How to Exercise at Home: 3 Tips to Get You Started

As we settle into this new normal, we’re all making incremental and monumental changes to our daily habits. One of the big questions that many people are asking is how to exercise at home.

This is actually easier than you think. In this post, I’m sharing 3 tips to help you get started. And you don’t need a ton of money or even a large space to do so. This isn’t about building a fancy, at-home gym. Learning how to exercise at home is something that’s accessible to all of us.

And I might add, it’s probably something we could all use more of these days. After weeks of being stuck at home, probably sitting on our couches more than we ever thought we would, we could all use a jump-start to get our bodies moving again.

So keep reading to learn more about how to exercise at home with minimal equipment, plus free and affordable resources to keep you motivated and inspired to move your body. Because if there’s anything would help us right now, it’s the endorphin boost we get from exercise!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of them, I may earn a small commission (for which I’m very grateful!) at no extra cost to you. You can view my disclosure here.

How to Exercise From Home – 3 Simple Steps

1. Set Up a Weekly Schedule

One of the easiest things you can do to create an at-home fitness routine is to set up a weekly schedule for working out. Most of us tend to do better with routine and structure, and working out is no exception. By building a routine, you can ensure that your workouts have variety, which is good for both your body and your mental health.

Related: Exercise, My Secret Weapon When I’m Feeling Down

If you’re just starting out, here’s a schedule for working out 3x per week.

• Monday – upper body strength training (with or without weights)
• Wednesday – lower body strength training (with or without weights)
• Friday – cardio or yoga

If you want a more advanced schedule with more workouts, you can follow something similar to what I’ve put together for myself:

• Monday – Upper body strength training
• Tuesday – run outside (safely, with a mask!) / indoor bike ride
• Wednesday – lower body strength training
• Thursday – rest day
•  Friday – run outside / cardio inside
• Saturday – yoga / stretching
• Sunday – rest day

There are many options for what you can do for the upper body, lower body, cardio, and yoga workouts. (Running is pretty self-explanatory!)

Further down in this post, I list a bunch of affordable and FREE resources where you can find all sorts of workouts, everything from 5-minute ab blasts and 30-minute upper body workouts, to dance cardio and yoga classes.

2. Get the Right Exercise Equipment

You don’t need a ton of equipment to start working out at home, but you need the right equipment. A few basic things will help jump-start your at-home workout routine.

First, I recommend getting a yoga mat. Why? Because it’s so versatile. A yoga mat is not just for yoga. It’s also great for stretching, ab and core work, Pilates, and more. And when you roll it up, it takes up very little space. If you’re on a tight budget, get this Gaiam Essentials mat. It’s great for yoga, core, and strength work.

If you’re more of a die-hard yogi, then I recommend a Jade yoga mat. It is pricey for a yoga mat but it provides extra cushioning and a secure grip for those sweaty yoga practices. I have a Jade mat now but I only purchased it after my Gaiam mat wore out, which believe it or not, took almost 7 years!

Additional yoga props I highly recommend you get for your practice are 2 blocks. If you want to add to this, get a blanket. (You can always use a bath towel if you don’t have a yoga blanket!) I don’t think buying a strap is necessary because you can just as easily use a belt, but here are some strap options in case you are interested in purchasing one.

Even if you practice advanced yoga, props are super helpful. I am a certified yoga teacher and still use my props all the time. Plus, the bonus of having props is that you have everything you need to do restorative yoga sessions as well, where the props basically do the work for you. (That’s a workout I can get behind!)

Next, I recommend getting a few sets of dumbbells or free weights. Way before the pandemic began, I purchased a dumbbell set similar to this one with 3 sets of weights: 3 lbs, 5 lbs, and 8 lbs.

Fast forward to 2020…who knew that free weights would become such a hot commodity during this pandemic?! I know many people who were trying to purchase weights for months but nothing was in stock. The good news is that this dumbbell set is currently available at a pretty reasonable price. Recently, I also found these neoprene 10 lb dumbbells on Amazon and I snapped them up.

Kettlebells are also great to work with but if you only have the budget and/or room for one or the other, get the free weights. They are easier to maneuver and more versatile than the kettlebells.

Exercise bands are another great accessory to add to your fitness gear. I will admit, I was influenced by the wellness and lifestyle blogger, Jules of Om and the City for the set of bands I use. (Gotta give credit, where credit is due, right?) She recommended this super affordable set of bands from GymBandit and I love them. With bands, you get a great bang for your buck because they are easy to store and there is a multitude of ways in which you can use them.

If you’re interested in buying some new running gear, my go-to sneakers for the past 10 years have been Asics. I swear by them. Right now you can get 40% off Asics GT 2000 8 @ $71.50 + Free Shipping at Jack Rabbit.

Last but certainly not least, if it’s in your budget right now, get a couple of workout outfits that inspire you! There’s no point in buying any of this equipment if it’s just going to collect dust in the corner of your room, so buy the cute outfit if it motivates you to move your body!

These days, you can get extremely affordable workout clothing. I get a lot of my workout apparel at Old Navy, Amazon and Target. I also occasionally splurge on pieces from Athleta and Lulu Lemon.

But What About More Expensive Pieces of Equipment?

If you are ready and willing to splurge on more expensive pieces of equipment to help you exercise at home, then I highly recommend a Peloton bike, NordicTrack bike, or a Rogue bike.

I know, I know, before you ‘at me’, I understand how expensive these bikes are and that we are in the middle of a pandemic. In no way am I endorsing that you run out and buy a fancy and expensive piece of workout equipment if you can’t afford it.

However, the Peloton bike, in particular, has been such a game-changer to my fitness journey while I’m exercising at home during COVID-19, that I would be remiss if I didn’t share this product with you.

(And no, this is not a product for which I earn an affiliate commission.  While all of the products I endorse are things that I use and love, I don’t want you to think I’m simply including the Peloton bike in this post because I can make money off of recommending such an expensive product. That is something I will never do on this blog.)

The Peloton has increased my strength, endurance, overall fitness level, and maybe most importantly, it’s boosted my mental health. The instructors are positive, supportive, and motivating. Plus, in addition to all of the great spin classes I can take, the digital app also offers strength, cardio, yoga, and meditation classes. It’s kind of a one-stop-shop for all of your fitness needs!

Here’s one pro-tip I want to offer regarding the Peloton bike. When you purchase the bike, you don’t have to pay in full, instead you can pay in monthly installments. The monthly fee I pay for the bike and access to the digital classes is around $90 a month. In NYC, that’s the monthly rate for many gyms. Depending on where you live and how much you pay for fitness classes and a gym membership per month, the economics might make sense for you.

3. Use These Resources for At-Home Workouts

Ok. So now you have your weekly schedule and you’ve got your gear. What’s the next step for learning how to exercise at home? Picking the right online classes to keep you motivated, entertained, and to ensure you’re exercising correctly.

One good thing that has come from the COVID-19 pandemic is that there are even more online resources than ever before for working out. And many of them are FREE! Yes, you heard right. 100% free.

Related: Stuck at Home? Things to Do During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Related: Some Thoughts on Navigating the Coronavirus Outbreak

So where to start? If you’re looking for free workouts, Google and Youtube are your friends. You’d be amazed at how many competent and thorough workouts you can find using these search engines.

These are some of my favorite, online fitness resources that are currently free:

Yoga With Adriene – has tons of free videos on Youtube

Fitness Blender – free exercise videos plus additional content for a monthly fee

Orangetheory – Uploading new at-home, 30-minute workouts daily

Barry’s –  offering daily free workouts on IGTV (plus saved ones from previous days)

Lululemon – hosting Instagram live sessions of yoga and meditation

Kira Stokes Fit – offering one free week on her app

Melissa Wood Health – doing workouts on IG Live and IGTV, plus a 7-day free trial on her app

Peloton – offering a 30-day free trial for their digital classes which include yoga, meditation, strength training, and cardio

The Scientific 7 Minute Workout – This has been around for a bit but it’s a great way to get your heart pumping. Do it 3x in a row for a quick, sweaty workout.

Aaptiv – If you prefer audio-based workouts, Make 2020 your best year yet! For a limited time get a 30 day FREE trial of Aaptiv!

Remi Ishizuka – a well-known influencer on Instagram, (@rrayyme) she and her boyfriend are doing daily, live workouts on IG, and then posting them to IGTV. All you need is a mat.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and Have fun

This might be the most important part of your at-home fitness routine (and life right now). Don’t sweat the small stuff and have fun!

Remember that we are in unprecedented times right now, so anything you can do to get your body moving and your heart rate up – in a safe environment – is a win.

With so many options to choose from, do something that is fun and brings you joy… even if it means dancing in front of your mirror like a lunatic for 30 minutes.

Who am I to judge?

I hope you found this post with tips on how to exercise from home helpful!

If you have more questions about starting an at-home fitness routine, leave a comment below.

And please share this with others who you think might find these tips helpful as well!