It’s a new year, and we all know what that means — resolutions. Some people try to eat healthier, save money, read more often, or learn something new. And after all the holiday binge eating, it’s no surprise that getting more exercise is one of the top 3 most common resolutions for the new year.
Working out at home can be a great option to save money, save time, and get some much-needed alone time during a busy day. But getting started is tough when there’s a fresh new series on Netflix and pizza rolls in the oven. To help you get started, here are four of our favorite at-home workouts for any lifestyle.
(By the way, you should always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.)
1. Try a yoga video tutorial
Good news: it turns out you don’t need $200 leggings or a fancy studio to try yoga. And yoga is great for improving your balance, strengthening your core, and de-stressing at the end of a busy day. It’s also awesome for people who are stiff from being on their feet all day, or for people who have anxiety. Going to a structured class at a yoga studio can be great, but it also takes time and costs money. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to do yoga from the comfort of your living room.
YouTube yoga tutorials are our favorite way to do yoga at home. Learning poses on your own without an instructor can be tricky, but these videos can help. Several different YouTube channels such as POPSUGAR Fitness, SarahBethYoga, and Yoga With Adrienne offer videos. Whether you need a difficult routine for core strength, or something calming for stress, there’s probably an option that will work for you. You can even do these from a hotel room if you’re traveling for work or on vacation.
2. Go for a run
We think running is the absolute WORST, but science says it’s a great way to stay in shape and feel good, so it might just be the perfect exercise to try this year. Need help staying motivated? Free running apps like RunKeeper, MapMyRun, or Nike+ allow you to map out your runs, set goals, and share with your friends. Running is also a good way to get some alone time during the day to de-stress.
Not a solo-running type? Local running clubs often do free group runs on weekends! These are perfect for meeting running buddies and staying motivated.
3. Work on your abs
If there’s one thing we hate even more than running, it’s an ab workout. You can feel the burn before you’ve even started. Buuuuut we guess they’re important, and just like yoga, at-home ab workouts can be done with nothing more than a mat and your body weight. Whether you’re on the go, trying to save money, or just need to squeeze in a quick workout, body-weight ab exercises are a great way to stay in shape. Mountain-climbers, sit-ups, and bicycle crunches are a great place to start, and thankfully, there are helpful fitness resources online to get you started.
4. Give HIIT a try!
HIIT is short for “high-intensity interval training.” It crams a bunch of body-weight exercises into short intervals of time. Repeating these intervals over and over can help build core strength, work on your cardio, and help you fit a tough workout into a short amount of time. There are a ton of exercises you can use like jumping jacks, sprints, sumo squats and push-ups, and they can all be mixed to work on specific muscle groups.
If you need some guidance, here are three easy HIIT workouts to get you started. They incorporate great exercises like jabs, squats, dips, sprints, and sit-ups into complete, well-rounded workouts. One important thing to remember: work at your own pace! These can be tough, so don’t push yourself too hard. Getting injured will set you back much further than progressing at your own pace will! Just keep a positive attitude and an open mind.
Find a balance that works for you
The most important thing to remember when getting started with these at-home workouts is to find a healthy balance that fits your lifestyle. Finding the right mix is the best way to add some variety to your exercise routine and work on different parts of your fitness. Maybe your routine is yoga twice a week and running three times a week. Maybe it’s HIIT and a slow jog twice a week. It could even just be two or three easy yoga workouts every week to relax. It’s important to keep things interesting so your routine doesn’t become boring. Have fun, and don’t forget to stretch!
