If you want to workout at home and see results, it’s totally possible! Use these tips so you can workout at home, and get healthy and fit without a gym membership.
Fitness is not something I generally talk about too much on here, considering I’m not exactly the most athletic of people.
Having said that, if you read my post on my favorite low carb food from Amazon, you’ll know that I’ve been trying to step up my diet these past couple weeks, and the same goes for my fitness routine!
Not to any specific, crazy standards (by any means), but it’s always nice to just slide into your jeans, ‘ya know?
Plus hey, according to a study published in the Journal of Happiness, people who workout for a mere 30 minutes most days are said to be 30 percent more likely to consider themselves happy.
Seems like a pretty good reason to get that workout in, right?
And so, with all that in mind, today, I want to share with you what I’ve been doing that has really changed how I exercise.
More specifically, I want to talk about how I workout at home, and why I’m finding it to be the most effective workout routine I’ve ever embarked on (and this is coming from somebody who has gone to gyms, yoga studio, pilates studios, who’s tried running, biking, simply walking… I’ve tried a lot of “fitness routines”).
So first, if you’re not someone who generally enjoys working out at home, I quickly want to touch on why I like working out from home so much better than going to the gym. But hey, if you’re already on Team Workout From Home, feel free to skip this section.
Why You Should Try Working Out From Home
1) You can workout whenever you want
I mean, probably the biggest pro to working out at home, I LOVE being able to fit my workout in whenever I want!
Routine is good, but when it’s preventing you from working out regularly, it’s not doing you any favours (this started happening to me; I would miss a scheduled class at my yoga studio, so I would just skip my workout altogether for the day).
If you’re someone who doesn’t like routine, working out at home allows you to get your workout in whenever it is convenient FOR YOU.
2) You can wear whatever you want (lol)
Yeah, yeah, I know people will say it doesn’t matter what you wear to the gym, but like, it kind of does, right?
You’re not going to wear those super comfy booty shorts, and you’re probably going to think twice about that easy-to-wear tee with the holes in it.
When you get your workout in from home, you can throw on whatever and be ready to workout in minutes.
3) You save time
Speaking of working out in minutes, working out at home is a great time saver.
In a world where we’re all rushing around and nobody has time for anything, you can do a 30 minute workout at home, get a real sweat going, and you’re good for the day. Easy peasy.
4) You don’t have to leave the house
In that same vein, while sometimes getting out of the house is a good thing, other times, you just don’t feel like it (especially in the winter).
You’ve got to pack up all your stuff, potentially drive somewhere, actually do the workout, and then drive home.
As someone who doesn’t necessarily enjoy the workout process, this just adds time onto it and makes me dislike it even more.
5) Nobody is watching
Again, I know a lot of people will say gyms are a safe place, and I’m sure they are, but you’re always going to run into situations where you just want to workout without any eyes on you.
If you know what I mean, I probably don’t have to explain that any further…
Working out at home gives you privacy to move any way you please without feeling any sort of self-consciousness.
6) You can do something different everyday
I don’t know about you guys, but I get really bored of workouts really fast.
When you workout at home, there are always new routines, combinations, and workouts to experiment with (if you’re not sure where to start when working at home, I’m going to elaborate on this in a second).
Working out at home keeps your workouts fresh, interesting, and always challenging, which is important if you want to see results.
7) You save money
And lastly, I can’t believe I almost forgot mention one of the biggest pros to working at home: you save money!
No pesky gym membership fees, no money on gas, no paying extra for fancy membership upgrades. Exercising for free is totally possible when you workout from the convenience of your home.
How I Workout At Home For The Best Results
So now that we’re hopefully all on the same page about the convenience of working out at home, let me tell you what my home workout routine consists of:
I workout at home 5 days/week, Monday-Friday.
I use FREE workout videos on YouTube to create my routines, and it’s generally a mix of cardio, weight lifting (like 5 pound weights, so don’t let that scare you), pilates, and yoga. I’ll also run every once in a while if I’m feeling like it, but for the most part, all my working out lately has been done at home.
And, generally speaking, the workouts are 30-45 minutes, and sometimes if I have the energy, I’ll stretch it to an hour (really, though, a 30 minute workout at home is all you need to start seeing some results).
Of course you don’t have to follow this exact routine, but this is just what I’ve found works best for me when designing my home workout routine.
If you’re interested in working out at home, I’m now going to go into some tips that have really helped me come up with this workout plan. Because yes, it’s very possible to try working out at home and hating it (been there, done that).
If you want to start working out at home, and you want to LOVE it, like I do, try incorporating some of these tips so you can get the best results.
How To Exercise At Home Effectively
1) Workout with friends
I’m listing this first because it’s the part of this whole working out at home thing that changed everything for me.
Because sure, as mentioned, I’ve worked out at home before, but the difference is that this time I’ve been doing it with my friends.
And now you’re probably wondering how you workout at home with friends…
Well, when I say I workout with my friends, I don’t mean that we workout in the same room together.
I simply mean that everyday we do the same set of workouts, and then we send “sweaty snaps” to each other (a snapchat picture, taken after our workout, showing that we completed the day’s exercises).
And honestly, I hope we never stop doing this, because I don’t think in my whole life I have ever consistently worked out 5 days/week, but because there’s accountability there, it changes everything.
I want to workout. I look forward to taking my “sweaty snap,” and I feel obligated to complete each day’s workout (obligated in a good way!).
If you have just one friend who is interested in getting healthy and working out, propose this idea to them. Trust me, I’ve heard people rave about accountability before, but you won’t understand how insanely helpful it truly is until you’ve experienced it.
2) Pick videos ahead of time
One of the best things you can do to help ensure you stick with your workouts is to pick videos ahead of time.
If you just decide to do any video, there’s a chance you’ll hate the video, it’ll be too advanced or too easy, you won’t know where to start, or you’ll just get overwhelmed and give up.
How To Pick Workout Routines For Women At Home
I’m pretty lucky because my friend picks out all our workout videos, but if you don’t have the same situation, I suggest simply starting with some videos and seeing what you like.
This might mean for the first week or two you have to experiment and do some videos you don’t like, but slowly and surely you’ll build up a library of videos that you like and can go back to.
Plus, if you find an instructor you like, chances are, they’ll keep putting out new content, meaning you’ll always have fresh routines to try.
Here are some of my favorite videos that we’ve been doing:
1) This is an AMAZING 20 minute fully body workout. It’s freaking hard, and you will sweat, but you’ll feel SO good after it.
2) For something a little less high-intensity, but that’s still great for the whole body, I love this pilates style routine. I feel so long and lean when it’s done!
3) Short, quick, and effective, this is a great little arm workout video.
4) I absolutely love this yoga flow for something that’s relaxing, but also has a lot of core work and gets your heart pumping.
5) If you want a challenge for your booty, this is it!
Organize these different videos in a Google Doc, or as a note on your phone.
Make different headings, like “Booty”, “Arms”, “Abs” “Cardio,” and keep adding in videos you like under each category.
That way, you can easily reference this list for when you’re stuck on what videos to do.
3) Have set videos for specific body parts
As mentioned above, you should have a list of videos that you like for each body part (remember: this will take a little bit of time to build up, but once you have it, you’re golden).
In addition, though, it’s a good practice to make sure you’re switching up the body parts you’re working on.
If everyday is a booty day, and you’re not also working on your core, well, you might feel bloated and not so great.
As mentioned, I’m not fitness expert (at all haha), and I definitely don’t think you have to have a rigid workout schedule in order to have success, but just be conscience of ensuring you’re putting together routines that target different body parts for maximum results.
4) Always add a little cardio
Again, not an expert here…
BUT
For me, I’ve got to add a little cardio to my workout routines if I want to see results. As a girl who loves herself some delicious food, if I’m not burning through at least some calories everyday, well, it’s going to show.
Plus, I just find I feel really good when I sweat and get my heart rate up! (obviously you get your heart rate up in any sort of exercise, but again, with my particular body type, I need cardio, so determine how much cardio you need to look/feel your best…it’ll be different for everyone!).
And oh, fibre is also a really good thing to add to your diet to help naturally burn some calories, which you can read all about in my post on low carb/high fibre foods.
5) Have some equipment handy
I love a good no equipment workout video. You can do it anywhere, it’s still hard, and I don’t have to spend any money to exercise!
It’s a win win.
(check out this article if you’re looking for some FREE apps that will help you with your health and fitness goals)
Having said that, I purchased 5 pounds weights to have at home, and I actually really enjoy doing some weights.
Prior to this I was mostly doing bodyweight exercises, and tbh, it’s actually more work to do bodyweight work.
Plus, it’s just fun to switch things up with some weights.
I ordered these fun pink weights on Amazon, and I absolutely love them (yes, I intentionally made sure I ordered pink weights, because I’m that girl…)
**Note: This is an affiliate link, meaning I make a small commission if you decide to purchase these pink weights. Just know I use (and love!) these weights.
You can also check out these weights, if pink isn’t really your thing:
6) Know your workout days and STICK TO IT
Another key to working out at home effectively has been having somewhat of a routine.
I know I said earlier that one of the benefits of working out at home is that you DON’T have to have a routine and you can workout whenever, but there’s a balance.
Personally, when I’m bargaining with myself about WHEN I’m going to workout, I often end up skipping my workout.
For example, I’ll let myself skip a Wednesday, telling myself I’ll make up for it Saturday, and then something comes up Saturday and I never get to it.
You don’t have to workout 5 days/week, but I’ve really found knowing the weekdays are my workout days helps me stick to it, especially considering it’s easy for something to come up on the weekend that takes priority over working out.
7) Exercise in the morning
Again, you don’t NEED a set routine, and you should always do what works best for you..
BUTTTTT
Getting your workout done first thing decreases the chances that you’ll skip it later in the day.
Later in the day, you could be tired, you might develop a headache, a friend might ask you out to dinner, you might get caught up with work…
So much can happen throughout the day that I really like knowing my workout is done, and I don’t have to worry about it later.
Having said that, on days where you can’t fit it in in the morning, it’s not a big deal when you workout at home because you can just do it later.
Convenient, right?
At the end of the day, how you workout will always vary from person to person.
For some, going to the gym is a great release.
For others, working out at home gives them comfort and convenience.
For me, I tend to fit into that second category.
Determine how YOU like to workout, and do workouts you actually enjoy.
Trust me, if you’re completely hating the workout process, there’s a good chance you’re not going to stick with it, and you’re not going to see the results that you both want and you deserve.
I hope some of these workout at home tips have helped inspire you to start taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle. Like I said, I’m not always the healthiest person, but everyday that I do my home workout routine, I feel healthier and stronger, and that’s what matters most!
If you found this post helpful and want to save it for later, feel free to use this image on Pinterest. It’s always appreciated.
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