Exercise is more than a path to fitness for many – its a part of everyday life, with 61.4% of people physically active in the UK. Fitness has measurable physical and mental health benefits, from reduction of heart disease risk to help with depressive disorders.
But gyms are not immediately accessible to everyone. Whether you’re a new mum on maternity leave, a stay-at-home parent or a remote-worker spending hours a day at your desk from home, you might not have the time or ability to get out of the house or down to your local fitness centre. Luckily, exercising at home with a gym software is entirely possible, and can keep you just as fit as if you were curling weights at the gym. Here are some simple ways you can bring fitness into the home, and keep on top of your health without breaking the bank.
Home Exercise Equipment
One of the primary ways to circumvent regular visits to the gym is to bring the gym into your home. There are some items of fitness equipment that give you the opportunity to enjoy a full workout without leaving your front door. A pull-up bar is a simple non-invasive installation to help you engage your arms and shoulders, while all-in-one gym racks can give you a comprehensive array of exercise possibilities.
Buying into at-home exercise can seem like a scarily expensive endeavour at first glance, but it is easy to keep expenditure on the down-low. NHS workers can make use of Argos NHS discounts to greatly reduce the cost of equipment, while less exclusive discounts are frequently available at the end of each season. Second-hand gym equipment is also a great shout for those new to fitness, being an inexpensive way to get the right start.
Exercising Without Equipment
Of course, you might not have the space for a full set of dumbbells or a squat-rack, necessitating a smarter approach to exercise. Thankfully – while equipment can make your life much easier when it comes to exercise, and can allow to reach certain fitness goals where going without could prove difficult – it is entirely possible to exercise and train without a single auxiliary item. Body-weight training enables you to engage and work out muscle groups through simple repetitive exercises, from planks and push-ups to crunches and jumping jacks.
You could even sign up to online classes in body-weight training or yoga, where you can follow tutored regimens for a more guided approach to your exercise journey. Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you need to go it alone!
Exercise and Everyday Life
Lastly, exercise does not need to be an isolated portion of your day. Many of your average day-to-day tasks are a form of exercise already, and if approached as such could be a useful way to keep yourself active in what would normally be a sedentary time. Incorporate lunges into your house dusting session, or carry out squats while cleaning your windows. Once you’ve unlocked the idea of coupling household tasks with exercise, the possibilities are endless.