A lot of people have a difficult time staying motivated to exercise at home, especially with gyms being closed… there being no sports or activities… not having family or friends nearby… and a house full of snacks. So what are we going to do?
There are a ton of different things that you can do in the comfort of your own living room, bedroom, backyard, wherever it may be, that can keep you moving and even increase your heart rate. You can even video chat with your friends to help them stay motivated in working out and staying active as well!
So why is it so important that you want your heart rate to increase? Well, it’s because as our heart rate increases, that means that we are burning calories and fat (YAY). Increasing your heart rate looks different to everyone.
To some, this may look like running/jogging on the treadmill or elliptical, lifting weights, walking your dog, following a workout video, or even doing interval training. Raising your heart rate can look different to everyone, and it all depends on what you enjoy doing and what motivates you!
When choosing an exercise program or routine, you do want to make sure that it is something you enjoy (or at least see the benefit of). If you make it fun or are able to involve close friends to do it with you, you feel more motivated to actually go out there and burn the calories!
Exercising can be both challenging and fun (and yes… at the same time). But you also want to make sure that it is appropriate for your current activity level. Don’t feel like you need to run 5 miles right off the bat, or lift weights that you were lifting back in High School or College. Make sure that you are starting off easy, and then make the proper adjustments and progressions from there.
So A Few Simple Things That You Can Do At Home To Get Your Heart Rate Up Are:
- 1) Increase your pace - whether you are on the treadmill, elliptical, or walking around your neighborhood.
- 2) See your staircase as exercise - attempt walking up them only on your toes or try challenging yourself with how many times you’re able to go up and down them before resting.
- 3) Interval training - do various exercises (lunges, squats, bicep curls, etc) for 30 second spans, and 10 second rest breaks in between.
- 4) Spring cleaning - turn on some good music to help you focus and increase your heart rate while mopping, vacuuming, dusting, or cleaning your bathroom.
It is recommended that you do at least 30 minutes of exercise, 5 times per week. So make sure that this is a routine or activity that you actually enjoy doing, or even change it up each day by making a different goal to achieve so that it doesn’t become so mundane.
If you feel ‘obligated’ to do the exercise, then you won’t have your mind into it and you won’t be able to give it your full potential or attention. So find something fun, or find someone to do the exercise with, to make the time more enjoyable.
Exercise is very important for your livelihood. You want to make sure that you are staying active and moving, even during times like these where everything is shut down. While it does make it more difficult to get out and do the things that we typically would do, it opens opportunities to try out new things!
What new things have you tried? I’d love to hear how you are successfully staying active at home.
Need a little inspiration?
Take a look at this morning routine guided by Colton. It’s a great way to start your day out right!
https://preferredptaz.com/daily-morning-routine/
Get up and get moving!
During her clinical rotations, Hannah had the opportunity to work under Nick Hunter (here at Preferred Physical Therapy) as a student. During her rotation, she had the chance to work with patients of all ages, from only a few months old, to patient’s celebrating a birthday in their 90’s. As much as she loved these experiences, she found herself being drawn towards an outpatient clinics where she is able to work with individuals motivated to return to their favorite activities, or even find ease with their daily routine.
In her spare time, Hannah loves spending time with her fiancé, Matt, old high school friends, and her family. She loves to do anything outdoors, play sports, watch movies and being able to catch up with loved ones.
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