How to Keep Fit at Home

Keeping yourself fit at home doesn’t require expensive treadmills and exercise bikes; exercise physiologist Christopher Travers suggests you can use just your body instead to do it.

Try switching up leg and arm exercises such as squats, half press-ups and tricep dips for an effective, quick workout. Alternating walking and stair climbing may also prove useful.

Get Up and Around

Working from home offers many advantages, including being able to achieve fitness without going to a gym. But it may be challenging balancing between relaxing after work and feeling strong and fit.

One simple way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine is by making sure to move more. Even simple movements like walking up and down stairs or making circuits around the home (or, if you’re feeling daring enough, outside) can increase physical movement and help build fitness.

Walk

Brisk walking can be an excellent way to burn calories. Start by timing how long it takes you to cover one mile, then work on increasing both speed and distance over time.

Walking safely is ideal, and keeping a consistent schedule may help. A walking companion or accountability partner could also prove invaluable.

Make time for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week – approximately 30 minutes each day – using a pedometer as a reminder. Keep things interesting by listening to music or speaking to friends on the phone while working out; or trying “exergames,” which simulate activities like dancing, skateboarding, bowling and soccer.

Work on New Skills

Acquiring and mastering new skills is a surefire way to increase productivity while working from home. Learning something new may seem intimidating at first, so breaking it into manageable chunks is key for meeting your goals successfully.

Start off slowly by learning a few fundamental steps and expanding from there. Sequencing can also help with retention and will activate the analytical side of your brain.

Find someone with experience in the skill you want to acquire and ask them to become your mentor, so they can guide and mentor you throughout this process.

Work on Muscle Groups

Although people are skipping gym visits during a pandemic, exercise should continue regardless. Exercise offers numerous advantages like increasing immunity and endorphin levels as well as relieving stress.

Working different muscle groups together can keep workouts more engaging. For instance, a three-day split might include chest and triceps on day 1, back and shoulders on day 2 and legs on day 3.

Muscle grouping helps ensure certain muscles get sufficient rest throughout the week. With over 600 muscles to choose from, knowing which ones belong where can make planning and executing strength training workouts much simpler.

Stay Consistent

Without an established exercise routine in place, it can be easy to become sidetracked or miss out altogether. A fitness journal, daily planner or productivity app on your phone can be invaluable in keeping track of progress and remaining consistent.

Make time in your day that works best for you and try to adhere to it as best you can. This could mean scheduling morning exercises right when you wake up, or setting an alarm at the same time every night so it becomes part of your daily routine.

Find an accountability partner so that you can text or call each other to check in regularly on each other’s fitness progress. This could be someone at the gym or someone you meet up with regularly over coffee to talk about fitness goals and stay accountable to each other.

Stay Motivated

Staying motivated means setting an exercise schedule and sticking with it – whether this means working out with friends or signing up for group classes at your local leisure center.

Ennis-Hill suggests keeping a diary of your exercise regimen and recording progress to keep on track and stay motivated. “This can be an immense source of motivation,” she adds.

Reward yourself when achieving fitness goals to keep yourself motivated. For instance, if your aim is to walk after work every evening and you reach this milestone, treat yourself to something when that goal has been reached, such as coffee with friends or something new like sneakers.