Have you been a couch potato for far too long or wish you could fit more exercise into your lifestyle? There are so many ways to get started again from walking a couple of times a week to hiring a personal trainer. Yet, so many things can get in the way of starting. The biggest obstacle being time. After a long day at work, it can be tough heading to the gym.
If you're not a morning person, waking up even earlier to get to the gym is not an option either. Once you make it home, you may want to spend quality time with your family. When can you possibly fit in a workout? There is a solution for people in a time-crunch that doesn't involve monthly gym fees, can be done right at home, and get you results.
All that is required is a small space to workout, dvd player, and television. You guessed right, home fitness programs on dvd. You may think, I won't have motivation to work out at home. I used to think the same way. I belonged to a gym and went about 3 days a week on average.
Now I workout 5 to 6 days a week from home. It saves me money and I'm still getting a very good workout. Here's how you can start:
- Choose several good fitness programs on dvd (click here for excellent programs)
- Build a library of various programs for variety.
- Choose one to start with and stick with it for 30 days or longer.
- Log your workouts into a calendar.
- Log your progress (starting weight, measurements, end weight, etc.)
Why Build a Library of Programs?
I recommend building a library of fitness programs over time so that you can change up your routines. It prevents boredom and gives you options of workouts in between other workouts you may like doing (walking, swimming, etc.)
Why 30 Days or Longer?
I say stick with a program for at least 30 days because by the time you have reached day 30, exercise should be a healthy habit that you don't think twice about doing.
How Will You Fit In Working Out at Home?
This is the easy part. You can workout when you want because you are at home. You can wait until everyone is asleep. You can workout as soon as you make it home - it's all about flexibility and home fitness provides that.
Why Log Everything?
This makes it easy to look back on all of your hard work. You can track how much weight you've lost, how often you exercise, how strong you've become, etc.
I started out using a program called Power 90. I stuck with it for the entire 90 days and moved on to other programs. I still use it in my workout routines.
Will exercising at home work for everyone? Maybe not but it's worth a try. If it gets you to bring exercise back into your life then it is a success!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
20 days is how long the body needs to make a routine of something, do anything consistently for 20 days and your body and brain will want to keep doing it.
I personally started out with Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo myself. I saw his first VHS set at a store more than a decade ago and just tried it out at a whim. Honestly really great stuff back then. I went to buy several fitness books, a couple of dumbells, and the rest is history!