30 Tips for Working Out at Home for Beginners
Are you wondering if working out at home is a better choice to get into shape? Do you pay for a gym membership that you never use? Does getting fit without leaving the comfort of your own home sound appealing?
More people than ever before are moving from the gym to working out at home. Some of the many benefits of working out at home are:
- Saving money on a gym membership
- Having easy access and convenience
- Saving on gas money and wear and tear to your car (or avoiding public transportation)
- Being able to work out any time of the day
These are just a few advantages! But if you are new to working out at home, it helps to have a few tips.
30 Tips for Working Out at Home for Beginners
1. Put Your Workout Clothes on When You Wake Up
The best thing you can do if you want to get your home workout done in the morning is to get dressed in your workout clothes as soon as you wake up. Put on your leggings and be ready to go.
This puts you in the mindset of having a healthy day. When you know you’ll be doing your workout during your morning routine.
2. Get Your Home Workout Done Early
By getting your workout done early you’ll get it out of the way so it’s done for the day. But one of the best reasons to exercise in the morning is because it sets you up for the rest of the day.
A mindset shift happens when you start your day with something healthy and productive. You’ll experience more energy and motivation to continue with your healthy habits throughout the day.
3. Break Up Your Workouts
You don’t need to stick to 20-minutes of cardio and do nothing else the rest of the day.
If you feel up to working workout for 45-60 minutes a day, but enjoy shorter workouts, combine 2 or 3 of the 20-minute workouts to make them longer.
This will help you exercise for a longer period of time. You’ll still be able to do your favorite forms of exercise. And you’ll have a chance to combine cardio, strength training, and other forms of movement.
4. Set Up a Workout Area
You don’t need an entire room of your home dedicated to gym space. But it does help to have a dedicated area in your home to be your workout space. This can be a little corner of your bedroom or living room with your yoga mat and weights.
Keeping everything in one area is convenient and you’ll be ready to work out when it’s time to do so.
5. Find Forms of Exercise You Love
It’s easy to just do the exercises you think you should. Or that your bestie suggested. However, these might not be the greatest match for you. Try new activities even if you don’t know anybody who does them.
Maybe you’re not a runner, but you enjoy cardio. Or instead of lifting weights, you prefer bodyweight workouts. You might be someone who likes barre or Pilates, while your friends are doing yoga.
If you don’t love the exercise your not going to stick to it. So find something you love.
6. Get Some Basic Equipment
You don’t have to go out and spend thousands of dollars on gym equipment. But there are a few items that will make it easier to get started with at-home fitness. You only need a few things to get started.
Some useful ideas for equipment are:
- Yoga or exercise mat
- Hand Weights
- Resistance bands
When you start to find what workouts you like to do you can gradually add more equipment to your home gym.
7. Turn Off the Notifications on Your Phone
You might be using your phone to stream workouts at home, but you don’t need to be distracted by notifications. Remember to turn off the sound and push notifications on your phone. You don’t need those pop-up reminders from your calendar or Instagram distracting you while working out.
8. Eat 30-60 Minutes Beforehand
This is up to you and your body but if you aren’t doing a workout right when you wake up, you should eat a pre-workout meal. You should also eat before any strenuous workout, like HIIT. Your body will thank you for the extra fuel.
Try eating complex carbs before your workout. Like fruit or oatmeal. Then have protein for after your workout.
9. Schedule Your Workouts
Motivation can be hard to find when getting started working out at home. So scheduling your workouts may be beneficial. Write it down in your planner and to-do list. Just like you would any other appointment. Keep commitments to yourself when it comes to fitness. After a while, you won’t need reminders.
10. Head Outside for a Walk
At-home fitness is more about being out of the gym and doing your own thing. You don’t actually have to be in your house to work out. You can get your cardio in by taking a walk. Or get out in nature and take a hike.
Walking is easy, convenient, free, and can be done anywhere. If you don’t want to get on the treadmill, try heading outside.
Getting outside for your workout also helps with:
- Vitamin D
- Getting some fresh air
- Increasing the amount of cardio you get in a day
11. Get Workout Clothing You Love
Getting clothing you love can make a big difference with motivation. This might seem like a small thing. But when you love the workout clothes you have you’re excited to put them on and use them.
If cost is a concern you can find some budget-friendly options. Pick up new pieces slowly and soon you will have a collection you can’t wait to use.
12. Choose a Workout Time Without Distractions
Sometimes it’s hard working out at home when you have pets, kids, roommates, and other distractions. The time of day you work out can help lessen these distractions. Fewer distractions will keep you on track with your fitness goals.
When choosing a time to work out think about your daily routine and schedule. Also, consider who is home at what time. The best time to work out might be early in the morning when everyone else in the house is still asleep. Or maybe the best time is early afternoons after work and when the kids are still in school. Maybe it’s in the evening when everyone else is in bed.
13. Try New Styles of Workouts
Take a chance and try something new. Take the time to try new forms of exercise that you can do from home. There is a long list to choose from. But here are some ideas to start with:
- Barre
- Kickboxing
- Yoga
- Pilates
- HIIT
- Tabata-style
- Dance workouts
- Weightlifting
Here is a post of 10 Beginner Workouts you can do at home.
14. Participate in a Challenge
Participating in a challenge is a great way to try new workout routines. Also, to stick to a schedule and get more motivation.
You can find a lot of different challenges, from doing one workout every day for 30 days to full programs that you challenge yourself to complete on time.
Find a fitness YouTuber or a workout trainer with an app that has challenges starting with 30 days. You’ll be able to try out different workouts while having great motivation
15. Keep it Short with HIIT
If you’re short on time you can still fit in a heart-pounding workout. Do a quick HIIT workout and in 15 minutes or less, you have an awesome cardio workout done for the day.
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training and is a shorter workout. But with a lot more intensity! You typically work at a very high intensity for about 30 seconds. Then have a short break for 10-15 seconds. Then do your intensity interval again.
You can find HIIT workouts to do with weights, bodyweight, dance, treadmill sprints, stairs, and so much more.
16. Warm-Up and Cool Down
It’s important not to skip the warm-up and cool down. A warm-up helps your body get used to your heart rate rising gradually and warms up your muscles. The cooldown does the opposite, where it slowly brings your heart rate back down.
A 5-minute walk around the block can be a simple warm-up to do. Then stretching and breathing after your workout to cool down will help prevent sore muscles.
17. Modify Moves
If you’re a beginner don’t be afraid to modify any of the moves you are watching. And if you need to make sure to use lighter weights.
If you are doing a workout with compound moves, where it works your upper and lower body at the same time, you can do one or the other.
To modify you could do the lunges without holding weights. Or you lift the weights without the squats. This can help a lot in the beginning when you are starting to get into shape.
18. Don’t Skip the Stretch Routine
Stretching is so important for your body. If you don’t stretch before or after your workout, then try to dedicate another time during the day to get it in. If you do workouts at home 3 days a week, try to fit in 2 days with longer stretch routines. Your body will be thankful!
19. Eat Protein After Workouts
When you strength train, it is a good idea to get protein in after your workouts. Protein not only helps to support muscle growth, but it can also help you feel more full throughout the day.
After a workout is a good way to remind yourself to have some extra protein. But it doesn’t have to be immediately after.
Scheduling a workout before a meal makes it easy to then have a protein-rich meal, and skip the shakes and bars altogether.
20. Have an Ideal Environment for Workouts
The trick to making a new habit stick is to make sure your environment makes it easier for you.
Keep your house clean and organized as often as you can. Have a designated workout space. Have temperature control like air conditioning or a heater if you’re working out in a cold garage. So your workout is as comfortable as possible.
21. Experiment With Your Routine
Your typical routine is most likely consistent most of the time, but it’s fine to modify it to make exercising at home a little simpler. You might discover that you initially did your workout in the morning, but that this isn’t the best option for you over time.
22. Involve Your Family or Friends
Make working out at home fun by getting your partner involved or inviting friends to join you. Having an accountability partner will help you stay consistent.
Here are a few ideas:
- Go for a family walk after dinner.
- Workout on Zoom with friends.
- Invite friends over on the weekend to do a workout before you go to lunch.
23. Start with Only a Few Minutes a Day
If you’re new to exercise or coming back after a long break, you should work your way up to advanced workouts. Doing hard workouts when starting out may leave you feeling burnt out. Or you could get injured. Start out small and work your way up.
Starting out slow may feel like you’re not doing enough. But do you still feel challenged and out of breath after a workout? If so, that’s a good sign the intensity is at the right place.
24. Slowly Increase Weight Over Time
Start out with lighter weights and increase over time. If you have never lifted weights before, you probably want to start with lighter dumbbells. If you think you’re ready to dump up the weight try it for a few reps. If it’s too hard go back to the lighter weights.
25. Don’t do it All
When you look at how many forms of exercise are available to do at home, it might be intimidating. But you don’t have to do them all!
Begin with one type of exercise you truly like. You can then progress from there. However, if you don’t have the time to do more workouts, don’t try them. Be realistic about your schedule and lifestyle.
26. Take Rest Days
Your body needs rest. So don’t feel pressured into working out every single day. Give yourself at least one day a week to rest. However, your rest day can be an active rest where you go for a walk or do some stretches.
27. Use Apps
While you can stream workouts on your computer, there are some great apps that help keep you on track and even have their own workout calendars. Some workout apps to try include:
- Beachbody ( My Favorite!)
- Tone it Up
- Obe
28. Stay Hydrated
Don’t forget to hydrate! It’s natural to bring water with you to the gym or a class. But people often forget to fill up their water bottles for home workouts. No matter what, you’re going to sweat and you’ll need to hydrate. Keep your water bottle nearby when you’re working out.
29. Have a Goal in Mind
It can be really motivating to have a goal in mind when it comes to your fitness or at-home workouts. This doesn’t have to be about weight loss. Instead choose goals that are easier to accomplish, like:
- Exercising for 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week
- Exercising consistently for 3 months
- Trying a new workout every week
30. Track Your Workouts
Keep track of the workouts you do and for how long. You can use a planner, journal, or app. If you are a pen-and-paper person, use a journal or printed planner where you can write down your workouts.
Conclusion: Tips for Working Out at Home
Are you convinced that working out from home is a good idea? I hope so! It’s definitely more convenient than going to the gym and all you need to get started is a little bit of space in any room of your home.
If you’re curious about how to set up a home workout routine, let me know in the comments below. I’d be happy to share some tips with you.
