Working Out at Home

With a new year comes a new rush of resolutions for personal betterment. Whether its cutting out that longtime vice or a push to do more positive activities, our New Years Resolutions reflect personal goals and the things we think we can do better. 

Common among such resolutions is the desire to exercise more. Some are looking to lose weight, some maybe just want to get into better shape, and still others may just be looking be less sedentary. With Covid still present, some of the resources typically used to achieve health goals might be inaccessible. Here we review some cost-effective tips for keeping up a good workout routine at home.

Calisthenics

Calisthenics are the kinds of exercises that rely on the individuals body weight and do not need any substantial equipment. You will probably recognize many calisthenics exercises: jump squats, pushups, crunches, and burpees. These can be comfortably performed in-home with a number of reps appropriate for your workout. With a crossbar or nearby surfaces, chin-ups, pull-ups, and dips can be added if desired. Check out this site for demonstrations and tips of calisthenic exercises:

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/calisthenics

Yoga

Yoga has become one of the most popular workout routines in recent years. Using a spectrum of stretches and poses, Yoga seeks to improve strength, balance, and flexibility. Since it relies on one’s own space and movement, Yoga can easily be picked up by anyone looking to try something new at home. While in-person classes may be the ideal setting, there are many free class sessions on Youtube, and paid services like Amazon Prime also have video routines. Try some other but different types of low-impact exercise, like Tai Chi, and discover what your prefer.  Check out this free 45-minute Yoga session from Youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjq1U8oWvHc

Stick to a Schedule and Set Goals

No matter what workout routine you pick, it is important to stick to it. When given the choice throughout the week to workout or not, it is easy to pick the latter. By setting aside specific times for exercise, we can check ourselves and recognize when we falter in reaching our goals. Whether its something small, like doing push ups first thing in the morning, or something bigger, like doing cardio everyday after work, setting and keeping such agendas will keep us on the right path. 

Be Creative and Have Fun

It is all too typical for our resolutions to be forgotten just months, if not weeks, into the new year. With work, family, and friends, creating a new standard is always difficult. By taking up habits that not just healthy but also fun, staying healthy will become much less of a chore. Don’t have weights at home? Use milk jugs as cheap alternatives. Too cold to run outside? Do some jumping jacks to get your heart rate up. Getting bogged down in repetition? Try a new sport or activity. It is up to us to keep up the needed effort. 

What are your favorite home workouts? How do you stay in shape, especially in the winter?