The Gym You Never Realised You Had

We all know the importance of keeping fit, both physically and mentally, but it's not always possible to be able to get out, either to the gym or perhaps outside for a quick run or bike ride. Sometimes it's a case of not having the time or maybe not owning the right equipment. The good news is there has never been more information available about how to obtain or maintain a healthy body inside the comfort of where you live!

You're the only 'Gym Equipment' you need!

With 99% of the UK population having access to the internet, there are plenty of resources to find out ways in which you can keep active without needing to take a step outside the front door, or even a need to open your wallet. We've rounded up a selection of online resources to help you get started at the bottom of this article.

Great amounts of gains don't need great amounts of space

For the majority of us, space at home is often at a premium, even when we're not looking at taking up a new hobby or fitness regime. The good news is that you can still keep your body in shape without having to think about making massive changes to your home environment.

Taking your available space into consideration will mean you will know which activities and exercises you'll be able to commit to regularly, meaning you can keep a good routine going and build up your fitness. Perhaps dedicate a space so that you can save time each day by having what you need ready to go – a rolled out yoga mat, or what you might use for weights already laid out.

Adapt your routine, don't create a new one

Set out a time of the day that will complement your routine, if you’re a morning person then perhaps it’d be first thing, whereas if you feel yourself flagging in the afternoon you might find a lunchtime workout could help to improve your energy levels.

Don't overcommit your time

Saying that you'll work out every day sounds better than saying you'll try to work out at least twice a week, but everyone has commitments and priorities that can't always be moved or dropped completely. Setting realistic targets will give you a better sense of achievement than ones that, when you think about it, aren't sustainable or achievable in the long run.

Stave off boredom and switch it up

By using your home to exercise it’s easy to fall into doing repeated exercises that, over time, stop being rewarding mentally and physically. When you find yourself feeling like this about an exercise - find one that works the same group of muscles but is different. 

Useful links

Below is a small collection of home workouts you can choose to do, either in one day or over the week.

The NHS Strength and Fitness Plan

Stretching over five-weeks and delivering a focus on strength and flexibility, the NHS Strength and Fitness Plan is designed to gradually build up the workload in a bite-size way delivered through podcasts. 

Self's 20-Minute No-Equipment Total Body Workout

A time-flexible workout routine that can be stretched out if you have longer to commit or can remain fixed into twenty minutes that delivers a full-body workout.  If some of the exercise names leave you scratching your head – they are all shown with bullet-point instructions and GIFs further down the page!

Move It Monday Routine by StriveHere.com

Ten exercises that can be completed in just under an hour, broken down into individual videos so that you can take on the challenge of improving your fitness in bite-size chunks.