If you are someone who, before the pandemic, was an avid gym-goer or if you are starting your fitness journey, then you may or may not have felt a bit of frustration when it came to figuring out a workout routine that you could do at home that works. With everything that has happened in the past few months, and still is happening, you may have found it to be a struggle to create a whole new workout regimen that works for you in the comfort of your own home. I have been working out at home before the pandemic even happened. The only difference between what my workouts are now versus what they were like a couple of months before I moved was that I had proper workout equipment such as dumbbells, a workout bench, a workout bar with plates, and more. Recently, I have moved to an entirely different state, resulting in me not being able to pack up my gym and bring it with me across the country. So, now that I do not have any proper equipment, I had to refigure out what is going to work best for me and if they are going to help me reach my fitness goals. After doing some research on the internet, and going through a series of trial and error, I have learned at least 3 types of workouts that can help you lose weight that requires little to no equipment and that can be done in the comforts of your home.
Stretching
If you are starting your fitness journey, stretching could be a great starting point and a great habit to get into for any of your future workouts. Even though stretching is not your typical intense or heavy workouts, stretching has its perks when it comes to losing weight. An article by
further explains how many calories you can lose when you stretch regularly. For the question of how many calories you can burn when stretching is based on your weight. These numbers are just an overall idea, due keep in mind that each person is different when it comes to their body and your body’s ability to burn calories. For a general idea, those who weigh around 125 lbs. could burn up to while those who weigh around 200 lbs. could burn up to 85 calories after stretching for 30 minutes or more each day. Other great benefits of stretching that could help contribute to weight loss are by helping to prevent any future injuries that could be caused by your workouts. It is widely understood that before exercising you should be stretching to help prevent any injuries caused by exercising. Despite the many benefits of consistently exercising, if you do not properly warm-up and stretch before and after each workout then you could most likely cause an injury. Having this happen could put a stop to any future workouts, thus stopping you from progressing further into your weight loss journey.
Pilates or Yoga
If you are wanting something a little more challenging, but do not want to move on to any resistance or weight training just yet, then Pilates or Yoga would be a great option to try out. Both Pilates and Yoga are great forms of exercise that involve stretching but just with a little twist to it. Now, you may be wondering, “
Isn’t Pilates the same thing as Yoga? If not, what
is the difference between the two?
” While they both share some similarities Pilates and Yoga do have their differences as well. Both Pilates and Yoga are forms of breathing exercises and stretching, but Pilates focuses more on strengthening muscle while Yoga helps to improve flexibility. Pilates requires a bit more engagement of the muscles which can contribute to improving your overall body’s strength as explained by
. Another great thing about Pilates and Yoga is that you can easily do these workouts at home with little to no equipment. The only optional equipment is a matt that can be bought at your local store or online that is not very expensive. Also, anyone who is a beginner can participate in Pilates or Yoga! Again, it will be a little more challenging compared to your traditional stretching, but it is a great way to shake up your routine if you feel that simply stretching is not doing the trick for you.
Body Weight Workouts
Now, if you are someone who wants to improve their aerobics ability or is focusing on building muscle try out some Calisthenics or Cardio workouts. Again, these require little to no equipment, yet if done consistently and correctly, these types of workouts can help you lose some weight. If you want an optimal workout routine, try combining the two. For what the benefits of cardio are, an article by
explains that cardio workouts are a great way to lower your fat percentage and strengthen your heart. A form of cardio that is on the lower end of intensity would have to be walking or light running. With this form of cardio, you can easily plan out how far you want to run or walk and how long your workout would be in total. You could also customize your routine by incorporating a regimen where you run for a set amount of time and then walk for a set amount of time. There are phone apps available that can help set up your timer while also tracking how far and how long your running and walking time was. If you want to push yourself further try doing any HIIT or TABATA workouts. As explained by an article written by
, both HIIT and TABATA are forms of cardio exercises that incorporate a set amount of time of high-intensity movements. “
What is the difference between HIIT and TABATA though?
” One main difference between the two is the duration that the entire workout lasts for. For a majority of HIIT workouts, it could last from 15-40 minutes or more, while for TABATA workouts, the total time for this is only 4 minutes or maybe a little more. Now for Callisthenic exercises, they are sort of similar to cardio in the form of only needing your body to do the workout. Callisthenic workouts focus on improving and building muscle and mobility versus your aerobics capability, as explained by
. Fun fact, we use calisthenics in our daily lives! For example, when you are getting up off of your couch or a chair, you have to use your lower body and core to push yourselves up and to keep yourself balanced at the same time. If you feel that your body weight alone is not challenging enough while doing these workouts, try incorporating resistance bands if you have them or DIY your workout weights. Better yet, get creative and figure out what you can use that is already in your home, for example, you could use a chair.
If you are starting your fitness journey and you have no idea how to do any of these workouts, I would recommend searching on
. There are so many videos on there that it should be relatively easy to find at least one video that you like it, just takes time and patience. Figuring out a new workout routine that works best for your body can be very hard and tedious to do. It also takes time and consistency to see weight loss results, muscle growth, or both. Another thing to remember is that if you are someone who is looking to lose a certain amount of weight you need to make sure you are eating healthy and nutritional foods. This factor plays role in any weight loss journey; if you are not eating right but are doing some exercises, you may only see small results over time rather than a phenomenal amount.
