Struggling with Working Out from Home During Quarantine? You’re Not Alone

Kailey Thiessen adjusting to the new norm of providing barre workouts to the online world.

“I’m scared to put my jeans on because I don’t know if they’ll fit anymore…”

Raise your hand if you have said this statement, or something similar, in the last month of the epic Covid-19 lockdown. Pretty sure I said this just yesterday.

We were all quickly thrown into a new world – minimal amount of physical contact that has to be done at a distance, offices being shut down forcing many to work from home, the school year finishing months earlier than usual, kids running around at home and figuring out how to keep them entertained, and your favourite fitness class unable to run.

If someone would have told you on December 31st, 2019, that the year 2020 will throw you curve balls like you’ve never seen, that the whole world will basically come to a standstill, many of us likely would have laughed. I know I would have.

Except, that joke is our reality.

It’s hard adjusting to the new norm as we patiently(ish) wait for things to reopen, and our lives to resemble some sort of normalcy like it did before. As we wait, though, we must try to continue our everyday life at home, and that includes our workouts.

Let’s be honest – working out from home is not easy. Whether you’re a veteran working out from home person or not, I’m sure we can all say that it’s harder than you think at some points.

I can honestly tell you that I have not worked out nearly as much as I did when I was physically teaching barre classes. Finding the space and motivation to do it is a lot harder than grabbing your yoga mat and showing up to your favourite one-hour class.

Unfortunately for many, this is still our reality and will likely be our reality for the foreseeable future.

I’m no expert at working out from home. I just mentioned above how much I suck at trying to workout out from home…

However, I do have a few tips I’ve gathered from personal experience, listening to others, and researching the good ol’ World Wide Web.

Before I dive in, I should note that tips like these, as with many other tip articles you see out there, may work for one person and not the next. That doesn’t mean they’re wrong. It merely means that we need to find a different method that works for you!

After reading the list below, I do hope that you find at least one tip that can help you stay motivated and accountable with your at-home workouts. That way, when we can get back to our gym or fitness classes, we’ll be as strong as ever and ready to go!

So, here are seven tips to help you stay motivated to workout from home during the lockdown:

Start Small and Build Up

Think of this journey as starting a brand-new workout routine. What are you often told not to do? Don’t dive headfirst into the hardest workout. Ease into it.

You cannot expect to be a master at working out from home right at the start. It’s going to take some time to build up your new routine, and that’s okay.

Instead of adding in a full, one-hour workout Monday to Friday, consider doing 20 minutes a couple of times a week. Realistically, if you hit the minimum 150 minutes of physical activity a week, you’re doing just fine. As you get into your groove, start to add in more if you feel like it.

The point is to start slow to not overwhelm yourself and give up.

Get Yourself a Fitness Tracker

The great thing about going to a fitness class or having a buddy meet you at the gym, is you have someone there to help hold you accountable. When you join a group, you have passes you spent money on sitting there going to waste if you don’t use them. Plus, your instructor knows when you come and how long it’s been…(teehee).

When you’re working out from home, you don’t have that same level of accountability, which can make things really challenging.

Look at investing in a fitness tracker. Things like the Fitbit or an Apple Watch do more than track your steps in a day. They can set goals and track your progress with every workout, show you how many calories you burn, and can even give you a little ding when you haven’t moved in a while.

I honestly can say that when I wear my fitness tracker, I get more steps and activity in my day than when I don’t put it on.

There are so many fitness trackers out there now though, which one do you get? Well, spend some time researching to see what it offers. A group from Consumer Advocate spent some time doing just that and came up with a list of some of their top choices for fitness trackers.

Find a Workout You Like

If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, good luck sticking with it.

When working out from home, it’s essential to find a workout that you thoroughly enjoy. It’s way easier to make time for something you enjoy doing than if it feels like a chore.

The online fitness industry is so saturated with options that you can be picky with what you want to follow. Be careful - anyone can start a YouTube channel and call themselves a fitness instructor or coach and not have any legitimate qualifications to do so. You don’t have someone there physically watching you to ensure you won’t injure yourself. So, look for workout videos done by qualified instructors.

Good thing Aura Studio is now on YouTube, right?



Have a Designated Workout Space

Do you ever notice that when you have a designated space for certain things, you’re more likely to do something? Well, have a designated workout space too!

You want to get into the mindset of the activity you’re going to do. When working from home, going to your office space or desk meant for your work can help you stay focused. So, have a little space in your house that is your workout room.

Get Ready to Workout

When you go to the gym, you don’t show up in jeans and a t-shirt, right? Most likely, you throw on your favourite activewear before leaving the door.

Your clothing plays a more prominent role than you may think.

Just because you’re not leaving the house doesn’t mean you shouldn’t step into your activewear before starting your at-home workout. Putting on workout clothes is another way to get you into the mindset of working out.

Have an Accountability Person

Sometimes, all we need is that one person that keeps us on track and pushes us a little farther. That is why group fitness classes can be so beneficial. Your instructor does more than safely move you through the workout, he/she is your cheerleader and pushes you to the max of your abilities.

Have someone that holds you accountable with your workouts. It could be your partner, friend, even your fitness trainer. Whoever it may be, ask them to check in on your workout schedule to ensure you’re following what you set for yourself.

It’s Okay to Struggle

I think the most important tip to remember is that it’s okay to struggle, and it’s okay to take a step back.

Life is challenging and stressful right now. If you have a week of no workouts, it’s okay. That doesn’t mean you failed or that you won’t get yourself back on track. It could mean that your body and mind simply needed a break.

There’s no right or wrong way to handle quarantine. You do what is best for you, and if that means going for a walk, doing one video a week, or giving it your all; what is best and healthy for your body and mind, will be the right thing for you to do.

How often do you log onto Instagram and see people posting their new hobbies or how they’ve lost weight during the quarantine, only to look at yourself and feel guilty? I do all of the time.

Let’s not forget that everyone handles these situations differently, and that’s okay. For those who are staying highly productive and loving every moment, I commend you. For those, like myself, that have struggled to maintain a regular routine and feel a bit overwhelmed, we will get through this.

Now is not the time to compare our lives with others. Now is the time to support one another, encourage each other, and just simply be there.