Are you trying to find ways on how you can burn calories without burning your wallet? There are plenty of ways you can do home exercises and burn the calories just as effectively as you could in the gym, all while staying safe and saving money.
Before you start your home workout, you should know how to get started as well as the precautions to take.
How much should you exercise?
First, let’s set up the basics. How often should you exercise? The answer depends on the type of exercises you do.
- Try to complete at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week. If you do intense cardio, you can lower it to 75 minutes weekly. That works out to three 50-minute sessions a week, or five 30-minute sessions weekly.
- Include strength training at least two to three times a week.
Don’t let these timelines scare you – if you can’t do it all at once, break it up. Even just 10 minutes of cardio at a time helps, just make sure you do it several times a day to reach your goal.
Cardio Workouts at Home
Cardio workouts are perhaps the easiest workouts to get in at home. Why? You don’t need any equipment. Cardio exercise can be any of the following:
- Jumping rope
- Dancing
- High knees
- Jogging in place
- Jumping jacks
- Burpees
- Mountain climbers
Strength Training
Strength training is crucial to build muscle mass, prevent muscle loss, and keep up your flexibility. Again, you don’t need expensive equipment or to go to a gym. Strength training at home can be done with your own body weight or with the help of a resistance band.
Some of the best strength training home exercises to start with include:
- Squats
- Lunges
- Planks
- Push-ups
- Crunches
The key is to take it slow and keep it simple. You don’t want to rush into a workout if it’s been a while since you’ve done one.
Combining Cardio and Strength Training
Once you get used to basic strength training and have some cardio endurance, you can combine the two workouts, creating your own HIIT program. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. In this workout, you combine your favorite cardio and strength training moves.
You do each workout for 45 seconds to one minute, rest for 15 seconds and then move onto the next exercise in the series. For example, if you’re combining squats, crunches, jumping jacks, and high knees, you’d do 45 seconds of each exercise, resting 15 seconds in between each. Repeat the circuit as many times as necessary to complete a 15 to 20-minute workout.
Home exercises are easy to implement and give you the flexibility you need to work out when it’s convenient for you. There’s no need to worry about gym hours, gym fees, or staying healthy during these trying times. When you work out at home, you continue to build up your strength, keep your immune system strong, and also improve your mental health.
By Kim Pinnelli