Some days, you simply don’t feel like making it to the gym. Trust me, I know the feeling well. You just can’t seem to find the motivation, especially if you have to drive to a gym and parking is difficult as is often the case in Los Angeles. I know that was my biggest obstacle when I was trying to motivate myself to go workout. I always had to pay for parking on top of the gym fee or I couldn’t even find parking certain days and would turn around and go home. Then I was so mad that I wasted an hour of my life that I would eat an ice cream cone or something sweet to feel better. Not the most effective way to “stay active.”
So I started doing research into exercises I could do at home on days I didn’t want to leave my place.
- YogaGlo: I signed up for it online and would watch and do a yoga class in the comfort of my own home. All you need is a yoga mat. They offer every type of yoga and you can pick whatever time frame you have available. Once you start getting to know the teachers, you can even filter based on teachers or body parts you want to focus on.
- Exercise video: There are so many great workout videos out there! Pop one in and do as much as you can. Honestly, some are so intense, like the Insanity videos, that I can only make it through half an hour if I’m not really warmed up. But do as much as you can and at least you did something and were active! It’s so important to do a light workout everyday so you condition your body. Other great workout videos I liked include the Brazilian Booty Lift and any floor pilates workout DVDs.
- YouTube workouts: If you only want to focus on a single part of your body or only have a very limited amount of time, YouTube is a GREAT option! There are so many inspirational fitness people on there and the workouts are endless.
- Phone Apps: A new favorite of mine are phone apps! Probably my favorite right now is the Nike Training app. I used to have so many different ones on my phone but it was taking too much memory so I deleted everything but that one. The workouts on there are so great and I saw results quickly. It’s a great alternative that you can have with you while you travel! There are so many apps for workouts out there, so just try a few and see what works for you.
- Custom workout: Probably my favorite option is grabbing some weights or a strap and doing a workout while I’m watching TV. That’s where my bosu ball comes in or my 10-pound weights. It’s a great option if you don’t want to leave the house and still want to feel accomplished. By the time your favorite sitcom is done you will have done a half-hour workout and you will feel amazing. Just remember to focus on your form. Better to do 5 good ones that actually target the area your working on then 10 half-ass ones (pardon my language) that just wasted your time. Great options are stretching your body, light weight exercises to target certain areas like hamstrings, abs, or upper arms, crunches, planks and lunges, and if you have enough space jumping rope is great cardio any day. If none of the above work for you then walk. Walk up the stairs, walk back and forth while you’re on the phone. Just walk. It’s better than nothing!
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What do you think?