At-Home Workouts - Advice From a Novice

I've never had a great relationship with gyms. I didn't even have much access to one until I was in college and I barely utilized it unless a class required me to. Although, I did do a lot of walking, running (poorly), and small exercises in my room like sit-ups or jumping jacks. Exercise was challenging to me because I would do it for the wrong reasons and those reasons and get angry with myself if I wasn't seeing immediate results.

If I was feeling ugly in my body then I would punish myself by running for a long time. Basically I was doing something I hated because I deserved it for not being a size 2 (yeah, it was ridiculous, but keep in mind I was 19/20 when I did this sort of thing). Then when I didn't get my results, I quit and hated myself even more. It was a terrible cycle and my mindset prevented me from learning how to properly exercise and finding physical activities I actually enjoyed.

Fast forward to after grad school when I was living on my own. I wanted to start doing some type of weekly exercise again partly because I still wasn't comfortable in my own skin and partly because I knew it could help my mental health. My apartment complex had a small gym that I actually did enjoy going to. It felt private and there were normally only 2 other people there max. I would walk on the treadmill for about an hour, three times a week and I found that I actually did like that routine. I could zone out and listen to podcasts during that time and it felt more like an hour to rest my brain, which as an overthinker with anxiety, is so needed.

I also discovered other activities that felt more like hobbies than a chore. I discovered yoga and rock climbing (though haven't been since you-know-what, but hopefully I'll be back soon). Since I moved away from the only gym I ever liked, I tried to find workout routines I could do from home. I was going to a different gym before you-know-what hit, but I wasn't enjoying it as much as I should have. I didn't mind going, but it was a large gym and it felt overwhelming at times. Once gyms closed, I went back to doing a lot of walking outside mixed with hiking. Of course then winter came so I decided it was time to start finding at-home workout routines I could stick with and wouldn't dread.

What Worked for Me

My routine has been a lot of trial and error, but lately I've found a good groove. I did invest in a stationary bike that I ordered off Amazon. I got this one because it can be folded so it's perfect to store in my closet when I'm not using it so that it's not taking up space. I was riding it about 3 times a week, but now I'm trying to incorporate workouts for my arms and stomach so I'm not just focusing on legs. I normally put on a TV show or YouTube while I'm riding to make it go by quicker. I started off at 30 minutes and raised it to 45. With anything you always want to start small until your body gets used to the new routine. This also helped me not to become discouraged quite as fast. Now I try to ride once or twice a week depending on my mood.

I also found a YouTube channel called Madfit that I really enjoy. I feel like the videos are easy to follow along to and I appreciate the variety. Most are made to be no-equipment and she even has ones that are apartment friendly, which I appreciate. If anything sometimes you need a dumbbell or two, but that's it.

Her videos are also relatively short so they're great when you just need to fit some type of workout into your schedule. I usually set aside 30 minutes to an hour of workout time so I tend to combine videos. She has a lot of dance workouts, which I particularly have fun with because I always wanted to be dancer, but lacked the grace to do so. I will say she does some moves that are hard to replicate, but for the most part I look forward to following along and it's been a good way to relieve stress after work. She also has a January calendar out right now that shows you what videos to watch each day, which I've been doing. It's great for routine and I hope she starts doing that each month.

On days I'm not working out, I do Yoga with Adrienne to keep my body moving and de-stress. I like doing the shorter ones before bed because I find they calm me down enough to sleep well. I also get anxiety attacks quite regularly so I'm trying to get into the habit of doing a quick yoga video to give me some relief if I'm home.

So that is my long, somewhat boring story of how I found a workout routine for me. I will say, what's helped me the most is finding activities I can have fun with. When it's warm again, I'll definitely be out walking and hiking again. In the meantime I really do love doing yoga, dance workouts, and riding my stationary bike. It's nice have something I can look forward to doing that will strengthen my body and mind and not act as a punishment for not being "skinny enough" (whatever that means).

All in all, when it comes to working out do what you enjoy and do it for your heart, body, and mind.