No Gym, No Problem: Getting in Shape When You Can’t Go Out
You may think that since you can’t get to the gym you need to forfeit an awesome workout, but that’s not true. When I lowered my cholesterol from 288 to 189 and got in great shape, I was doing my workouts at home. And it only took me six months!
Working out at home has definite advantages. The obvious one being, you don’t need to leave your house. I know there are a lot of distractions at home that can derail your training, but anything worthwhile is going to require discipline.
My Workouts
My workouts are very basic. I don’t like being bogged down with trying to figure out technical details or some workout routine that requires 30 minutes of research just to be able to do — that makes me not want to workout.
So if uncomplicated and straight-forward is what you like too, read on!
Index Cards
I know it sounds elementary, but index cards simplify working out like nothing else I have found. The reason index cards are awesome is because they’re cheap and you can make them whatever you want them to be. They really take the guesswork out of exercising. Here’s an example of my first index card.
What’s on the Card?
On my cards I write down the exercises and number of reps or time for each. I number each card in the upper right so that I can easily choose a different card from yesterday. The amount of time the card takes me is in parenthesis (15 min.) on the bottom right.
Since this was my first card, I neglected to write down the weight for the curls, triceps, and obliques. However, that’s what’s so great! The cards give room for adjustments, so as you learn what works you can modify the cards. Plus, since everything is already written down, you’re automatically keeping track of progress and that’s a great motivator!
Basic Doesn’t Equal Ineffective
While my workouts consist of basic exercises that I assume most people know, please don’t confuse “basic” with “easy”. In 15 minutes you can get an incredible workout done. If you feel like doing more, you can either do a second round of the same card or choose two different cards.
The key for me is simplicity. When I decide to workout, all I need to do is grab a card, turn on my music playlist, and get my phone timer up.
How Many Cards Do I Need?
I have about 15 cards. Having plenty of cards to choose from is important because it keeps you from getting bored and also makes sure you’re working lots of different muscles. Just make sure that you pick exercises you don’t mind doing.
What Exercises Should I Do?
If you can’t think of exercises to put on the cards, then I suggest searching for different exercises, such as yoga, finding an instructor you like, and choosing exercises from them that you enjoy.
Exercise Ideas
I have been following Zuzka Light for a very long time. She’s really great. Her exercises are interesting and effective. She has beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts. You can find a lot of her videos here as well. She has both body-weight workouts and workouts that require equipment. Her book is also full of great info and worth checking out.
I don’t exercise along with her, just because I find it hard to follow a video and concentrate on what I’m supposed to be doing. However, I use some of the exercises from her workouts on my cards. And watching her videos really motivates me to get moving and improve.
Yoga
I would love to get into yoga, but haven’t yet. I’ve heard that Yoga with Adriene is very good. So check her out if yoga interests you.
You Can Do It!
Even if you don’t jive with the index cards, I encourage you to find some exercises that you love and do them. The more I exercise, the more I enjoy it. I believe the same will be true for you.
Remember, it’s the small steps made consistently that get you to your goal!
