There are no excuses not to exercise anymore!
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
As per this crazy pandemic year, we are working remotely for many of us, and it is an excellent time to start the new year, adding a bit of home workout.
Working from home for more than 12 years, I can assure you that it is still one of the best decisions I have made over the years.
For about ten years, I had memberships in gyms, and every single day I was there. It took me about two hours, including commuting, to go and come back home. I kept that for five years after I had to change my planing due to a moving and my wife’s job at the time.
Because we had moved a little further, it was not on our commute way anymore. Per consequences, we added 30 minutes + in wasting time per day and, there was no gym closer than that one in our area. I decided to make a change.
Get the plunge
Not always easy to change our habits. It is a big move not to go to the gym every day. Starting a new home workout is everything but exciting and not so motivating, I can tell.
It takes a few weeks to adapt and, you will probably have to create a space for it, buy some weights, a mattress, etc.
I worked out in a gym, mostly because I do not have the space required to build a fully equipped gym. I have the chance not to need socializing, and I did not go to the gym for this. I was and still am serious about my training.
If you are alike, it will surely be less challenging for you to make that change.
I also found that you do not need to have five hundred pounds of weights to perform. It is a real utopia to believe it. For example, I only have about fifty pounds of weights, a pilates mattress, a training ball (a huge one because I am 6'-6”) and, that is all.
Ok, I agree that is not something you will do if you want to be the next Mr. Olympia. You cannot workout heavily at home, mostly for your legs but, you can have impressive results if you are consistent with a light weights workout.
As an example, I got sick this year. I had the H-Pylori bacteria, and I lost about twenty pounds. I ate a lot less, and as for the workout, it took the second rank for about two months. Fortunately, everything came back to normal after a two weeks medication. Ten pills per day treatment, ouch!
Soon after I did it, I got back onto my workout schedule. After a month, I gained fifteen pounds. It is a combination of food and training, but I do not eat five thousand calories per day. Maybe half of that.
I am trying to say here that you can have a good healthy life with a home workout. You can be fit and have the body you want to. Just get in it.
The benefits
Everyone knows the benefits of working out. We hear about it for a few decades now, and I will not go there. Working out is a good thing, but not if you have to rush everything else in your life to do it as so many people do. That is why I say that home workout planning is a great thing to balance your time.
When I went to the gym, I told you that I spent almost two and a half hours per day just for my workout. Now that I do it at home, thirty to forty-five minutes per day maximum. I got back a minimum of one hour and a half to do something else like writing, per example!
Also, I can do it when it pleased me and when my time allows it. I used to go to the gym after work, around five, but I had to work late many times, so I got there later and ruined the rest of my evening by doing this. It never happened anymore.
Another great thing is that if, like me, your partner doesn’t like to go to the gym because of “the show-off and look at me stuff”, you will be able to work out together at home. It can become a family habit.
Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash
In conclusion
Find time in your schedule for the new year. And, if you work from home, there are no excuses. Only half an hour per day to give yourself a healthier life.
I am no expert in the matter. These lines are only to share my thoughts and habits with you. I hope it can reach you somehow and give you the push you need to start. So, kick your ass off!