Working out at home with gyms closed

As I start to get restless and anxious, I’m trying to focus my energy on wellness and self care. If you read my earlier write-up on fitness, you would know working out is my meditation. For some people it’s yoga and breathing exercise but for me its intense, sweaty workout.

Before COVID, I was a gym junkie and always thought I needed a group of people to be around to be motivated to workout. I paid $170 every month to go to a boutique gym near my house to get a good workout…

Well not anymore. The new normal with shelter-in-place has proven that I don’t need to be surrounded by people to get a good workout. I have been working out at home for the past month with limited assistance from online workouts option, and actually enjoying it.

There are so many options and workout plans out there. It’s overwhelming. Here are my two-cents: Pick one platform/workout type, find a time in your routine that you’ll be able to incorporate a workout, and just be consistent. Easier said than done, but it shouldn’t be too bad to try, right?

What have I been doing?

This is a list of home workout essentials that I have personally bought and recommend.

Schedule

I workout 3–4 days a week and take rest days in between workouts. For example, last week I worked out on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, and rested the other 3 days. This obviously varies by week. Note that I have been working out for years, so four days a week might be too much for someone who is just starting out.

I add workout placeholders to my calendars, which helps me organize and prioritize workout schedule.

Workout Type

I do HIIT training that includes weight-lifting, body-weight and interval running. My go-to option is Orangetheory home workouts and HIIT workout hosted by Google fitness coaches. Orangetheory and Google HIIT workout are actually pretty similar.

I have a treadmill at home so I try to run 5K the days I workout. I either build my own intervals using IntervalTimer app or follow iFit workout.

Activity besides HIIT training

I am not as active as I was before COVID, so I bought a DeskCycle so that I can bike while sitting at my desk. I bike 15–30 miles per day. This substitutes the daily walk and activity that I don’t get to do during quarantine.

Workout Resources

YouTube workouts

What not to love about YouTube workouts? It’s free with countless number of options available. Sharing two of my favorite channels that I follow regularly.

Orangetheory posts daily workout during lockdown. This is my go-to HIIT workout (besides running).

Chloe Ting‘s YouTube is favorite among teens and younger audience. My daughter loves following her workouts. I personally can’t relate to her.

Workout Apps

I compiled a list of six companies offering free access to its workouts during the times of shelter-in-place. I am really liking the Nike training app. It has tons of options to choose from. I was excited to try Peloton but their iOS app seems to have a bug.

1. @niketraining Free ($14.99 before)
2. @onepeloton free 90 days trial.
3. @dailyburn free for first 60 days
4. @corepoweryoga free access to 200 classes
5. @snapfitness free for first 90 days
6. @goldsgym free access to app workouts until end of May

Fitness Inspiration on Instagram

I follow quite a few fitness related accounts on Instagram, It keeps me motivated especially during days when I don’t feel like getting out of my couch and then I will see someone on Instagram doing a kick-ass workout that would inspire me to get going.

That being said, you have to be motivated from within. No one else can do what you can do for yourself. Discipline > Motivation because Motivation is subjective — Discipline is not.

• vatcheshakarian and the.perfectdiet talk about nutrition in a very educated way.
• Annavictoria and emilyskyefit have workout plans. I haven’t tried the workout plans but I follow them for inspiration. Both are currently pregnant and it’s amazing to see how their bodies change before and after pregnancy.
• kayla_itsines and kelseywells also have workout plans. but I personally don’t see myself relate to them as much, possibly due to their body types. They are naturally skinny so it’s hard to put myself in their shoes. Regardless, their accounts are inspirational.
• sfm_fitness is a hijabi fitness blogger and her home workouts are mind blowing. I mainly follow her for inspiration.
• iwillgetlean is my new favorite. She is brown. She is in tech. She is based in Seattle. And she has a body that I can 100% relate to. She posts free workouts on YouTube and Instagram.

Nutrition

Notice I didn’t talk about nutrition in the entire blog because that’s a whole other topic and can not be covered in one blog. If you are serious about fitness, then nutrition should be a big part of your journey. Remember that fitness is 80% nutrition and 20% workout.

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