Want to Try Exercising at Home? Here’s 4 Reasons Why Yoga Workouts at Home Are so Beneficial.
Have you ever found yourself making excuses when it comes to working out? Feeling like you’re ready to start exercising but not sure if you want to try a class? Not ready to pay all the money for a monthly membership?
Check out my blog below on how I pushed myself to continue to exercise and love it while working as a copywriter at home.
And while you’re at it, check out my other blogs on health and wellness topics. I love writing about trending topics and things that I’ve been trying out that make my life better mentally and physically.
My At Home Routine Starts with a Mirror
Have you ever felt like you want to hide your body behind baggy clothes? I’ve been there too.
In 2020, I was looking at myself in the mirror and just felt lost. I found myself looking at myself and thinking of hiding my body behind baggy clothes.
Between being stuck indoors, drinking too many lemon drop martinis, and downing myself in super unhealthy but “fun-to-make” recipes — I had lost my confidence.
I was turning 32, and at that point, felt that I wasn’t able to eat and drink the same because it was a lot harder to burn off those calories. Now, as I was looking in the mirror, it felt like someone was picking on me.
That someone was me.
Well, this mirror inner conversation was around December, which to most of us, is the time of the year when you reflect back on your previous year, and what could have gone differently.
Do you ever think how great it would be to have accomplished a goal that you set for yourself at the beginning of the year? That’s how I felt at this particular moment.
Well, we all know how 2020 went. It was a tragic and terrible year for many. Despite the woes of 2020, I felt optimistic as I looked in the mirror and knew that I could change how I felt. I could make a goal for 2021 and feel so much better about myself.
I had seen an app being advertised on tv. One of those famous fitness instructors was on there, and she was advertising a free fitness app that you could download on your phone, and then just get to it and work out from home.
When I was thinking of changes, that app popped up in my head. I knew it was time to make a change and start working out. I asked myself, “why not try it?” It’s at home, and that feeling of everyone watching you in class is nonexistent.
My whole life I had kinda worked out. What I mean is that every few months I’d try a class, I enjoyed hiking in the woods, biking, and more recently golfing with a cart…
In reality, I had no real workout routine.
My inner voice was telling me that just taking a course and sticking with it for a month would be good for me. So, I turned on my tv, went to Amazon Prime, and started a 30-day yoga challenge in December 2020, which is still available online if you want to give it a try!
Well, it was hard at first. I was so out of shape and had almost zero experience in yoga, but when I tell you how amazing I felt after every class, wow, it was an exceptional feeling.
I couldn’t even kneel to start the class, and just seeing how I progressed to having the flexibility to kneel was such an amazing and uplifting feeling. If you are a beginner, you can do this too!
It was the little things that kept me going, and after thirty days, I continued.
I set 15 to 40 minutes aside, rolled out my mat, and would start a full-on private class with my instructor. I didn’t even have to put makeup on. I made sure I had comfy clothes on, and my hair pulled back and got to work. Even if you don’t have the time, you could get this done quickly and still feel like you accomplished an effective workout.
It was so fun and I loved not feeling like my other classmates were judging me because I could barely lift a leg. There was something liberating about doing it on my own, and not feeling the social pressure of being in a crowded class as a beginner.
Fast forward two years later, and I’m still at it. I work out 3 to 5 times a week, and just stay consistent.
I do think it’s because I did an at-home workout. If I had to drive to the class, I think my social anxiety would’ve talked me out of it.
I truly think that if you’re interested in working out but haven’t gotten started yet, then these tips will help you reach your goals.
As promised, here are five reasons I think practicing at home is so beneficial.
Saving Money.
Did you know that the average yoga class is $15-$25 per class? Doesn't sound too bad unless you want to practice several times a week.
Imagine not having to pay a dime and still getting an exceptional workout.
There are many phone and tv apps out there that offer free programs and trials for you to try at home, such as Fit On, and Amazon Prime. If you’re a prime member, there are free workouts offered on their app. Also, most health insurance plans offer free workout programs as part of their health benefit programs. Just check out your plan benefits and see what they offer you.
According to a new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association:
Exercise can save people between $500 and $2,500 in medical bills every year.1
Tired of commuting and spending gas money? Well, you don’t have to spend anything when you’re working out at home. I’ve even brought my phone outside in the Summer and did yoga in my backyard while listening to the birds chirping.
Having a beach day? Roll out your towel and start the program on your phone. You’re already at the beach, so why not try to work out at get that beautiful and peaceful aesthetic while you're at it? Plus, it's free!
2. So Much Flexibility. So Much More time to Practice.
I walk downstairs and roll out my mat to start my practice.
There’s none of that extra time needed where I have to:
Get ready and look presentable
Sign in at the studio
Wait for my instructor to set up
Pack up and drive home.
I roll out my mat, press play on the video I’m working on, and then pack up and go upstairs to shower and start the rest of my routine.
It takes zero extra time out of my day and is so nice to just wake up and get moving. I don’t have an excuse because I’m already home and can see my yoga mat in the corner calling my name.
3. Your Studio Can Be Your Own Sacred Place for Yoga and Other Exercises.
There’s nothing more liberating than being able to set up your own space where you can work out.
Love candles? Light 'em up.
Want to have little pictures of your favorite nature spots sprinkled throughout your room? Hang 'em up.
Love having dim lights, and the room to be a cooler temperature? Turn the lights down and crank down that furnace.
You get the picture.
When you work out at home, you can set up your own sacred workout spot. You can decorate however you want to. It’s your own space to do what you want with it.
“The simple answer to that is that we could all benefit from a sacred space of our own — a safe haven to replenish, to rejuvenate, and to support who we are and who we are becoming.”2
Yoga Beginner? Move at Your Own Pace. You’re in charge of how you want your workout to go.
Are you not mastering the downward dog because your hips are aching, and you just want to try it without the pressure of being perfect? Well, when you’re at home, you’re able to do what you want without feeling the pressure of someone else in the room doing the best downward dog you’ve ever seen.
There is zero judgment because you can move at your own pace. If you need to take a breather, you won’t feel guilty or weird being the only one in the class to sit for a sec to grab a drink of water.
I love the feeling that I can do what I want with my practice because I’m at home. I’m pregnant, which means random peeing urges that feel like they just come out of nowhere. Instead of me having to hold it, or plan a perfect time to interrupt and run out of the room, I can press pause on my remote and run to the bathroom.
No interruptions, no anxiety about everyone watching me leave the room. It’s my house and I can do what I want. Kinda fun, huh?
The other part is you can choose how much time you want to practice. Your selection of classes is endless because you can update your app or choose a program for a specific time.
Only have 15 minutes? You can easily find a 15-minute class.
If you're just beginning your yoga practice, Teragawa suggests slotting in several shorter sessions multiple times a week over one long session once or twice each week:
“This will help you develop more consistency and get into the habit of recognizing how to honor yourself based on what your body needs each day. If you can make time to practice yoga at least three to five times per week, even if it's only for 30 minutes, most people will begin to reap the health benefits of their practice.”3
Feeling like you can move at your own pace is liberating.
4. There Are So Many Yoga Posture Alternatives That Your Loved Ones Can Join in Too!
I have a pug at home. When I used to commute to work and then go to work out, I’d leave my pup at home for a long time. I hate leaving her home alone.
Well, when I work out at home, she is snoring right next to me. She loves being on the couch watching and sleeping while I do my yoga poses. We almost work out together- especially when she’s in a playful mood and lays her toy right on the mat when I’m doing a sun salute pose. I love every minute.
And, for those of you that have kids, they have so many programs now that involve your kids too!
You can do a yoga class together, whether they are old enough to roll out their own mat or hold them as you do the moves. These are all options.
And, when you’re at home and the baby cries, you can press pause and soothe your crying baby. There’s no feeling of embarrassment or worry that you interrupted others’ workouts.
Want to spend more time with your significant other? Well, they can join in too. I’ve worked out with my husband many times, and we’ve enjoyed the time spent together at home. Who doesn’t love waking up, turning your coffee pot on, and doing some no-pressure yoga together on a Sunday morning while the coffee is brewing?
Whether you’re looking for a new routine, and feel you aren’t quite ready to be in front of a class, feeling the financial pressure of your workout classes, or just want to have the freedom to workout whenever you feel like it, at home workouts are worth the try.
Two years have gone by, and I’m still at it. I took a chance, and have still paid zero dollars to this day to work out, and love every minute of it.
What Are You Waiting For? Give an at Home Workout a Try!
A whopping 91% of yoga students and 86% of teachers continued their classes from home, more than double the number who had ever tried an online class before. Two and a half years on, there’s a new normal. Many studios have reopened and, much like office life, yoga has settled into a hybrid pattern that combines in-person and at-home practice. But look closer and it isn’t so new at all.4
Now I love my home workouts but know they might not be for everyone.
Definitely give it a shot, and if you realize you’d rather do hybrid classes and at-home workouts, that’s always an option too. There are many studios nowadays that offer in-person and virtual classes and some even do free classes, especially when they are training a new instructor.
I recommend trying both and seeing what you love the best.
Everyone is different, but if you’re like me and just want to try working out without the pressure of being in a class setting and paying for a class, give an at-home workout class a try. I really think you’ll love it.
And, how fun would it be to look back in two years, and notice how much your mind and body have transformed just from doing a few workouts a week in your living room? It's an awesome feeling.
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References:
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7955973/is-yoga-alone-a-good-enough-form-of-exercise/
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/oct/23/why-yoga-at-home-is-simple-fun-and-rewarding
