Self-discipline for working out at home
January 20, 2020 6:07 AM   Subscribe

I don't have any issues with getting to the gym to get my workout in, but I really struggle with carving out time and following through on home workouts. I need to master this.

I'm trying to save money which means ditching the gym membership, at least for now. There are many free workout options from apps to Beachbody on demand to YouTube. I have a lot of resources to use. My problem is not following through on home workouts.

I get distracted by chores and parenting needs. By the time I am no longer responsible for anyone else, my willpower is shot and I crave crappy streaming shows and snacks, or I need to go to bed. Working out first thing will be difficult, as I am about to have to start getting up for work much earlier than I'm used to.

I need to figure out a way to hack the home workout routine. Help?
posted by crunchy potato to Health & Fitness (9 answers total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
I really struggled with this as a new parent. I found my niche with a workout program that acknowledges and incorporates all that. One of the mottoes is “win ugly” - it doesn’t have to be the kind of dedicated, uninterrupted time we were used to pre-kid. I’ve plugged MommaStrong on Metafilter before, so sorry if I’m sounding evangelical about it, but it‘s let me rebuild my workout habit. It’s not free, but at $5/month it is pretty affordable, and maybe the fact that it isn’t free lends some motivation to use it.
posted by Kriesa at 6:28 AM on January 20, 2020 [5 favorites]


I am using an app called Simple Workout Log. It is indeed simple and I get fulfillment from filling in my daily workout. The home screen will say "you last worked out today," or yesterday, or (!) two days ago.
posted by 8603 at 6:34 AM on January 20, 2020


Start by committing to something you can fit in with no excuses- for me that is 5 min or 10 min of my favorite workout dvd.... then the plank 2x a day... I went from doing this 2-3 times a week and now I’m up to 5x a week.... now I’ll add more time.
posted by catspajammies at 6:59 AM on January 20, 2020 [1 favorite]


One thing that helps me is that I'm lucky enough to have a separate closed off room in my house where I work out and because it's one of the few rooms in the house that isn't completely finished it *feels* very separate from the rest of the house.

Having that separate physical space helps me stay in my...um, "workout mental space" or something like that. I stay focused on working out.

The other that helps me is to be flexible with exactly *what* kind of workout I'll do and even on which days I'll do them but I am absolutely strict that I will workout at least twice every week. I lift weights and ideally I'll have three big lifting workouts consisting of two main lifts (bench, squat, deadlift) and one or two accessory lifts for each. And then two smaller work outs focused on mobility and recovery, maybe some cardio. But if need be I can scale that back as far as two lifting sessions of just the main lifts. It's been part of my routine long enough now that if I can't do at least that I get itchy.
posted by VTX at 7:01 AM on January 20, 2020 [1 favorite]


To reiterate something kriesa said, you don't have to do the whole workout in one go. When I'm working from home I use the pomodoro method to keep myself on track and I'll choose a darebee workout to do on my 5 minute breaks. If I do it for 2 hours I can get in 5 rounds of the workout. It helps that my office space is the same room as my workout space. You could also pick something that you can do while watching streaming shows.
posted by arachnidette at 10:18 AM on January 20, 2020 [1 favorite]


Mr. eirias and I actually pair the workout with the streaming - our only TV is right by the workout equipment. We wake up at 5 and get half an hour of Netflix in while we take turns on the exercise bike and the elliptical. If not for doing it in the morning, I also would not have the willpower (and sometimes I still don't, but when it works this is how it works).
posted by eirias at 4:42 PM on January 20, 2020


A hack/shortcut you can use to motivate yourself is to reserve sth you enjoy for that specific time / space. I’m only allowed butterscotch sweets while doing yoga. Your favourite podcast / music can be another motivator. (I see other people also suggest sth similar with streaming tv.) There was a recent Hidden Brain podcast about building new habits (sorry no link, phone) that goes into some of this.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 4:47 PM on January 20, 2020 [1 favorite]


My brother in law comes over before my kids are up three times a week to work out with me. It's by far been the most effective way to keep me consistently working out. It helps that we live in a small town so he's only about a 5 minute drive away.
posted by ODiV at 11:12 PM on January 20, 2020


I crave crappy streaming shows

There are plenty of exercises you can do while watching crappy streaming shows. You can watch while using most cardio machines (treadmill, bike, rowing machine), or try something like this, or for something less demanding, this.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:32 AM on January 21, 2020


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