How to Work Out at Home

24 November, 2016

Fitness

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You can make a huge difference to your general health and fitness with just 30 minutes of exercise every day, but other factors can get in the way of keeping to a regular schedule. Motivation can drop off after a few weeks or months, especially if your gym is more than a few minutes away, and the dark winter evenings can make it difficult for keen fitness runners and walkers to get their exercise in, especially if the weather is poor too. Gym equipment for the home is either impractical or too expensive for most of us, and it’s easy to simply give up until the weather picks up and the lighter evenings return.

However, all you need for an effective home workout is you. You might need a little help from a table or from the sofa, but the most important piece of equipment is your own body. Be careful to warm up first with some stretches, and a gentle walk or jog on the spot – just because the workout isn’t in a gym, it doesn’t mean that you won’t hurt yourself if you don’t treat your body kindly.

Your most valuable piece of cardio equipment is your staircase; you probably walk up and down it countless times a day without even registering what you’re doing, but if you put it to work, it can be as valuable as the treadmill at the gym. Whether you choose to walk or run up and down the stairs will depend on your level of fitness and also your level of stability – start with 10 repetitions, then take a short break, and then 10 more. If it’s safe to do so, you could even miss out steps to make your workout even harder.

If you have good upper body strength, you will be able to do push ups and sit ups at home. However, if you’re not at the level of fitness yet where this is an option, you can do weight work quite easily at home – you don’t even need a set of dumbbells (although this is something you might wish to purchase further along the line). The next time you go to the supermarket, buy your milk in the four pint containers and save them when they’re empty. Filled with water or sand, they make effective weights. If you need something a little heavier, stuff a backpack with tinned food – you could even wear that to make your stair workout harder if it’s getting a little too easy!

Even more experienced athletes will pick up an injury from time to time, and if it persists for longer than expected, you will want to seek medical assistance, especially if it is preventing you from exercising, or even going about your day to day life. A quick solution is to book an MRI scan in Chelsea, so that you can find out what treatment and physiotherapy you might need at a time that is convenient for you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a professional athlete, or just trying to stay fit – you are equally important to your specialist in terms of your physical wellbeing.

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About Paul Stainthorpe

Running has been part of my life since 2011. While growing up I hated running and would do anything to avoid it at school. Give me a ball and a racket any day. It’s funny how some things change. I run for good. In 2012 I ran the 12 Days of Christmas for the Percy Hedley Foundation. In 2013 I attempted (with friend Lee Nyland), the 12 parkruns of Christmas for the Tiny Lives Trust.