Fitness - July 10, 2020

How to Stay Fit Without a Gym

back view of white fitted lululemon jacket
front view of lululemon white vest, black leggings, and black sports bra

With everything that’s been going on and most gyms shut down for the past few months, I thought this was a really timely subject to talk about. A lot of places have reopened depending where you live, but I know a lot of you are still working out at home. Personally, I’ve been back to my gym a few times, but not gonna lie, it still feels a little weird. So as you’ve seen on Insta, I’m still doing a lot of workouts at home! I’ve honestly enjoyed it a lot (even before coronavirus) and don’t plan to stop anytime soon.

With all of that said, I thought I’d share a few tips with y’all for staying fit without a gym! It’s definitely different, especially if you’re not used to it, but 100% possible! Let me know what y’all think and PLEASE share if you have things to add!

close up of lululemon black and white workout leggings and vest outfit

brighton keller stretching wearing lululemon outfit featuring vest, sports bra, and leggings

staying fit without a gym - running bleachers for cardio
fitted white jacket with leggings
black crop tank with high waisted leggings
lululemon high waisted grey leggings
tuck jump lululemon crop leggings and tank with blue sports bra

lululemon crop leggings and tank with blue sports bra

black tank and blue sports bra with high waisted leggings

1. Create a dedicated space in your home

I totally get not everyone has a whole extra room just for working out in, but I think it’s important to have a dedicated spot in your house where you workout. Whether it’s in the living room in front of the TV, your bedroom – wherever! Just always go to that same space so your mind knows when you’re in that area with your mat, bands and dumbells (the three most important items to have in my experience), it’s time to get your sweat on! I have two spaces I always go to workout – our basement living room or our patio depending on the weather. It’s kinda like playing a trick on your mind LOL. But it works!

2. Skip equipment

Kinda an oxymoron to the equipment I just suggested, but sometimes you don’t need ANYTHING to workout! You can have a really great workout using just your body weight. This is especially amazing when traveling. Do intervals, like 30 seconds of the following 5x in a row: burpees, squats, push-ups, jumping jacks. Or, follow a yoga YouTube video and be amazed at how sore you can be from just using body weight.

3. Find a program

If you follow along on Instagram, you know I fell in love with Megan Roup last year and her dance classes (not to mention learning TikTok dances). The biggest key to making at-home workouts successful is finding something you like! Without that little bit of excitement, you might find yourself trying to do a workout in your living room and then get distracted after 5 minutes… or give up. I have friends who use the Tone It Up girls workouts and have really loved some of their stuff or Melissa Wood Health. I’ve also heard good things about the Nike app and personally used to do BBG, which I still think is a great option. Or, you can always just follow along with my little mini workout series on Insta!

4. Compete

If you’re super competitive this could provide some fun motivation! Using a Fitbit or Apple Watch – or even a fitness app on your phone – you can challenge friends, family, coworkers, whoever, to a weekly competition. Since I forget to get up while working from home so often, I love being in competition (or even just being held accountable) with friends to MOVE more often. See who can walk the most each week until the new year and decide on presents the winner gets each week. Loser has to pay for healthy smoothies after your next workout! ;)

5. Bike or Walk

Y’all know I’m ALL about walking!! In fact, biking and walking are SUCH underrated workouts. Duncan and I walk CONSTANTLY. I used to bike around my neighborhood in Dallas a lot too – I need to get back into that!  But I absolutely LOVE walking with a friend and catching up instead of “grabbing coffee or drinks” (especially right now since you can’t sit down at a lot of places). When in doubt, and you do not feel like moving, just go on a walk!

6. Schedule it

I used to be SO much better about doing this. My friends and I would schedule days and times and all do BBG together. But the point is, treat your workout like any other appointment or obligation and make a point to SHOW UP. Have your workout picked out ahead of time, your clothes ready to go and just do it. I love taking the guessing game out of what fitness routine I’ll do that day or when I’ll fit it in. I’m the queen of putting my workout clothes on with the intention of working out later and then never actually moving my body, so the fewer excuses, the better.

Hopefully y’all found this helpful if you’ve been struggling with an at-home workout routine. The biggest thing is to just get into a routine with it and before you know it it’ll just be a regular part of your day!