Why Can it be So Hard to Stay Consistent with Home Workouts?
Working out at home offers a convenience everyone can appreciate, especially for those of us who don’t like sharing sweaty gym equipment with annoying strangers. Even more so when flu season strikes and you’re doing everything in your power to avoid that dreaded lurgy!
One of the key challenges with keeping fit at home is staying consistent, if you’ve ever started a home fitness routine only to stop after a few weeks, you’re not alone. Here’s why it happens and what you can do about it!
No Accountability
At the gym or fitness class, the environment, trainers or gym buddies can help keep you accountable. Once you have made the trip, sat in traffic, got changed and made it to the gym you’re going to feel embarrassed to walk out after a 5 minute walk on the treadmill! At home you might only have your curious cat keeping tabs on your workout commitments which makes it far easier to skip or cut it short.
Solution: Working-out with an accountability buddy is a really helpful way to stick to your structure, they don’t need to be there in person but check in before and after your workout to keep each other driven to stick to a pre-agreed routine.
Social media can be really helpful for this, even if you only have 5 followers, state your mission before you start your new workout schedule and then check in with a post after every workout. There’s numerous groups on platforms like Facebook setup for just this purpose. Use an app like Strava or even just the built in Health app on iPhones to upload your workout, you can easily share these workouts to your chosen social media profile(s).
When you post your mission give the reasons why you’re doing this, it will help even more with your accountability. Don’t forget to tag us so we can keep a tabs on your journey! @space__gym__official
Lack of Structure & Life Getting in the Way
it’s all too easy to skip or “reschedule” a workout when you don’t have a strict routine. Without the obligation of showing up at a gym class or meeting a trainer, workouts can feel like an optional task- easily cast aside for other duties or put off due to fatigue or busy work schedule.
Solution: Schedule your workout as you would an important appointment. Block the time in your calendar or set an alarm on your phone and stick to it, your post workout endorphins, energy levels and satisfaction always make it worth while.
Mindset is paramount, have a last minute business trip? No problem, pack your SpaceGym in the car and use in the hotel room.
Home Distractions
Our homes are full of distractions, kids, pets, household chores and that bingeworthy Netflix series you can’t shake! Distractions are one of the major reasons we struggle to stick to focus on a workout session.
Solution: Set up a dedicated workout space. Even if it’s just a corner of a room, making a dedicated space helps signal to your brain that it’s workout time. If you don’t have the luxury of a spare corner for this then at least store your fitness mat/trainers somewhere obvious (next to the TV works for me) to guilt trip yourself into prioritising your health and fitness. Our home lives have become so distracted with social media apps and unlimited TV content, it’s more important than ever to build a structure into our daily routine. Not only for fitness but for meal preparation, sleep routines etc.
Equipment Constraints
People can often feel limited by the lack of equipment at home, fooling yourself into thinking you won’t get a “real workout” without that expensive new gizmo in the gym is another way to talk yourself out of a workout.
Solution: Invest in a versatile equipment, like our SpaceGym which offers a wide range of exercises, providing a complete and varied workout without taking up any space. This will help prevent the boredom associated with mundane and restricted workouts like an exercise bike or rowing machine (and uses much less space).
Unrealistic Expectations
If you expect instant visual results, it can be easy to get discouraged and give up. Many will give up if they don’t see instant results, this applies to any fitness regime be it at the gym or running around the park.
Solution: Focus on progress, not perfection. Remember, what you see in the mirror is only a small reason why to workout. Take note of how great you feel after every session, how it has improved your sleep, you likely feel less stressed or anxious and generally happier on those days you had a workout!
Remember to celebrate small wins and be sure to monitor your diet to maximise the benefit of all that hard work.
Lack of Variety
Doing the same workout every day can and will lead to boredom which make it even tougher to stay consistent.
Solution: Rotate between different types of exercises or challenge yourself with new routines. One of the wonderful things about SpaceGym is that you can schedule a different workout almost everyday, better still it’s compact and light enough to put in the garden or take to the park and have a change of scenery while getting some fresh air!
Final Thoughts
Staying consistent with home workouts is challenging, but understanding the common obstacles and finding solutions can make all the difference. The key is to build a routine, eliminate distractions, and use equipment that keeps things engaging, like SpaceGym. Most importantly, remember that every bit of effort counts!
Handy links:
Strava app for community-powered motivation