Fire Your Gym! How to Work Out Effectively at Home

You want to get fit. You want to get healthy. You want to build muscle. Buuuttt…
You don’t have time. You can’t leave your kids. You can’t afford a gym membership.

I GET IT. But you know what? Those are EXCUSES.

Before you get angry at me, hear me out. How much time do you spend watching TV every day? Playing games on your phone? Looking at social media? I’d be willing to bet at least 30 minutes. So you do have time to spend on your health – if you really wanted to. That’s all the time you need! And you don’t have to pay expensive gym membership fees (plus the extra time & gas to get there) or even leave home. Here’s how:

1. If you have one, CANCEL that gym membership now! Especially if you never, ever go there. Guess what, I just saved you up to $300/month! You’re welcome!

2. So you’ve decided to work out at home. Great, now what?? First you need to ask yourself some important questions, such as “What will motivate me to DO this AND to keep going?” Realllllly take time to think about this and make it specific. Your motivation can’t be just “I want to lose weight.” Will you do this to be a healthy example for your kids? To lower your risk of the diabetes or heart disease that runs in your family? What is your “why?”

3. Now that you’ve determined what’s motivating you, it’s time to set some goals. Again, this needs to be specific…but also ATTAINABLE. If your goal is “lose 15 pounds by Saturday” then you WILL fail. And you’ll be more likely to just give up. Instead, set a small goal that you can easily achieve THIS WEEK. For example: Work out 4 days this week with no excuses PLUS Drink enough water every day this week OR Eat at least 4 servings of fruit & veggies every day this week.

4. Figure out what type of workout you LOVE so you’ll stick with it. I personally think yoga is a snooze-fest & uber-uncomfortable…so if I used yoga to meet my goals, I’d probably have excuses out the wazoo & give up really fast. But I know that I LOVE how powerful I feel doing high-energy kickboxing or lifting weights, so that’s my workout-wheelhouse. I stream my workouts online using Beachbody on Demand (BOD) so I have lots of options & never have to create my own workouts or get bored doing the same movements over & over again. It’s only about $8/month so pretty much anyone can afford it! (Maybe your goal for the week is to give up that Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte for a couple days & use that money for BOD instead!). If you’re not sure what your soulmate workout is, spend a few days trying different kinds & pay attention to how you feel.

5. Find a partner or join an accountability group. If your “why” doesn’t quite give you enough motivation to press play every day, then don’t do it alone! Invite a friend over or ask your spouse to join you. I know lots of people who even invite their kids to join them (parenting bonus points for getting the kids involved in healthy activities early!). And hey, if no one in real life wants to join in, reach out to the virtual world! I run accountability groups on Facebook all the time – it may seem silly, but they work! It’s so helpful to have a group of people on the same path that you can turn to for an ass-kicking to get off the couch, for recipe ideas, or just to cheer you on. (Shoot me an email or message me on Facebook to reserve your spot in my next group!)

6. Create your space. You only need about the size of a yoga mat, so find that spot in your house where you can get sweaty with minimal distractions. Make sure your gear (weights, mat, bands, etc.) has a home in that spot, whether it’s a shelf or bin or even the floor – if you have to drag it all there every day, you probably won’t. Then let your family or housemates know that it’s your space & to leave you alone for 30 minutes when you’re in it. Unless they join you, of course!

Once you’re started on your at-home fitness journey, remember: Trust the process, be patient, and ignore the scale. You’ll feel better, have more energy & confidence, and in a few weeks your clothes will start to fit better (or fall off!). You’re on your way!