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With the holidays in the review mirror, many of us are locking into those 2024 fitness goals. Goals like better organization, tighter schedules, and making time for ourselves in the health and fitness department.
The New Year is a great time to reassess your fitness goals and to kick off a new routine. If you’re unable to get to a gym, there are plenty of ways to workout at home—both inside and out.
Work on your agility
If you’re looking to improve alignment and posture during movement, incorporate agility drills into your workout. It’s a great way to work on flexibility while promoting natural movement and getting your heart rate up. Tools like a fitness ladder or cones can help you to visualize and pace yourself, plus you can set them up indoors or out.
Add a bit of weight
Whether you’ve picked up barre or want to take your neighbourhood walk to the next level, a good set of ankle weights can help. When selecting yours, aim for a combined weight of about one-to-two per cent of your body weight.
Add them during your Pilates or barre workout or strap them on three times a week for a 20-minute walk.
Look for resistance
Resistance bands can be deceiving. That’s because they look lightweight, but when used properly they definitely burn muscles. There are tons of online resistance band workouts you can source, or add them to your squats, presses and curls for an added burn. Bands are also great if you plan on travelling this fall, because they’re a lot easier to fit in your suitcase than weights.
Start skipping
If you haven’t skipped since you were a kid, why not? Jumping rope is a great way to get your heart rate up and incorporate cardio, especially if you aren’t a fan of traditional cardio exercises like running. Add 10-15 minutes of jump rope to your workout, or consider jumping rope for 30-60 second intervals in between weighted sets to keep your heart rate up.
Slide around
If working your core is a goal this fall, consider adding slides. Most models are double sided to work with carpeted or smooth surfaces, and they’re easy to incorporate into many common exercises and moves. Sliders stabilize your core and lower back and force you to focus more on poster and proper form. Plus, they too are easy to pack in a suitcase if you’re on the road.
Work those muscles harder
If you’ve been weightlifting or are considering getting into heavier weights, a good set of workout gloves can help as you establish grip strength. Workout gloves can stabilize your wrists while reducing the amount of blisters on your hands, plus they come in handy when you start to sweat and don’t want to drop those dumbbells.
Remember to zen out
Whether you want to incorporate more yoga or meditation into your fitness routine, a good mat can help. When selecting a yoga mat, consider how much room you have to store it, whether you will be travelling with it, and whether you have any joint issues that may require extra padding.
Lululemon designed this extra-long mat for tall yogis and for those who like to have more space when they practice.
These days there are all kinds of yoga mats out there, not to mention cleaning accessories and travel straps for easy transport.
Roll out tired muscles
We all know it’s important to stretch pre- and post-workout. But sometimes that lactic acid just builds up and delayed onset muscle soreness kicks in. To help with faster recovery, consider adding a foam roller to your gear. There are many guided rolling videos and exercises online, plus they help to potentially increase range and motion while preventing injury.
Invest in the proper kicks
What you wear on your feet matters, especially when it comes to your workout. There are shoes for hiking, walking, running, cross training and just about every other workout that comes to mind.
Consider specialized shoes if you’re going to get into a certain kind of workout. Otherwise, cross-trainers that are breathable and supportive are a good bet for general workouts.
Consider a fitness tracker
If you haven’t joined the tracker club, consider making the switch. Fitness trackers allow you to monitor how many steps you’ve taken each day, but they can also help you to determine how many calories you burn during exercise, when it’s time to get up and move around to keep your blood circulating, and whether your sore muscles got enough sleep the night before.
The good news is they’re no longer as pricey as they used to be, so you don’t have to break the bank when selecting yours.
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