4 Ways To Make Home Workouts More Pleasant

Home workouts have been popular with many people for years, but with the coronavirus outbreak, this once-niche preference became the norm. Unfortunately, while working out at home grew in popularity through sheer necessity, whether home workouts were actually enjoyable was another question. With further coronavirus restrictions seemingly on the horizon, refining the home workout experience has become all the more essential. In the past, we’ve provided advice on the workouts you might want to try, but for this piece, we’ll be focusing on the granular overall experience of working out at home - and how you can make it as pleasant as possible… 

#1 - Choose a space you don’t associate with relaxing

If at all possible, choose for your home workout space a part of your home that you don’t strongly associate with relaxation - such as your bedroom or living room. Instead, keep those spaces relaxation-only, and work out elsewhere; this can make it easier to get yourself ‘in the zone’ to work out, as you’re not attempting to be active in a room usually reserved for quiet, calm moments. 

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#2 - Increase the brightness 

Generally speaking, gyms tend to use very bright lights in their workout areas. Bright light is generally considered to help with mood and motivation in gyms, and it’s also helpful in ensuring that people can see what they are doing - so focusing on lighting can ensure you are able to replicate the same benefits in your home. Consider switching to bright, daylight LED bulbs in the space where you work out, and if working out during the day, pull curtains and roll blinds as far back as possible to ensure as much natural light is able to enter as possible. 

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#3 - Eliminate distractions

One of the major advantages of working out in a gym is that you’re completely separated from the world; there’s no obvious distractions or tasks that might derail you - instead, you can focus on working out, in a dedicated space, and nothing more. To improve your home gym experience, try to recreate the same atmosphere: try to pick a time of the day where your house is relatively quiet, read up on great workout playlists at the likes of womenshealth.com.au and then make your selection, don your headphones, and allow yourself to push all thoughts of chores or other home-related tasks to the back of your mind - just like you would if you were working out in a gym. 

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#4 - Perfect your post-workout routine

If you dislike the feeling of your personal space being used as a gym, being able to get back to your regular routine in record time can really help reduce this issue. When it comes to equipment you use while working out, make sure it has its own storage “home” that it can quickly be returned to; it’s best to avoid leaving equipment in the open if you can in order to avoid a sense that you’re somehow living at your gym. You can also consider optimising your post-workout routine; use a especially-absorbent towel from the likes of wovii.com to ensure you can dry off quickly from the shower, and prep anything you might want to eat post-workout before you work out - then, when you’re ready, you can just grab it quickly and return to your normal routine as soon as possible. 

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In conclusion

If you’re usually a gym-goer, switching to working out at home can be a tough transition, and the prospect of having to forgo your gym sessions for another six months (at best) is likely to be an unwelcome one. As a result, spending a little time working on your home workout experience - as advised above - could be beneficial: it might not be your preference, but with these small changes, home workouts can be optimised as far as possible.