The second mistake many people make when starting a home workout is to not make a plan in advance. They buy expensive equipment which they really do not need, or believe that they must do certain kinds of exercises which they truly dislike. While many make this mistake because they believe that whatever is currently popular is the method they must try, others do not realize that a home workout is meant to be fun! You can avoid both of these mistakes by making a workout plan that is right for you.
The first point to consider is what you, yourself, enjoy. If you do not choose routines which you enjoy doing, you might dislike it so much that you quit. You may force yourself to continue doing them, while hating every minute of it. Instead, by focusing on the types of routines which interest you the most, you will be well-motivated each time you do your routines, enjoy them much more, and move closer and closer to your goals.
The second point to think about is your own particular needs. While this will be discussed further in later chapters, it is something which you should consider. Is your main priority to develop “six-pack” abs, to change a flabby body into lean muscle, or to gain overall strength? When you address your goals, it will be easier to choose the workout which focuses on these goals.
The third point is expense. While you may be thinking of a home workout as a less-costly alternative to joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer, if you are tempted to buy all of the latest home exercise equipment you may be dismayed to find that these costs are even higher. When you decide on the equipment that is necessary for your home workout, you can keep the expense at a minimum. You may even decide that you do not need to purchase any equipment at all.
There is another, equally-important reason for making a plan before you begin. Making a plan also gives you control of your home workout experience. If you think about it, this is true about anything worthwhile in life. If you begin something without first putting some careful thought into planning, you can end up with an entire course of action that is not suitable for you. You may feel overwhelmed, exhausted, discouraged, and confused. You might not even be sure if you are making any real progress.
Making a plan will eliminate all of these worries and give you the home workout routine that you will love to do on a regular basis. You will be more satisfied with the results, and happier with yourself.
How do you go about making a home workout plan? You can begin by setting goals which include reasonable expectations. If you want that perfect body, you can have it– but you cannot have it overnight! You also cannot have it without work! When you set your goals, and include reasonable expectations about how much work you will need to do and how long it should take for you to see results, this is the foundation of a good plan.
A good plan also includes some leeway for error. For example, you may choose a specific exercise, but soon discover that it is not right for you. Even if you give it your best effort, you may find that it causes too much pain or discomfort, or places too much emphasis on a certain part of the body. When you are making your home workout plan, allowing room for error can eliminate frustration. You will not have an unnecessary sense of failure if this is included in your plan.
A good plan must be reasonable about the amount of time you can devote to your home workouts. As no one these days has unlimited time, it is important to not commit yourself to working out for many hours each day when you cannot fit such a regimen into your daily schedule. Not only would it make your workouts a burden, it would interfere with the rest of your day’s priorities. You would end up too tired to do your job, or to enjoy quality time with your family.
However, you also cannot afford to make your home workouts the lowest subject on your priority list. Logically, if you do a workout only when you feel like it, or only when it is convenient, you will not obtain the results you want. Your plan should reflect the amount of time you can put into your workouts on a regular basis, and make a point of adhering to it. No matter how busy your life may be, you can make an appropriate amount of time for your workouts.
One way to do this is to assess your everyday schedule, and decide on the best time for your workouts. Whether this means getting up a little earlier so that you can work out before you go to school or to your job, or using half of your lunch hour to work out, it should be easy to fit your workouts into your schedule without disrupting your everyday life.
Making an advance plan will keep the chaos, confusion, and frustration out of your home workouts. You will know what you need to do, and when you need to do it. You will have a general idea of what kind of results you can expect to see, and how long it will take before they occur. When you add all of these factors together, your home workout will be something for you to look forward to, each and every time!