Sunday, December 21, 2014

Workouts at Home

I used to go to the gym every single day. For a while, it was convenient. We had a steeply discounted gym membership to a posh gym, and when the kid was little, my workouts were my “me time,” and it was nice to take a shower in peace and have the time to blow-dry my hair without interruptions while he enjoyed their fantastic play care center. I also took group exercise classes, yoga, had a weight lifting schedule, and used the stair masters, ellipticals, and treadmills. Plus, there was a heavenly steam room and a sauna, which I took advantage of whenever I could.

Daily workouts left me in pretty good shape. Although, looking back, I can definitely see that I often overtrained and was in the mindset that more is better. Therefore, I hardly ever gave my body the rest it deserved. Plus, I now seriously doubt all that steady state cardio was very beneficial...

A few years ago, the kid’s schedule became more and more packed, and going to the gym in the late afternoons/early evenings just didn’t work out anymore. We therefore decided to quit our membership as we hardly went anymore. So I had to find alternatives. At first, it wasn’t easy. One positive change that happened right away was that I focused more energy on daily, long walks. Whenever I had a few minutes I walked. I learned to really take advantage of all the extra “free minutes” here and there. I also scheduled longer walks. They are part of my agenda and just as important as other scheduled meetings.

While walks are great, I still needed to get my strength and flexibility workouts in. I take classes at a local yoga studio and at several barre studios in the area whenever I can, which isn’t as often as I’d like as with drive time, getting there early to get a spot, etc., it just isn’t a very convenient and efficient way to work out at this time in my life.

So I started doing more workouts at home again (something I had done years ago but stopped when the kid came along as there were just so many interruptions….). One thing I found is that, just like with walks, it’s important to get things done throughout the day, which is much less overwhelming than doing it all at once.

Typical Workouts At Home

Early morning - 4:30 a.m. 
Yoga practice, barre workout, or meditation - usually between 15 - 30 minutes

Lunch time workout (I’m usually at home for lunch)
Weights or core - usually 15 - 20 minutes

Evening 
Yoga practice, meditation, or barre workout - anywhere between 15 and 60 minutes, depending on the day

Once a week
Sprints

I don’t work out three times every day, but I often do. Overall, my workouts are a lot gentler than they were years ago when I went to the gym every day. Yet, I think I am in just as good shape and my body actually feels better than it did back then (I remember one particular year when I got one cold after another and also had constant foot pain in my weak/permanently injured ankle. Probably because I never allowed my body to completely heal…). Plus, now I focus more on meditation and gentle yoga practices, which are oh so good for body and mind… :)

Questions: What’s your exercise philosophy? Has it changed over the years? Do you work out at home? What does and doesn’t work for you when it comes to home workouts?

Be well,
Andrea