Pros and Cons of Working Out at Home

Amidst the global pandemic and widespread stay-at-home orders, we all had to switch up our fitness routines. That 7AM, fully-packed hot Yoga class or popular weekend Boxing class were quickly put on pause, giving everyone the opportunity to get more creative with their routines! I was so used to going to the gym and taking workout classes that I knew I had to do something to keep my body moving!

As a digital influencer, I realized that this was my time to share with my audience the workouts I’ve been doing at the fancy gyms and studios. Within the first week of lockdown, my favorite trainers and I collaborated on teaching 45-minute workouts on Instagram Live. I hosted the workout on my platform, and the experts, whom I’ve been working out with many years, taught the class! This way, my audience was able to experience the same workouts I did at no-cost and in the comfort of their own home! Through these Instagram Live workouts, I was able to connect with my audience on a deeper level, who were all going through the hardships of the pandemic.

I truly enjoyed working out from home and this inspired me even more to pursue my teacher training in Yoga and Pilates.

However, after a couple months of working out digitally, some days I missed going to the gym or studio and taking a fitness class. There’s something about feeling a sense of community and seeing people workout around you that motivates you to push harder. Also, a change of scenery, as opposed to the place you live, also spices things up. There are lots of pros in working out from home, as well as cons that I found. Here’s some that my team and I want to share with you!

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Let’s start with the pros:

1. Affordable – We’ve been working out at gyms or studios for years, so we’ve gotten pretty used to having that expensive gym membership fee hit our accounts every month or the $30 that we cough up every time we want to go to Soul Cycle. In recent years, the fitness industry has flourished, which is great, but it has also set a precedent of what fitness “should” look like. You know what we’re talking about: overpriced green juices, expensive workout classes, etc. While these things are all great, you definitely don’t need them to define yourself as healthy or fit. Working out from home is such an affordable and underrated option. All you need is a few pieces of equipment to get started. Our workout-from-home staples are resistance bands, a yoga mat, and small weights like these that Bala ankle and wrist weights. You can totally get a solid, sweaty workout routine going for very little cost. 
2. Accessible – As much as we love working out at gyms or studios, they can often be crowded and intimidating. When you workout from home, you only have yourself and your workout to focus on! Additionally, trying out new workout classes can sometimes be such a process that it is so much easier to just try out a quick, free video workout at home. One of my favorite at-home video course is Alo Yoga’s streaming website called Alo Moves, where you can get a 14-day free trial. I also take Zoom classes with some of my favorite trainers that I’ve met at the gym and the studios! Check them out here!
3. Time-Saver – Until quarantine, we never realized how time consuming a fitness routine can be. You drive 15-30 minutes to get to and from your workout, sometimes have to wait around for equipment you want to be available, etc. With working out from home, all you have to do is throw on some workout clothes and roll out your mat. A quick home workout makes fitness seem way more accessible and less of a time commitment than a gym or studio can be.
4. Less Risk – Since the pandemic, there has been a surge in keeping things clean and staying healthy. A gym is arguably one of the dirtiest areas with shared equipment, locker rooms, showers, and of course the inevitable sweating that comes with a workout. Of course, we recommend thoroughly wiping down your gym equipment before and after use, but we know that can be easier said that done. Working out from home helps you avoid potentially catching or worsening a sickness. On a positive note, we’re guessing gyms will have a lot more cleaning supplies once everything is up and running again.

And of course, there are some cons too:

1. Motivation – Something about being surrounded by other people striving for their fitness goals is so motivating. Even when we’re lacking our internal motivation, sometimes just being around other gym-goers or a passionate instructor can really get us amped to finish our workout. When you workout from home, it is a lot harder to find that external motivation when your internal motivation is lacking.
2. Less Equipment/Space – While we think you can do 75% of exercises at home with some small weights and resistance bands, there are simply some machines or weights you just won’t have access to at home. Sometimes we really just need that variety of accessibility to keep us motivated and interested.
3. Separation of Home and Work – Psychologically, it is good to segment your environments for the different parts of your life. For example, college students are told to not study in bed because it subconsciously makes their brain associate their bed with studying, inhibiting them from getting proper sleep. This is the same for a lot of areas of your life. During quarantine, it was hard to not be able to separate our home, work, and fitness spaces because they were all packed in one. Being able to mentally separate our environments is good for productivity and motivation. 

So while we are excited to get back to the gym, we definitely loved the accessibility and convenience that working out from home allows. Cheers to creating new and healthy habits, whatever that looks like for you!

What do you guys think? Will you all continue to workout from home or are you antsy to get back into the gym?

Let us know in the comments!

xoxo

Team Arika