Health.com
Working out at home is convenient, but if you're not careful, it's easy to phone it in. After all, the only person holding you accountable while you exercise in your living room is yourself! Don't fall into that trap—read our tips on what you should do to work out smarter at home.
Snack early. Exercising on an empty stomach can make you want to stop before you start, while sweating it out on a full one can also dampen workout goals. Eat something with simple carbs and a little protein before you change into your workout clothes so your stomach will have a few minutes to digest before you begin. We like these pre-workout snack ideas for the morning.
Know what you're going to do. Don't waste precious time deliberating about your workout for the day. Queue up the DVD, bookmark the website, or plan out your circuit before the morning so you don't have to spend minutes you could be exercising trying to figure out how to do it. You should also lay out your clothes and equipment beforehand and pick up any clutter in your workout area so you don't waste time on the hunt.
Don't rush. A quick workout is fine every once in awhile, but if your at-home workout is your exercise of choice, making it consistently challenging is the way to see results. It can be easy to choose a few extra minutes of sleep over a workout when you don't have a gym class schedule you have to follow, but don't give in to the snooze button so much that your daily workout becomes just a few prework minutes.
Mix it up. Cold days can mean weeks working out at home, so don't neglect one part of your fitness routine in favor of the workout that's most convenient or easiest for you to do at home. Your fitness routine should include a mix of cardio, strength training, and stretching—and you should keep a few different types of workouts on hand so you can switch it up throughout the week. Here are a few home workout ideas to try:
- Quiet video workouts that won't disturb your neighbors
- Workouts that use equipment you've already got at home
- An at-home yoga workout to build a bikini body
This article originally appeared on POPSUGAR.com