Exercising at Home & Tips to Stay Motivated
Things were going great. You hit your stride with your full body gym workout and weight loss plan, and you felt happy and healthy.
Then Bam, COVID-19.
Many women experienced an abrupt change to their routines in 2020. Overnight, the gyms they relied on for their total body workout, exercise motivation, and camaraderie closed, leaving them to figure out a new workout plan. All this while juggling working from home, schools closing, and the overarching stress of a global pandemic.
We need to be prepared and flexible with our workout plans. At-home workouts like MyCurves On Demand can help women stay active and on-track to achieve their fitness goals while they are homebound, but without the in-person support and accountability, some may find it difficult to keep workout motivation high.
To stay motivated, first, count your blessings. We are lucky to live in a time when at home workouts alternatives like MyCurves On Demand are an option. Secondly, remember now is a more important time than ever to stay healthy and in shape. A regular workout routine not only keeps you on track with your weight loss and fitness relationship goals, it also keeps your body healthy. Engaging in a full body workout at home will also boost mental health, helping to calm anxiety and prevent depression in the wake of the current uncertainty.
Here are some of the most important reasons you should stay active with an at-home workout:
A full body workout at home will keep your weight under control.
An at home workout will keep your weight loss and fitness momentum going strong, so you’ll be in great shape for when life gets back to normal.
A consistent workout routine will benefit your emotional health.
We’ve all heard about those feel-good endorphin boosts rushing your system after a great strength training workout. Did you know that working out consistently can help reduce stress and lower anxiety, too? When stress and anxiety are soaring to an all-time high, prioritizing a whole-body workout is more important than ever.
An at-home workout will boost your immune system.
We need strong immunity more than ever right now. Regular exercise increases your immunity in several different ways. For one, aerobic exercise helps flush bacteria out of your lungs, lowering your chances of getting sick. Exercise also speeds circulation of white blood cells and antibodies, which helps them identify and attack invading bacteria and viruses more quickly. And the rise in body temperature your body experiences during exercise may act like a fever, helping your body fight off infection. Regular physical activity also reduces stress, and emotional stress is a known threat to immunity. 1
Regular strength training will maintain muscle mass.
By continuing to work out at home, you’ll preserve the muscle tone you gained from your previous in-person gym workout.
Sticking with an at-home workout will help you sleep.
Most of us have had at least one or two sleepless nights since COVID hit. Staying active will help you fall asleep and stay asleep when it’s time for bed.2
In addition to keeping these reasons to exercise in the back of your mind as workout motivation, it’s important to tailor at-home workouts to a plan that works for you. Here’s how:
Add workouts to your calendar.
To stick with your at-home workouts like you would if you were exercising at the gym, schedule them. Put them in your calendar just as you do appointments and zooms.
Ask your friends and family members to hold you accountable.
You may not have your Curves workout buddies sweating it out next to you, but you can enlist friends and family members to encourage and remind you to exercise. Try asking a friend or family member to join you for your at-home workout.
Keep up with your exercise and fitness goals.
When setting goals, use the SMART criteria to keep workout motivation high. Make goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-sensitive. 3
Challenge yourself.
During your Curves in-person workouts, surely there were times when you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone in the circuit or a class. Do the same at home. Remind yourself of the positive benefits of exercise and how good you feel after your full body workout.
Stay on track with your healthy eating plan, too.
Exercise and diet go hand in hand. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is with a combination of a full body workout and weight loss eating plan. Curves Nutrition and Weight Management Program can support you along the way. You’ll get delicious recipes, balanced meal plans, and education to help build healthy habits for life. Ask your Curves Coach about the Curves Nutrition Program today!
Keep things interesting with Curves Classes.
As part of MyCurves On Demand, you’ll get access to the same specialty classes you took in person at Curves—Boxing, Cardio, Body Basics, and Balance. 4
Hire a Coach to keep you accountable.
If you’ve struggled to find a good personal trainer or the expense was too much to maintain, look no further than Curves to provide all the motivation and support you need. If you are a member of Curves women’s gym, you get a certified Curves Coach at each full body workout session, included with your membership. With Curves dual program membership, you can workout in the club or online with MyCurves On Demand and have your coaching session in-club or virtually. If there’s no Curves near you, MyCurves On Demand + Group Coaching offers the same great support with a weekly virtual group lifestyle coaching session with a live Curves Coach. Together you’ll set goals, celebrate successes and be surrounded by a supportive community of women getting stronger together.
Work out whenever you want.
The beauty of an at-home workout plan is that you can exercise whenever it fits into your schedule, be it in the afternoon while your kids are napping or on a zoom, first thing in the morning, or at midnight.
Create a designated workout space.
To make your at-home workout routine feel more like a workout at the gym, create a spot in your home where you can comfortably do your exercise routine. If you are doing MyCurves On Demand, keep your resistance band and any other equipment you want to use in the same place, so it’s ready to go whenever you are.
One of the biggest motivators when it comes to a workout plan is the routine. When you get into a rhythm with your full body workout, it becomes self-perpetuating. If something breaks that routine—like coronavirus—you can easily become derailed.5
By staying on track with your full body workout with a quality at-home program like MyCurves On Demand, you’ll keep your body and mind healthy, so you’ll be ready to jump back into your women’s gym again as soon as you can. 6
The Curves women’s gym workout is convenient, combining strength training and cardio plus stretching – all in just 30 minutes – to strengthen your whole body. For more information about Curves and the full body workouts the Curves Circuit provides, visit ‘Why Curves’.
Sources:
