Everyone is talking about at-home workouts due to the lockdown, as gyms and fitness studios are closed. Working out at home is something that is quite easy to do and you need no or just basic equipment to get in an effective workout.

Here are 5 types of exercise that are perfect to do at home:

1. HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is a workout that pushes your body to its limits in a short amount of time. For those who are short on time, have limited space, and want an effective workout this is the perfect option. You can opt for equipment free HIIT workouts or include minimal equipment such as a set of dumbbells. You can use fitness apps such as 30-Day Fitness to get structured circuits and specific exercises, for example this killer biceps exercise with dumbbells designed to do at home.

2. Yoga

Yoga is a type of exercise for both the body and the mind. It improves your awareness of the breath moving through your body, helps you tune in, improves strength, improves balance and coordination, and more. For a yoga session at home, clear your space, roll out your mat, and do your own yoga flow or join a group class. Many yoga studios are providing virtual classes so you can still tune into a class if you prefer that. I love doing Yoga with Adriene’s videos on Youtube with my fiancé Joe in the afternoons!

3. Pilates

While most Pilates studios focus on Pilates Reformer classes that use the reformer machine, you can easily do a Mat Pilates workout at home with just your yoga mat. You can improve flexibility, improve balance, increase strength and get a full body workout by incorporating this type of exercise into your at-home workout routine. A typical Mat Pilates workout will include exercises such as lying legs extension and glute bridges. You can find some awesome pilates mat workouts on Youtube as well, like this one!

4. Barre

Barre is an intense workout that focuses on the core muscles and balance, following more of a ‘less is more’ exercise style. Many people start Barre workouts thinking that they will be easy, but you will feel the burn and see results with the tiny movements you’ll do in a Barre workout. Have you ever done one? (OUCH). No equipment is necessary, but you can use a chair or simply the wall for added support during the exercises as needed.

You can find Barre workouts available online for free 🙂 Don’t you just love the availability of everything with online? I love in-person connection, but I’m super thankful for the internet for allowing us to keep healthy, continue or work and connect during this time.

5. Stairs workout 

If you have a set of stairs in your home or nearby where you can get in a solo stair workout session, you can get a quick workout in that will get your heart rate up and your body moving. To tailor your stairs workout to you, you can hit the stairs as quickly as possible, use varied paces for a HIIT stair workout, or incorporate step-ups, reverse lunges, and skater steps. If you’re at home, you can include arm exercises such as triceps stair dips to target the upper body as well. 

For a less intense workout, you can do something like Qi Gong, which I practice every morning with Joe. We have been recovering from traveling for the past year and have found that morning Qi Gong sets us up for a fantastic day. We love the practices on White Tiger Qi Gong.

What types of exercises have you been doing during lockdown?

Sending love to everyone during this time,

Lauren