new fitness goals? Wherever you are on your fitness journey, there’s a home workout routine that’s perfect for you. When you work out at home, fitness is a natural part of your lifestyle. It’s not what you do but who you are. You just have to find your rhythm.
One of the biggest benefits of working out at home is that you don’t need a lot of equipment to get started. You just need a few basics, including:
- Comfortable clothes
- Supportive footwear
- Free weights or exercise bands
- A chin-up bar
- A mat
Even this list is pretty customizable: You only need the first two to work out at home. The bands, weights and other items can come with time and fitness. You can still hit all major muscle groups without them.
Creating a Routine – How You Can Work Out at Home and Get the Best Results
A good fitness routine should include a warmup, aerobic exercise to get your heart pumping, strength-building exercises, flexibility movements, and a cooldown. Calisthenics conveniently hit quite a few of these requirements. The easier moves can act as warmups, or you can do some easy walking, biking, or jogging to get your heart pumping.
Once you’re “in the zone,” you can continue building on your efforts through a wide range of more targeted exercises, such as:
- Squats
- Chair dips
- Push-ups
- Lunges
- Planks
- Mountain climbers
- Sit-ups
- Calf raises
- Burpees
Poor form can lead to poor results or even injuries with some of these moves. If you’re not sure how to perform them, search a video to make sure you get it right. Your body will thank you!
Dumbbells and bands are good for adding resistance. If you’ve got a chin-up bar, you can include pull-ups and chin-ups. Don’t forget to add some flexibility moves when you’re done! Gentle yoga moves such as downward dog, ragdoll, and cobra are great choices. Stretch enough that you can feel it but not so much that it hurts.
Final Thoughts
Since you’re not visiting the gym, you won’t have a variety of classes and fellow gym-goers keeping you motivated when you work out at home. You will need to find ways to keep your home workout interesting and your motivation high. Switch up your moves, your music, and your workouts periodically. Check out new Internet workout videos, or try new routines to keep your muscles guessing. Create a schedule, and stick to it. Set clearly defined goals, and track your progress. You’ll be crushing it before you know it! If you’re looking to lose weight and get in the best shape of your life, a home workout routine combined with intermittent fasting might just be the golden ticket you’ve been seeking.
This info is truly helpful!
Thank you!