Over the past few decades, working out in a gym has been the exercise fad. They are great places to get in shape, meet people and enjoy some time alone from your family. However, gym memberships can be expensive, they may not be close to your home or workplace, or your schedule just does not allow the extra free time. All are good reasons and the best one is that going to a gym may not be seen as a valuable experience when you think your body’s shape is not at optimum levels.
There is some good news, though. You can exercise at home and get your body in shape. This has been done for centuries before the advent of gyms. This option is also a practical method to use as you can save a lot of money. The key is to be motivated and remain disciplined. To find out how to exercise at home, just continue to read our article. It has the information that guides you to being healthier and exercising while you are at home.
What Was Done Before The Gym Era?
 |
 |
Believe it or not, working out or exercising at home is not a new idea. Back in the 1950 to 80s, there were a lot of exercise programs on television. People got into shape in the privacy of their own homes. Then the 80s hit and exercise videos were all the rage. Celebrities like Jane Fonda and others put out more exercise videos than could be watched in a month. This time both men and women bought these different videos and made sure they looked good before going to the beach. Then the 90s came and working out in a professional gym was very popular and has remained so for 30 years.
This brief history tells you that it is possible to exercise at home and be successful at doing it. Your exercise routine at home can be done with equipment or without equipment. It is up to you and you can mix them up if you want. The key is to find different exercises that will benefit your body and health.
Exercise At Home
 |
 |
When you exercise at home, you will not have a personal trainer, or a gym employee motivating you to push yourself to achieve your goals. You have to be the one motivating yourself to get a better-looking, more physically fit, and healthier you.
You need to include a few essential exercises so that the time you devote to getting fit is successful and worth the effort. Those essentials are:
1. A Warm-Up Exercise
You need to loosen up those muscles so you can perform your exercises better and get the full benefit from them. Stretching is good and it protects your ligaments and muscles from injury. Or you can walk on a treadmill, etc.
2. Do A Cardiovascular Exercise
Keeping your heart in shape is essential to exercise and goal success. The healthier your heart, the more you can exercise at home.
3. Add-In Resistance Training
All resistance training comprises is lifting weights, using resistance elastic bands, and other exercises that have you moving some force or weight. Squats and push-ups would work here as well.
4. Do Flexibility Exercises
These can include yoga poses, more stretching, or other exercises that keep your body flexible.
5. Have A Cool Down Time
The exercise routine for this can be the same as the ones you do for your warm-up. The key to your exercise time is not to go over your limits. You want to get fit, not hurt yourself. To find the right pace for you and only do those exercises that you are ready to handle.
Basic Outline For Exercising At Home
 |
 |
Here is a general outline to follow when it is time to put the details of your exercise routine together:
1. Pick Your Exercise Style
You can choose any types of exercises such as aerobic, stretching, balance, and strength exercise.
2. Pick Up To 10 Exercises
These can be different on different days.
3. Choose How Long You Will Do Each Exercise
This can be done in minutes or some reps, but each exercise should limit it.
4. Prepare For The Exercise Routine
How you do this is up to you as you can use a stopwatch, timer, favorite music, television show, and make sure to start your routine with a warm-up.
5. Do Your Different Exercises
Different exercises can be either with equipment or without equipment but do one set if you are a beginner. If you are more advanced you can increase the number of sets to fit your training and fitness level.
6. Do Your Cool Down
An important part of your exercise is a cool down to transition your body to a resting state.
How To Structure Your Exercise Time
 |
 |
This is almost as vital as doing the exercises themselves. You have to structure your exercise time to fit your schedule as well as keep you interested in doing those exercises. If you don’t keep it interesting, you can get bored and lose motivation before ultimately ending those at-home sessions.
1. Be Flexible
This is the key to keeping your exercise routine interesting. You do not have to do the same exercises every day. You can customize your workouts so that you do squats and push-ups one day, weight training another.
2. Mix Up Your Routine
Not just with exercises but in the periods you do them. For example, you can do 45 minutes on a stationary bike one session and the next switch it up to something more difficult for 25 minutes.
3. Customize Your Workouts
This is where you find the different exercises you enjoy the most and fit them in with other exercises you do not care for but need to do. That will make your exercise time more fun and you can look forward to those times instead of dreading them.
4. With Equipment Or Without Equipment
That is one of the good aspects of exercising at home. You do not have to own a lot of professional workout equipment to get into shape. Some of the best exercises are done without equipment and that can save you some money.
5. Set A Schedule
You should exercise at home regularly but if you miss a day do not worry. Just make up for the missed time on another day or do a little extra work out on a regularly scheduled time.
Setting a schedule helps you remain disciplined and helps you find the right times to exercise at home. You can change the schedule from month to month when one time is not working out for you.
Exercises You Can Do
 |
 |
Finding the right exercises for you can take a little time. Some are for more advanced exercise students and others are for beginners. There are three categories these exercises fall into with equipment and without equipment. Tailor your exercise routine to utilize both.
1. Exercises Without Equipment
These are some of the basic exercises without equipment that you can do at home. There are lots to choose from including sit-ups, squats, deep knee bends, push-ups, steps, walking around the house or yard, running on the spot, jumping jacks, and many more.
2. Exercising With Equipment
This category also has a lot of different exercises you can do. Ride your bike for 30 minutes, ride a stationary bike, use a treadmill, do chin-ups with a chin-up bar, lift weights, use a weight bench or inclined bench for exercises without equipment, buy a small or regular size trampoline, and so on.
3. Play Games Or Sports
While this may fit under exercise with equipment, it is a different style of exercise. When you are at home, you can play basketball in your driveway, play catch with your children, play with your dog, hit a tennis ball against the garage door or wall of your house, set up a tetherball pole, and hit it for half an hour and so on.
No matter which way you go, your exercise routine can be filled with just those exercises from one category or have a mixture of them to keep your exercise routine exciting and interesting. Just make sure not to go too far and over-extend your exercises and hurt yourself. Sprains can happen if you do not do a proper warm-up before you start.
Where To Go To Getting Exercise Help
 |
 |
They say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, you can get help with your exercise routines at home without leaving your home or calling in a friend. Here are two ways to get help for your exercise goals:
1. Buy Workout Videos
While these were big in the last century, they have never gone away. You can still purchase different exercise videos to match your age group when you exercise at home.
2. Go Online
Instead of using your television to watch exercise programs, you can use your computer today and find plenty of online videos that will help motivate and encourage you. There are both pay-as-you-go and free workout websites to follow.
Recent Posts
Mobility is a crucial component of physical fitness and overall health. Optimal mobility means you can move your body freely and confidently through its full range of motion without discomfort or...
Ruthless Mobility: Fitness Education Presentation Ruthless Mobility is a six-hour fitness education presentation that teaches you the latest techniques to help increase mobility, the science behind...