Well before the pandemic hit, working out at home was already one of our favorite ways to work out: roll out of bed, turn on a class, participate in your PJs and hit the shower, all in the comfort of your own home.
Without much room for excuses - rainy, so what? No time? Squeeze in 5 min while dinner is warming up! No yoga outfit? Naked is the way to go! - working out at home does require some discipline and motivation, especially if you're not used to it. Now that it is literally the safest way to work out, we want to help you rock your next home work out.
1. Find a workout that you enjoy
One of the best parts of choosing your own online work out is that you're in charge. You're not dependent on the gym's schedule. So you can decide whether you want to do yoga in the mornings, bootcamp for lunch or a meditation before bed. And even better, if you don't like the class you choose, you can still change it to another one!
Bodhiac members get full access to all our yoga, fitness and meditation on-demand videos and also get a weekly suggested menu. We do this to make sure that you get the perfect mix of activity and recovery. A mix that caters to mind, body and soul. So if you are overwhelmed by all the choices online, we tell you what we suggest you to do in a given week. You just decide which class you want to do on which day.
2. Spontaneity in scheduling
Working out at home has so many benefits. You can work out whenever you want! But with this benefit also comes discipline. Yes, you can workout during your break, but might get distracted by the couch, laundry or that book you wanted to finish reading. If you feel that it's hard to commit to your workouts at home, then schedule it in. Make it a meeting with yourself. Give it a fun color and name in your planner like "me-time", "go hard and stay home", or "self-care meeting". Keep yourself accountable, and keep your schedule in sight.
Over time, when working out at home becomes a habit, you might feel yourself getting more spontaneous at it. Knowing that you prefer to do a HIIT quickie before your morning shower, or a gentle yoga class before bedtime will save you time planning. And maybe you'll even feel like doing it without even having to look at your schedule. But remember, habits take time to develop. So in the meantime, use that planner and show up for yourself. Your physical AND mental health will thank you for it.
3. Find your community
You are not in this alone. One way to enjoy working out at home is to include your family and friends. Create your own support group. Whether you actually work out with your roomies at home, or decide to start a WhatsApp group so you can work out at the same time as your friend and can send a sweaty selfie to each other afterwards. Talking to people about your workout journey helps to keep each other accountable. You can talk about how proud and good you feel after a session or pep each other up and stay committed to your health when you're not in the mood.
At Bodhiac, you'll find a community that has the same goals as you! By commenting on the classes, tagging us in your selfies or joining our Facebook group where you can actually chat with other members - you will feel like you're part of a real community. We organize challenges and events that you will be able to participate in to stay motivated, and we can't wait to meet you and help you along on your journey!
4. Set up a workout space
Allocating a certain space in your home for your workouts will help you establish a workout routine. Keeping your mat and equipment in one place and your workout clothing in one drawer so you can quickly find everything you need, will help you save time and get down to what's really important... the workout and how it makes you feel.
You don't need a lot of space to make it feel like your own little safe haven. Whether it's next to your bed (I had just enough space to roll out a mat next to my bed when I lived in a Manhattan box), or in your living room... keep it tidy, maybe light a candle when you get there and spray your favorite mist so all your senses are prepared and know what's coming.
5. Minimize distractions
Netlflix, your couch, your phone, your mom, ... there can be many distractions at home. Again the benefits of WAH outweigh the distractions but you need to find a way to minimize them. Whether it's putting your phone on airplay mode when it's time to workout, turn off notifications or reminding your partner that every day between 6 and 7 pm is me-time, do what you have to do in order to enjoy your workout.
There you go, now you are armed and ready for your next home workout!
Let us know what helps you during your work outs at home.
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