Are you interested in how to get started exercising at home?
You may be a seasoned gym-goer who is tired of the long commutes, expensive membership fees, or someone who just wants to be able to work out in the comfort of your own home.
Or maybe you’re new to fitness and want to get started in the most convenient way possible!
No matter what stage you’re at in your fitness journey, we’ve put together a complete guide to teach you how to get started exercising at home.
How to Get Started Exercising at Home
Contents
Have a check-in with your general health and wellness
It’s recommended to speak with your doctor before embarking on any major fitness changes. This is especially important for people who have underlying medical conditions, are bouncing back from a recent injury, are pregnant, or a whole host of other concerns!
If you’re thinking about making a change and starting to exercise, whether it’s at home or elsewhere, check-in with your doctor to make sure that you aren’t pushing yourself. They may also be able to recommend specific workout plans that work better for your age, weight, or condition.
If you’ve already been working out in the past and are just making the switch to home workouts, you may have a good understanding of your health. So, this step may not apply to you.
Pick a dedicated workout spot
Some exercises can be done anywhere. You can do squats in front of the tv, or yoga on the bedroom floor. However, if you’re serious about learning how to get started exercising at home, you’ll want a dedicated workout spot.
Having a spot that’s meant for working out can help you get in the right headspace to push yourself. It will tell you that it’s time to leave your other business behind and stick the workout. Additionally, having a dedicated workout spot will make sure that you’re keeping your gear in one easy-to-find spot.
There’s nothing wrong with doing some workouts in front of a television or computer. In fact, it can help if you’re following along with a fitness program. So, if you find that you stay more easily inspired by a screen, you can set up your dedicated area near a television.
Picking your workout spot will depend on how much space you have. If you have a spare bedroom then you’re off to a perfect spot! However, you can always pick an area in another room, like a living room or basement area. You won’t need too much space.
Though, depending on the amount of exercise equipment you have or plan to buy, you may need to do some re-organizing.
Make sure that you have the right exercise attire
You don’t need fancy clothes to exercise. You can wear baggy sweatpants, a t-shirt, and socks if that’s what you feel comfortable in! Though, while you don’t need to spend a ton of extra money, you should make sure that you have exercise attire that will help keep you comfortable.
The basics will include comfortable sneakers, socks with breathable material, workout shorts and full-length pants for variability, and a comfortable t-shirt and tank tops. For ladies, investing in a well-fitting sports bra is also a must!
Letting yourself make excuses for your workouts can become easy if you don’t have clean clothes for it. So, we recommend having at least three different workout outfits so that you don’t have to rush to wash your clothes each time.
Think about your goals
Starting a new workout routine can be tough. If you’re swapping from the gym to home workouts, you have to re-consider your goals in order to decide how to approach working out from home.
You won’t need to alter your goals, though you may need to re-evaluate if they’re something that can be achieved from home exercising.
If you’re new to the fitness game, you’ll need to think about why you want to exercise more. Are you trying to lose weight? Build muscle? Improve your overall fitness? No matter what reason you have for working out, you’ll need to think about goal-setting.
Creating or adjusting goals will alter how you set up your fitness area and approach certain exercises. If you’re trying to train for a marathon, you’ll need to make sure that you have a treadmill.
However, if your goals are to get bigger muscles, you’ll have to make sure that you have the right weights or related equipment.
Having goals is also one of the first steps to fulfilling them! By having something to work toward, you’ll naturally feel more motivated and eager to figure out how to get started exercising at home.
Get your gear
There are hundreds of exercises that you can do without any fitness equipment. Stretching, yoga, sit-ups, push-ups, the list is endless.
If you’re trying to find a budget-friendly way to exercise, then you can find plenty of online tutorials. In this case, all you’ll really need is a comfortable fitness mat and space to workout.
If you are planning on buying some gear and equipment, make a list of all the things that you need or want before you buy them. You can check out our home gym essentials checklist here.
Your list will depend on your goals, which is why it’s important to figure out your goals before creating your setup. You’ll also need to have a good idea of how much space you have to work with before bringing in a ton of equipment.
Once you have all your gear, make sure that you know how to maintain it. Some things need to be cleaned or have parts replaced more frequently than others. So, ensure that you’re going to keep everything in great shape so that it doesn’t break or become unusable!
You can also set up your dedicated fitness space once you have all your gear. Being able to visualize your space will give you even more motivation to get started!
Make a plan
Now that you have a dedicated space filled with workout gear that you know will work for your goals, you can make a plan!
Creating a plan is all about picking a schedule and sticking to it. Take a look at your schedule and see where the best opportunities are for you to workout. This may be exercising in the morning, or perhaps it’s after work. When you make a change and start working out at home, you’ll want to make sure that you fall into a plan right away so that you don’t lose any motivation.
An important part of planning is recognizing that you may have setbacks. We all go into a fitness plan thinking that we’ll hit all of our target workouts and stay on track.
Some people may make it, but the majority of us will have setbacks along the way. Whether you find yourself extra busy at work, or busy with your family, or you could catch a cold, you never know when something can get in the way.
So, make sure that you have a plan-b or a game plan for when setbacks occur.
Do a check-in with your other lifestyle choices
Learning how to do exercise at home is an amazing step if you’re trying to make healthier life choices. You’ll be able to work out more and make it far more convenient.
Unfortunately, many people who embark on a new fitness journey forget to take a look at their other lifestyle choices that may be holding them back.
Some simple ways to check-in include making sure you’re drinking enough water, that you’re getting enough protein, and that you’re getting enough sleep. All these things have a significant impact on your ability to stay healthy. They can also directly impact your performance.
You don’t necessarily need to make any major changes before you begin your new routine. If you feel like they’re needed, you can always create plans for your other behaviours that go along with your fitness goals!
This may include goals for how much water you’re drinking before and after your workouts. Or, perhaps you want to create a new diet that will support your goals.
Do you feel ready now that you know how to get started exercising at home?
We hope that this complete guide has got you feeling more motivated than ever!
Remember, learning to make a significant adjustment in your fitness lifestyle can be a big change. If you have the right goals, plans, and set-up in place, you’ll be just fine!
