4 Ways to Workout at Home

Keeping fit and healthy through exercise need not be expensive. You do not have to enroll in costly gym memberships, buy expensive gym equipment and exercise gear to build your muscles and stamina. You can do your workouts at home, with or without equipment. Working out at home can be beneficial. You can keep fit without leaving your home. You can schedule your workout on your own time, too.

Quite a few options are available for working out at home. Here are some of the choices.

1.  Build a gym at home

For the serious exerciser, building you own gym at home will be to your advantage. However, you have to know the right combination of equipment to buy so you’ll get a total body workout. WebMd recommends the following, based on the advice of the American Council on Exercise (ACE):

1. Cardio training equipment that allow you to have continuous, smooth movements that will elevate your heart rate for 20 minutes at the very least. You can have a treadmill, a ski machine or a stationary bike if you have enough space. If you do not have that much cash to spare, you can buy jump ropes, a stepping machine or a step-block.
2. Gear for strength training, functional fitness, weight loss and body shaping. Again, if you have the cash and space, invest in an all-in-one multi-gym, suspension resistance trainer, adjustable barbells or adjustable weight training bench. For $100 and below, you can buy resistance bands, low end bench and hand weights.
3. Balance equipment to improve your balance, posture and stamina, and strengthen your core muscles. At the high end of the spectrum, you can invest in gel-based balance beams; wobble boards, soft foam exercise pads and burst-resistant stability balls. For the budget-conscious, there’s the balance dome, disc pillows and non-burst-resistant stability balls.
4. Flexibility training gear to increase the flexibility of your muscles, such as stretch machine, Pilates machine, mat and towel, foam rollers, stretching bands and slant board.

2.  Aerobic activities

Whatever your level of physical fitness, weight and age, aerobic activities are good for you. You can indulge in bicycling and walking, or use an indoor rowing machine. Aerobic exercises are good for your circulation, lungs and heart. They increase the blood flow to the muscles and to the lungs and your heart beats faster. The process removes lactic acid and carbon dioxide and releases endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.

3.  On-demand training

Lack of space at home and an erratic work schedule are not valid reasons to forego exercising. You can subscribe to on-demand home workout programs, so you can exercise whenever time permits. What’s great about on-demand training is its flexibility and customization features. You can choose an on-demand program based on your fitness level, the part of your body you want to improve or the exercise combinations. The programs change regularly so you will not get bored. The instructor-led exercises are set to music for additional motivation.

4.  General calisthenics

For those looking to tone their muscles, you can do calisthenics at home. Your workout can consist of different pull-ups to maintain the strength of your arms and back as well as your shoulders and abs. Pushups are for strengthening your triceps and chest muscles and for building strong shoulders. Squats are meant to strengthen your legs while an assortment of dips is for your entire upper body conditioning. For chest dips, you can use two sturdy chairs or two couches. Just make sure that you set them up properly to avoid injury. Strengthen your abs with crunches.

It does not matter whether you have extra space at home or not. You can opt to purchase some gym equipment or choose only those that you can afford. When you do your workouts at home, you can choose the time to do so and select the best option from the suggestions we have here.