Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Prepare for home workout
• Part 2 of 3: Use your environment
• Part 3 of 3: Use DVDs or games for inspiration
• Tips

Exercising at home has many advantages. Not only does it save you the time it would otherwise take to drive to the gym, it also saves you a lot of money that you would otherwise spend on a membership. If you want to get fit, read the following essential tips for exercising at home and you will see results.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Prepare for home workout

1. Make a plan. It's easier to stick to your workout if you have a consistent routine. Ideally, your training should be conducted as consistently as possible so that you and your family take training sessions seriously.
   • Select specific days and times for your workout (e.g. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:00 AM).
   • Choose the most suitable place in the house for doing the exercises. Make sure you have enough space, without objects that can get in the way.
   • Stay disciplined. Don't lounge around just because you're home.
2. Avoid distractions. Try to exercise when no one is home, or you don't have to do more than maybe the dishes or the laundry, etc.
   • It is not helpful to compete with the rest of the family when it comes to space and daily activities; and young children love to climb on top of someone who is just doing push-ups and sit-ups.
   • If you have specific chores that you have yet to do, you may be using them to avoid training or to stop earlier than intended.
3. Make it a ritual. Put on music and dress appropriately for exercise when you start your workout of the day.
   • Motivational music can help you get into the right frame of mind - determined and with adrenaline in your blood.
   • If you prepare yourself for your workout as if you were going to the gym, you will be more motivated for the workout and it will be a lot better in the end. You will find yourself feeling guilty when you sit on the couch, all ready and dressed for training, watching TV instead of working out hard.
4. Drink lots of water. Have a bottle of water with you at all times, even when you are at home. Do not assume that you will pour yourself a glass of water when you are thirsty, because you may forget this, or you don't feel like it, or your body confuses it with hunger.
   • Sufficient fluid is essential for a good workout. It replenishes all that moisture you lose through sweating and helps maintain your energy balance.
   • An excellent time to drink some water is during the interval between sets. For example, if you are doing 2 sets of 20 squats, have some water after the first set of 20 and after the last set.
5. Have a healthy diet. It is very important to maintain a healthy diet once you have started exercising. Eat a healthy snack at least 45 minutes before your session starts so that you have enough energy to sustain the workout.
   • Stick to food groups that contain carbohydrates and proteins to make healthy snacks. An example is peanut butter toast.
     • This is just a snack, not a meal ... don't forget! If you plan to exercise after a main meal, give yourself about two hours to make sure the food has been digested enough.
6. See if stretching is right for you. Some athletes say that stretching before a workout is a great way to loosen up muscles and prevent injury. But there are also many others who oppose this and find that stretching does not reduce the risk of injury at all. The point here is that you listen carefully to your body.
   • If you feel that you are flexible and able to do the different exercises without complications, then you can continue without stretching.
   • If you notice that your body is stiff and unwilling to cooperate, you can try doing some stretching exercises to warm up your muscles.

Part 2 of 3: Use your environment

1. Your home has a lot of potential to put together a great cardio workout. Running isn't the only fitness workout out there, and you really don't need a StairMaster if you already have stairs anyway.
   • Walk or run up and down the stairs depending on what you want to achieve. You can also do step-ups with the bottom step.
   • Do several sets of jumping jacks or jump rope in the backyard or in a large room where the ceiling is high enough.
2. Start strength training. Here too you can be creative with what your home offers. Walls, floors and furniture are great tools for comprehensive strength training. There are various options for training in and around your home.
   • Use the floor for push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and the plank.
   • If you don't have enough floor space, use the wall for squats. You can also use the wall for standing push-ups to do wall push-ups with your feet three feet away from the wall. Move closer or further away to vary the intensity. Also play with the distance between your hands to target different muscle groups.
3. Use the various pieces of furniture in the house to train with. Be creative.
   • Use an exercise ball for push-ups, crunches, or core strengthening.
   • A chair can be used for doing dips for your triceps.
   • Place the ends of a broomstick over two sturdy, equal-sized chairs for pull-ups from a reclining position.
4. Practice yoga. You can easily do yoga at home because you only need a floor and a mat. Yoga can be great for light cardio or for relaxing and stretching your muscles after a workout. It often calms you down and calms your mind.
   • The sun salutation is great to add to your training schedule and to boost your fitness while helping you to balance mentally at the same time.
   • The downward dog position makes you more flexible and strengthens the back muscles.
   • The chair pose increases the balance in your core and makes the thigh muscles firmer.

Part 3 of 3: Use DVDs or games for inspiration

1. Workout DVDs. If you are just starting to train and you don't know all the exercises and postures yet, try a DVD with exercises that explains how to do the different exercises with video material.
   • DVDs are useful for training and motivating yourself. In addition, some even contain set routines that you can follow.
   • Once you are familiar with the different exercises, you can apply them in your own schedule.
2. Use television to your advantage. If you find that you prefer to watch your favorite TV show rather than exercise, try combining the two with the following workout game.
   • List things that often appear on your favorite TV show and combine them with an exercise. Every time something from the list happens on TV, do the corresponding exercise.

Tips

• Eat healthy and drink plenty of water to maintain sufficient energy.
• Start simple. Do not immediately plunge into an extensive workout.
• Always warm up before resuming the workout and cool down before stopping. Take time for your workout or you risk injury.
• Don't rush your workout just because you're at home. If you feel your routine is taking too long, adjust it so that it is shorter but just as effective.