Working out at home

I don’t have a gym membership.

Running and swimming are not my favourite exercises.

I get my workout done at home.

No, I don’t mean running after kids or hanging out the washing. I exercise at home in front of the TV every morning for around 30 min. My husband got me a (very) good set of dumbbells. With those, I follow Fitnessblender on youtube. While this type of workout took me some time to get used to it is exactly what I need at the moment. If I don’t have time in the morning I can workout at any other time of the day.

Working out at home for a happy life

I’m sharing my workout routine here because it connects with a lot of other ideas I’m throwing around on this blog.

For starters, I live happy and healthy because I exercise every day.

Then, it saves me money on gym memberships because Fitnessblender is free (unless you pay the tiny fee for their workout plans).

Also, I’m not away from home, having to find (and pay for) care for my kids during that time.

From a sustainability point of view working out at home also makes sense. I don’t leave the house. Other than the dumbbells I don’t use any equipment. I can work out in my underwear. My shower afterwards is my regular one which I would have in any case. Also, there is no temptation of getting fancy sports drinks, foods, or outfits. The workout blends right into my morning.

Working out and food

The reason I like Fitnessblender, in particular, is their emphasis on good food as part of a workout plan.

I’m not tempted to buy any special protein drinks in order to help my muscles heal and grow. It all comes from my whole foods diet. Their recommendation is to eat carbohydrates after the workout and not to count my protein intake during the day.

And this works for me. Since I don’t have a specific goal in mind when I exercise (other than staying in shape) I don’t follow any special diet.

Working out at home with kids

It has become normal for my kids to see me exercising. They enjoy doing some of the exercises with me. Usually, they get down on the floor with me or tell me what to do. My son likes counting the repetitions and my daughter helps me with the dumbbells. They also like acting as extra weights. And my son now knows that in order to grow muscles he has to exercise and eat well.

I admit…

Working out at home takes discipline and the constant reminder that it’s good for me.

On particularly cold mornings I find it difficult to get up and to follow through with the routine. I’ve developed the mantra that I’ll feel stronger during the day once I’ve exercised. Sometimes it’s enough to just do some stretches to get me started for the day.

It’s a great way to stay healthy and feel good about myself. And working out at home is great because I know that I’m not wasting any resources.