As COVID continues to put a pause on ‘normal life’ many of us are still stuck doing workouts at home. Not only is it getting harder to find the motivation to start working out, but also to keep working out when you don’t have others around you to provide that extra push. SO, here are some tips for recreate parts of the in-the-gym-experience at home and hopefully helping you amp up the motivation factor!
Tip 1: Set the Stage
Get your space ready for a workout! Clear the floor, have your equipment, water bottle, and sweat rag ready, turn on the lights and open the shades. Try to make your home studio space (even if it’s the corner of your living room) as bright, cheery, and spacious as possible.
Tip 2: Commit to Following Along with a Live Class
There are so many gyms, including ours, offering virtual fitness classes right now. Virtual workout options include: CrossFit, HIIT, Cycling, Body Pump, Boot Camp, Yoga and more. Because so many gyms, all over the world, are offering virtual options, it’s easy to find a class at any time of day, so do some Googling and find a few you’d like to try.
Tip 3: Create a Weekly Workout Schedule
Research and pre-select your class times. Choose workout styles you enjoy and start with shorter class options. This will make it seem less daunting and a little more fun!
Tip 4: Stream your Workout on the Largest Device Possible
Before class starts, make sure you’ve got your tablet, computer, or smart tv charged and ready to stream. The bigger the screen, the better! You will be able to see more and interact more! If possible, choose classes that allow students to leave their mics and cameras on as this is likely to spark conversation between attendees and makes it feel more like you are chatting with your friends at the gym. Mics and cameras on also lets you and the coach encourage others and better gauge where you are in relation to other attendees, which helps with the ‘push’. Look for gyms offering Zoom classes as attending with your mic and camera is not an option if you stream a class on Facebook or Instagram.
Tip 5: Log in On Time and Don’t Log Out Early
When you choose to attend a live class, log in on time so you get the maximum benefit of the class. There will likely be a warm-up in the beginning and a cool down at the end. Participating in these will not only make your body feel looser and your workout hurt less, but also provide an easy time to socialize, something you are likely missing being out of the physical gym.
Tip 6: Crank Up the Tunes
Music has been shown to help keep you motivated when exercising so take the time to curate a playlist you know will get you hyped. Even if you are following along with a live class, having music in the background helps set the mood and keep you going when you might want to stop. Spotify has lots of great options like “Mood Booster” or “Motivation Workout” to help inspire your choices.
Tip7: Invite a Friend to Join You
Fitness with friend has never been easier. You don’t even have to meet up to get in a workout together. And let’s face it, fitness is more fun with friends, period, so call your bestie and hop in a virtual class with him/her, or maybe even invite him/her to do the home workout at your house with you (socially distanced or outside of course). Working out with a friend could be valuable for equipment reasons too!