Do you want to start exercising but don’t have time to go to the gym? Don’t worry! You can do everything at home, even with limited gym equipment! Yes, you can sweat out in many ways while you are in the comfort of your own home. The best thing about doing your home workout is that you don’t have to drive long to reach the gym. It saves you a lot of time, money and effort in that case.
These are the benefits you can enjoy when you choose home workout techniques than going to a gym.
- No need to go far! You can do your workout at home or just around the neighborhood. Even if the weather is bad, you can continue with your exercise regimen and get fit! It is still good to go outside every day. Remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes.
- Your schedule is more flexible. You have it all in your hands! You can decide when and where to do your workout.
- Expensive gym equipment is not a necessity. You don’t need to buy expensive gym tools to work out! You can choose the kinds of exercise tools that are handy to be used at home.
- Privacy is yours. When you are at home, you can choose to do your workout alone. If you are not comfortable being around too many people while working out, your home is the best place to do it.
- You’re focused on your own achievements! You can avoid comparing yourself to others. As a result, your workout can flow freely and without too much pressure.
Basically, when you are doing your exercise regimen at home, you can work at your own pace. It doesn’t mean that you would have to break up with your gym subscription totally. Just that you can still work out at home during your days off from the gym. Aim to do something every day. Utilize free instructional videos from YouTube, and with some inexpensive workout tools, you are good to go!
Home Workout for Menopause Symptoms
It is important to know that you should do simple warm-up techniques before you start your home workout. The warm-up should be done 5 – 10 minutes, enough to kick-start your heart rate and prepare it for the workout properly. You could start running in place or doing high knees and jumping jacks! Yes, that’s right. The activities you had when you were still a kid are actually good ways to warm up!
Jumping rope is also an excellent way to warm up! It’s a great way to rev up your heart beat while it helps improve your coordination at the same time. You can use simple products like the King Athletic Jump Rope or the WOD Nation Speed Jump Rope.
Remember to hydrate properly as you work out. So don’t forget to bring some water with you. Also, wear comfortable clothes that are fit for working out. Your clothes should allow you to move freely while doing your routines.
1. Strength Training for Stronger Bones
With the lowering levels of estrogen during menopause, women are at risk for osteoporosis. This is something that can be prevented with the help of strength training. You can do strength training with or without weights. Just work with your own body weight, and you’re good to go! Here’s a simple instructional video you can follow for strength training. (1.12 minutes).
If you would like to see more of Kathy Smith’s Fitness videos you can check this out.
Both yoga and meditation are good forms of exercise especially for menopause. Different yoga poses allow your muscles to stretch and improve your flexibility. The best thing with these types of exercises is the fact that they also help with improving your cognition. It gives you a clearer mind so you can avoid mood swings, anxiety and depression too.
3. Walking for a Better Mood
Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise. It helps with proper blood circulation and is known to help fight off stress, mood swings, anxiety and depression. You don’t have to go out for a long walk outside. You can just do a simple brisk walk around your yard. If you want to gear up a bit higher, you can choose to jog around. No need to run fast, just walk or jog. To burn more calories with simple walking, you can walk with sticks or arm weights.
If you are into hiking, it is good to bring tools that give good support. The Fit Life Nordic Walking Trekking Poles is a good tool to bring with you while you are hiking. It supports your balance as you climb up or down inclined terrains. You can get arm weights as well like the REEHUT Durable Wrist Weights, which can also be used as ankle weights. The weights add up to the resistance of your activity, making your workout more challenging.
4. Dancing for a Smaller Tummy
Dancing is a form of low-impact exercise. It helps burn calories without taking too much effort. It is said to help with reducing your muffin tops! What’s good about dancing is that it’s a combination of exercise and fun! You can dance with your husband, and you work out together. A popular dance program for a workout is Zumba! There are a lot of free videos on Zumba for beginners. One good video to start is the Zumba Dance Workout for Beginners – Quick Weight loss at Home. It lets you dance to the rhythm of fast-beat music. This is also fun to do with your family or with your friends!
5. Swimming for a Healthier Heart
Make the most out of your swimming pool in the backyard! Use it for a hearty workout! Or if you don’t have a pool, you can visit local swimming pools where you can do your workout. Swimming helps strengthen the joints, and it is also good for your heart health. It is another form of cardiovascular exercise, which lets you burn calories like when you are running. It allows the body to move without putting too much weight and pressure on your joints. It is also a good home workout to help you manage your weight. You can check out videos like the Water Aerobic Exercise-FREE Starter Video. Some places have programs on aerobics in water with weights too. It’s super fun and effective!
6. Kegels for Healthier Pelvic Muscles
This exercise is often forgotten, but it plays an important role during menopause. Menopause changes include vaginal dryness, which in turn may cause problems with sex like painful intercourse. With Kegel’s Exercise, the pelvic floor muscles are strengthened. It helps promote satisfaction during intercourse and it also helps prevent urinary incontinence. Read more about pelvic floor muscle exercise and kegel’s exercise.
7. More Workout Techniques!
Maybe you do not know what exercise to start with yet. There are a lot of stuff on YouTube and you can use them all for free! We love Melissa Bender and her exercise routines. She adds all the exercises she does and she looks amazing. She has really good programs so check her out! We have even written a post about her too. Check this out. We are also inspired by Pop Sugar Fitness. There routines give us so much energy and motivation to workout.
If you want something to print out and follow for your workout, you should check out Darebee. They have tips on workouts, programs, running, nutrition and so much more. Know more about Darebee!
You can decide when you would want to do your workout session. In our experience, we work out first thing in the morning to set us up for the day. It’s a little sacrifice to wake up earlier, but it’s all going to be worth it. After a long day from work, you could feel tired, and it gives you a reason to skip the workout. The night before your workout, decide on a routine to take, so you will be ready and set when you wake up.
You don’t need to follow a strict routine every day. It is also great to have variations, and it will be a lot more fun that way too! Try at least something every day. Once you start working out regularly, it will only take around three weeks for you to find it a habit! Your body will then start looking for that adrenaline rush, and you’ll be more motivated to move around every day! You don’t have to work out for long hours every day. Even 20 – 30 minutes of intense and continuous workout is better than exercising at a very slow pace for one hour. What you have to do is really work it out and focus on your routine.
You can do most exercises as they are, but you can also use simple workout tools to help you out! Here are some items that we use ourselves.
- Exercise Resistance Loop Bands – these are great when you want some resistance during some strength training routines.
- BOSU Balance Trainer – is effective doing balance exercises, which helps in improving your balance, core strength and good posture. Learn more about balance exercises and check out how a BOSU balance trainer is efficient for workout.
- Jump Rope – You may think that it was something you only use as a kid, but these are good to have when warming up. Doing 10 minutes with the jumping rope is equal to 30 minutes of jogging.
- TRX Suspension Trainer Basic Kit – If you want to go a little further with your workout, you could invest in this TRX. You can put it on a door or you can easily take it with you on travel. It will help you with strength training. It increases flexibility and core stability.
Bonus Tips!
- Avoid giving yourself the pressure. Take everything one step at a time.
- Start small. The change will not happen overnight, but you can work on it slowly but surely.
- Pair your workout with healthy eating and surely you’ll see the changes sooner than you expect it.
The secret to a successful home workout regimen is to enjoy it! If you love what you do, you will be motivated to finish your regimen. You will feel less tired after doing your workout and look forward to the next home workout session you’ll have. We promise you will feel a lot better doing some exercise. Not only will you feel and look better, but you can also move around a lot easier. You will not have problems carrying home the groceries, moving stuff around in the house, playing with your grandchildren or doing gardening.
Do you have a favorite home workout? Please share it with us. It would be nice to hear from you.
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Have a happy Menopause Journey!
Gita is the founder of My Menopause Journey. Since 2014, she has been supporting midlife women by sharing hard-earned learnings from her own experience. To advance her knowledge, Gita puts a lot of her time and effort into understanding the broad spectrum of women’s health. She immerses in extensive research about the physical, mental and emotional aspects of menopause. Gita believes in the life-changing power of healthy, holistic living — this is where she anchors her message to all women. Learn more about her marvelous mission in About us - My Menopause Journey.