Outfitting yourself with home gym staples expands your workout options. You don’t need much– maybe a yoga mat and some weights (see our recommendations here).
Adding variety to your fitness routine is essential.
If you’re doing a single repetitive-movement workout like spinning, rowing or running multiple days per week, you’re at high risk of an overuse injury. Cardio is a great way to burn calories, but you’ll want to add a couple workouts per week that get your body moving in new ways. It’s important to strengthen muscles evenly throughout your body, particularly for cardio-focused individuals. Sprinkle in some Pilates, yoga, or a HIIT workout in-between sessions.
You can do all the exercises that you feel awkward doing in public.
We’ve all felt awkward at the gym at one point or another. Maybe there’s an exercise we want to do that just feels a little too… hip thrustey… for public. Or maybe the exercise is innocent enough, but we just feel watched. On days like this it’s great to know we have options at home. We can do whatever we feel comfortable with at the gym and go home to knock out the weird stuff.
If you go to a boutique fitness class like Spinning, Crossfit, OrangeTheory, Barry’s Bootcamp etc you’re probably not doing enough mobility work.
Pilates is one of the few fitness modalities that incorporates mobility within the workout. Most group fitness classes don’t do this. More often than not, mobility is glossed over at the start or end of the workout, and it’s rare you’re in the mood to tack on an extra 15 minutes of stretching when you’re ready to go home. But mobility is a critical part of fitness. Supplementing your gym routine with mobility sessions at home will do you a world of good.
There will always be days when you can’t make it to the gym
If you’re struggling to get to the gym for your workouts you may have better luck at home. At the very least, you’ll be providing yourself with options to maximize your chances of success. On days when the weather is bad, you’re up to your ears in work, or you’re just not feeling motivated, picking up a 5lb weight and doing a couple curls might be enough to get you going.
Exercising while sick can help you feel better
As long as you don’t have a fever, chest congestion, a hacking cough or upset stomach, working out can actually help you feel better. The Mayo Clinic writes that exercising with a cold can help open your nasal passages and relieve congestion. If you’re feeling unwell, don’t go to the gym and spread your germs– opt for a home workout instead. Just make sure you’re getting plenty of rest and staying hydrated.
You’ll get more out of your workout if you sprinkle 5 minute exercise breaks throughout your day
A 2022 study was published in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal saying you may not see the full health benefits of your daily workout if you sit for the rest of the day. You can read our summary of the study here, but the TLDR is you need to get up and move around about once an hour to reap all the benefits of your workout. It’s not healthy to sit all day.
Leaving the house for a walk around the block seems excessive, especially if you’re in the zone. We recommend setting an hourly alarm to do a 5 minute workout offered by your favorite fitness app. You can just tip yourself off your chair, onto the reformer or mat, and be back online in 5 minutes 30 seconds.