Most of us are all-too-aware of the current health pandemic. However, there’s another pandemic going on, one that’s entirely unrelated to Covid 19. Did you know almost 74% of Americans are overweight or obese?
Many of us have sedentary jobs paired with sedentary lifestyles. When you add unhealthy diets into the mix, it’s a guaranteed recipe for weight gain.
But what if your only option for exercise is working out at home? What if you hate gyms or can’t afford a membership?
That’s okay! You can get great results working out from the comfort of your house. Follow these home exercise tips to get the best results.
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Define Your Goals
One of the most important exercising tips is knowing why you’re putting in the effort. The “why“ is what drives us.
What are your fitness goals? Why do you want to work out and commit to an exercise routine?
Do you want to lose weight and build muscle mass? Are you looking to improve your performance in sports? Maybe you just want to be healthier so you can run around with your kids without running out of breath?
Define your goals using the SMART method. SMART stands for
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Creating SMART goals helps you stay more accountable and gives you something practical, yet challenging to strive towards.
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Design a Program
Once you know what your goals are, you can create a program (or find one online) designed to accomplish them. For example, if your goal is to lose fat and build lean muscle mass, you have several options.
However, the program you create also depends on your available resources. Are you planning on investing in exercise equipment? What is your overall budget?
Fortunately, workout out at home doesn’t require spending money on machines, dumbbells, or squat racks. If you can’t afford any equipment, there are plenty of resistance and cardiovascular exercises you can do with just your bodyweight.
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Prioritize Your Workouts
Losing weight and building muscle requires hard work and consistency. You can’t expect to lose weight if you only watch your diet a few days out of the week. Furthermore, you won’t build much muscle if you’re constantly skipping workouts.
Make your workout a priority. If you find you’re too tired after work and tend to skip your workout, wake up early and do it before work. Waking up early is a sacrifice you might have to make.
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Create a Proper Workout Space
Finding inspiration to work out can be difficult in the best conditions. Working out at home can be even more challenging.
There are always dozens of other things demanding your attention. It could be kids, pets, chores, or spouses. Maybe the couch and TV look way more appealing than your treadmill.
One of the most important home exercise tips is to create a proper workout space. It can alleviate some of these issues and inspire you to work out while limiting other distractions. When you’re in your workout area, you need to be in the zone.
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Invest in the Necessary Equipment
Depending on your budget, creating your workout space might include purchasing the necessary exercise equipment. If your budget is limited, that’s okay. You can accomplish a lot with limited equipment.
If one of your major goals is building muscle, we recommend investing in a barbell and plates. This single piece of equipment is incredibly versatile. You can do multiple exercises for each muscle group with just a barbell.
However, if losing weight is your top priority, you may want to look into a treadmill, bike, or elliptical. Additionally, check out Maxx O2, the maximum oxygen delivery system designed to enhance workout performance. Maxx O2 is also an oxygen therapy system that can help reduce inflammation.
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Consider Hiring a Personal Trainer
If you don’t know what you’re doing, one of the most practical home exercise tips is to hire a personal trainer. They can come to your home or guide you through your workout online. They can help you understand the basics of working out, such as:
- Proper form
- What exercises work which muscle groups
- Programming
- Warming up
- Cooling down
- And more
If you can’t afford to hire a personal trainer, there are a lot of good tutorial videos online. Just make sure you know what you’re doing and making safety a top priority.
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Limit Distractions
When working out at home, you’re vulnerable to way more distractions than when you’re at the gym. At the gym, people come there specifically to workout, mind their business, and go home.
At home, however, you have other household members who will want your attention. Try to set boundaries with your kids and your significant other when it comes to your workout time. Explain how important your goals are to you.
You can also limit distractions by:
- Turning off notifications on your phone
- Leaving the TV off
- Putting in headphones
- Shutting the door to your workout space
Alternatively, you can invite the other people in your household to join you for your workout. Working out with others can be a powerful motivator.
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Listen to Music
Listening to music is one of the most effective ways to get in the mood to workout. It allows you to drown out all the other things going on and focus on the task at hand.
Furthermore, finding the right playlist inspires you to work harder. It puts you in the right mindset for running, lifting weights, doing pushups, etc.
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Don’t Neglect Your Diet
One of the most vital home exercise tips is remembering the importance of nutrition. A proper diet is paramount for meeting your fitness goals, whether you’re losing weight, building muscle, or both.
For example, if you’re running and lifting weights like a fiend but still eating pizza every night, you’re unlikely to lose weight. Similarly, if you’re not eating enough, your body won’t have enough fuel to increase your muscle mass and strength.
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Keep Things Interesting
Consistency is important in exercising. Doing the same workout for several weeks will allow you to progress and monitor your results accurately. For example, if you do 3 sets of 20 pushups in your workout one week, you should aim for 3 sets of 25 the next.
However, to maintain your enthusiasm for working out, you need to keep things interesting. This means changing things up every one to two months so you don’t get bored doing the same thing over and over again.
Try different exercises, different programs, different workout styles, and more.
Looking for More Home Exercise Tips?
Working out at home can be just as effective as working out at a gym. Remember of course, that your success depends on your goals, your resources, and your dedication.
And if you’re looking for more home exercise tips, we have more content for you. Check out some of our other articles while you’re here for more health and fitness advice. Our blog was created to help people like you live happy, healthy lives.
