Home Workout Ideas to Help You Fall in Love with Exercising AND Reaching your Goals.
So you want to start working out in the comfort of your own home, but you don’t really know where to start.
You know you can do squats while you’re waiting for the kettle, lunges while you’re hoovering the living room, Kegels while you’re brushing your teeth.
But you want something a bit more.
Maybe a bit more of a challenge.
Something that leaves you feeling like you’ve done a good workout?
Something to get rid of this baby weight?
Something that’s fun!
Let's think about your last attempt at working out. What were you planning to do? What did you actually do? Why did you stop?
Most people stop because they don’t like what they’re doing.
There’s no shame in that.
Everyone is different. We don’t all like the same tv programs or food, so why would we find the same exercises enjoyable?
I want to help you overcome that.
I want to help you find something you love doing. Not something your friend suggested, or your mum lost loads of weight doing. Something YOU love doing.
Because your mum may have lost loads of weight, but if you don’t carry on doing that ‘workout’ the weight will come back on.
On this page you’ll find lots of links (eventually, so keep coming back) to different ‘types’ of workout. Sorry about the inverted commas, I didn’t know what else to call it.
If you’re looking for workouts with sets of squats, lunges etc etc...your classic bodyweight workout, you'll find those (eventually) on our quick workout section.
This section is ‘type’...think yoga, Pilates, kettlebell, resistance band, circuit, high-intensity interval training etc.
Some do require equipment. But don’t panic. I’ll talk you through getting the best equipment. Give you a few tips to do it equipment free, if you want to try before you buy.
And I’m not talking about spending thousands and taking up acres of space.
A lot of the home workout equipment doesn’t take up much space at all.
Resistance bands for example, can be packed in a suitcase and used in a hotel room, but they give a great workout.
If none of these float your boat, don’t freak out.
Get in touch.
Let me know how you like to move your body, your fitness level and I’ll help you make it into a home workout plan that will get you hitting your fitness goals.
Let’s do this…
Everyone gets stressed. But when you spend the majority of your time with toddlers, the stress levels do have a tendency to surge. Am I right? Please say I’m not the only one.
Exercising has been proved time and time again to have a beneficial effect on stress. By that I mean, it lowers it. When you workout your body realises endorphins. Hormones that can help relieve pain, reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being.
So, exercising in general is good. But when you add boxing into the mix, well...it just takes it to a whole new level. It is such a great way to get rid of that stress.
Why?
Because you’re hitting stuff. A focus pad. A punch bag. The air. Whatever it is, you can take your frustration, your irritation, your annoyance, out on something else. It’s quite liberating.
But, boxing isn’t just about relieving stress. It’s actually a great workout. Keeping on your toes, putting weight behind your punches. It’s a cardio workout and strength training in one. Great for when your finding time to workout difficult.
Boxing is also great because you don’t need any special exercise equipment. You can get gloves and pads, and even a punch bag, if you wanted to. But it’s not essential. Boxing can be done by throwing your punches in the air. It’s called shadow boxing and professional fights use it to warm up and hone their skills.
There’s four main punches in a boxing workout, jab, cross, hook and upper. Both hooks and uppers can be done with your left hand and your right hand. There are also bodyweight exercises in these workouts. A regular squat and squat thrusts. Think of them as dodging a punch. Quick down, quick up and keeping your guard up at all times.
If all of this punching and moving and stress busting sounds exciting. If you want to learn all about boxing what to get, how to do it. And if you want to try a workout in the comfort of your own home...click here to read boxing workout at home.
Are you strapped for time. Who am I kidding? You’re a mama. Of course you’re strapped for time. So, if you’ve got fitness goals, you’ll want most bang for your buck when it comes to working out.
What if I told you that 12 minutes of sprint training, 3 times a week can be more effective than an hours workout five times a week.
Yep. HIIT workouts are efficient. They’re a really effective way of working out.
Yes, they’re challenging. They’re tough. They will push you, your body and your mind. But they really are fun. You will come out the other end thinking ‘Yeah I did that!’
What exactly are HIIT workouts? It’s high intensity interval training. You go all out for a given period, or distance, and then rest for a short period. Because you get a rest you can go all out during your ‘work time’.
HIIT workouts can be done with any piece of equipment at all. Any workout can be made into a HIIT workout. All you have to is go all out for a short time and then rest. These HIIT workouts are all bodyweight exercises. Because you can adapt a bodyweight exercise when you get a bit fitter.
There are different ways of doing HIIT workouts. Yes you can work for so many seconds and then rest for so many seconds. That is probably the most well known way of doing a HIIT workouts. But there is also EMOM and AMRAP. No one way is better than any other, it just keeps it interesting.
Do you want to know what EMOM and AMRAP are? Do you want to know how to put structure them into a workout? Do you want, not 1 but 3 different HIIT workouts that are all 15 minutes long? Click here to get fit in 15 minutes with the best HIIT workout at home.
Oh How I love kettlebells. Let me count the ways…
They are an awesome piece of kit. They are absolutely perfect for home workouts as they don’t take up much space and you have an amazing fat burning workout in not a lot of time.
They are truly awesome.
If you think they look a bit scary, you’d be right. Ha. But don’t panic too much. You can use them for lots of different types of workout. Cardio, strength, mobility. Yes, those little cannon ball shaped weights are truly versatile.
And did I mention they were fun?
Ok, so if you’re going to workout with kettlebells you’re going to need to get one. Yes, there are alternatives you can use, but, if it’s going to be a regular thing, invest in one. There are a few things to look out for when you choose one. Material, type, weight, how many and the extras. My main piece of advice is don’t assume you have to go really light. You won’t get the full benefit of the workout and you will need to get heavier ones.
The exercises you can do with a kettlebell are pretty much the same as with any free weight. There are a few exceptions, but primarily they’re the same. So, you might be wondering why they are so good. Well, it’s the handle. It makes them really simple to use. No, not easy. Anything but easy, but simple. You can transition from one exercise to the next meaning you don’t have to put them down. More time with weight in hand means you have a harder workout.
One thing to always keep in mind, these are weights. They can be heavy and doing any weighted exercise there is a risk of injury if your form isn’t spot on. If you are unsure seek some instruction from a qualified professional.
Interested in learning more about kettlebells? Do you want get started with a kettlebell workout? Read Home Kettlebell Workout...
If you’re having one of those days, you know the ones I mean...you’re getting annoyed at your kids a little quicker than normal. Your husband is driving you around the bend, even though he’s trying to help.
You maybe a little frazzled. It’s understandable. It happens to us all. Believe me.
But, you don’t have to suffer in silence. There is something that can help. A yoga workout.
You know a yoga practice isn’t all about chanting and contemplating your belly button. It’s about giving your tired, overworked, achy muscles the tender loving care they deserve.
I’m not a yoga instructor. I’ve been practising yoga for about 20 years, so, I could show you a thing or two. But, I don’t thing I’d be able to do it any justice. So, for the workouts I’m handing you over to my favourite yoga instructor, Adriene Mishler of Yoga with Adriene. There are lots of different yoga workouts available on her youtube channel.
Yoga is a body weight workout so you won’t need anything special. An exercise mat is a good idea, but certainly not essential.
My favourite workouts are all 15 minutes long, but, if you have the time, you can run them together. You can also tag them on to other workouts as they make a great warm up or cool down.
Are you interested in yoga as a home workout idea? Giving your body, your achy muscles some tender loving care? Getting unfrazzled? Read at home yoga workout.
Both CrossFit and bootcamp are intense workouts. But with intense comes the potential for amazing results. They both utilise HIIT style workouts, but CrossFit really does take HIIT to the extreme, as there's little time for rest.
It's been around since 2000 and was designed to help professional athletes improve their performance. So when I say it's tough. It's tough. It utilises power lifting, Olympic lifting and functional movements to create an all in one workout system.
It's not your traditional, work your upper body and then your lower body. Strength and then cardio. It works all of your body systems at once. Great for if you're looking for a quick and effective home workout routine.
Just so you're absolutely clear and not under any illusions whatsoever, CrossFit workouts can produce amazing results, if they're paired with good nutrition. Exercising, working out, moving your body is only half of the story when it comes to changing your body composition. Losing weight or burning fat. You can't out train a poor diet. So, if your nutrition is still off tackle that as well as and your results will be amazing.
The problem with CrossFit is that it's very equipment heavy. It uses anything and everything. But, if you pair the principles of CrossFit with boot camp, using your own body weight you can get the benefits of CrossFit in the comfort of your own home.
Bodyweight exercises can give you the same level of intensity, if they're done in the right way. Mountain climbers paired with ab exercises. Jump squats paired with wall walks. They will get your heart rate pumping and your physical health soaring.
Interested in giving it a go, but in the comfort of your own home? Check out our home workout ideas CrossFit Bootcamp Workouts...
If you’re looking for a new workout that packs a punch in a short
amount of time you should think about a circuit training workout.
If you’re worried about it being tough, it is. But any good workout
is.
The good thing is, you can get your workout done in 15 minutes in the comfort of your own living room without any equipment.
So why is circuit training any different to any other way of working out? Well, circuit training is a simple way of working out. No acronyms, just a set of exercises with reps or time to work through.
Circuit training is a great way to workout, it’ll have your heart rate pumping and your muscles working overtime. But I think the beauty of circuit training is that it can be quite a contained workout. And by that I mean, your circuit can cover everything, cardio, strength, mobility. It’s really efficient.
My circuit training workouts don’t require any equipment, they are all bodyweight exercises. But, if you want to use equipment you can. Resistance bands, weights. Whatever you fancy. The workouts can be adapted.
Do you want to learn more about circuit training? What it is, why you should do it, and actually try out a workout, or three? Then you need to read at home circuit workout.