If you think maintaining fitness starts and stops at the gym, you need to think again. While going to those establishments is all well and good, they're not the be-all and end-all when it comes to keeping physically (at times, even mentally) fit. Sure, they have the fancy equipment, the trainers who can keep you on track, and other amenities to make working out a luxurious experience. But at the end of the day, what's most important is you and how you feel. And you can keep fit just as well at home as you do in any gym.
THE BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS
Let's start by stressing the benefits of physical fitness. You'd think many people would know these by now, but alas, there's still too much focus on physical appearance than overall physical fitness. Yes, having a ripped body is a top-notch benefit of physical fitness, but you shouldn't exclusively focus on that.
According to Healthline, the best benefits of physical fitness range from increasing your daily dose of energy to even stabilizing your mental health. So as you work hard to keep your body in check, you're also stabilizing your mind as well. In fact, they even went as far as to say your memory and brain activity improve as well. Let's say you're doing push-ups at home. With every push, you're not only adding muscle to your body, but you're also stimulating your brain enough to let it function properly. In essence, maintaining fitness goes way beyond your physique.
EXERCISE IS STILL EXERCISE OUTSIDE THE GYM
Now, it's important to highlight that exercising is still exercising even when you do it outside the gym. You may have conditioned yourself, after years and years of gym memberships, that the only way to really work out is to be in the gym. Nope! Working out at home, or in any place for that matter, is just as effective.
However, Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel stressed that you'll need to go about your work-out differently at home than when in the gym. For instance, since you won't have standard gym equipment at home, you'll have to get creative with what you use. When it comes to lifting, the best thing you have is your own body weight. But beyond the usual push-ups, you can also hang a broom by a pathway to use it for pull-ups. No barbells? No problem! Phonebooks are good for a start. The more you stack up, the better! So are filled up water gallons, whether you lift one at a time or connect two together to a stick. Ultimately, the possibilities are endless, so use them!
THE CONVENIENCE OF A HOME WORKOUT BEYOND YOUR BODY
The benefits of exercising at home go way beyond your own physical well-being. VeryWellFit noted that a good home workout saves you a lot of time and money. Firstly, you don't have to spend a single cent on gym membership fees, which are becoming more and more expensive as you spend more time in the gym. Even better is that you can use your extra saved money to improve your diet. Now, you no longer use the “it’s more expensive” excuse for not going for a more nutritional food plan.
In terms of time, you wouldn't need to spend countless minutes choosing what to wear, packing your gym bag, and then driving or walking to the gym. When you exercise at home, you'll only need to put on your sweats and you're good to go. Think about it: right after waking up, just a quick change of clothes and you can start exercising! This way, you're starting your day with more energy and a stronger body.
Though perhaps the biggest argument against home workouts is that you're more likely to get lazy, that's merely up to you. But think of it this way: when you do get around to working out at home, it only proves you have more discipline in avoiding the temptation of lazying around. The fact that you chose to exercise while you can simply rest and lie around proves your dedication to maintaining your fitness and becoming a better you!
THE MENTAL BENEFITS OF HOME WORKOUTS
More than just physical fitness, a home workout can also improve your mental stability as well. Today, especially within the age of social media, working out at a gym has become increasingly pressuring. You might already feel pressure to look even remotely neat the ripped guys who show off on Instagram. What more when you're surrounded by similar physiques at the gym? Even worse, some have even gone as far as to record people and shame them on social media.
Regardless if you've fallen victim to such judgment or not, simply thinking about it can affect your psyche, which in turn, can also affect your physical fitness. At least, when you're at home, you're in your own territory. Imagine how much you can accomplish when you're just in your living room or bedroom working out. The only person dictating your exercise is you and no one else. And in this isolated time, you get to understand yourself better, the limits you can overcome, and improve your self-discipline.
CONCLUSION
Remember, your body is your own temple. You can maintain and improve your fitness at home just as well as you can in the gym. The fate of your body shouldn't be tied to one place, but rather, it should only depend on you and you alone.
