How To Start Working Out At Home

I began my fitness journey at home, not in the gym. I made a small space between the wall and the sofa in our basement apartment for my yoga mat, and this is where I started to work out. 

As I began to care for my body through exercise, how I felt about my body began to change. It didn’t happen overnight but as I persisted, starting and restarting my fitness journey, I began to look at myself differently.

I want you to experience the power that comes from gratitude for the physical body that you have. I want to give you the tools and the confidence to start working out at home so that you can learn how truly powerful you really are. You don’t need a gym membership to discover the power of fitness — you can do it right from home!

How to prepare for your home fitness journey

To start any fitness journey, I urge you to forget about motivation. Instead, make a commitment to yourself to be dedicated. 

Make it your goal to exercise and do your workouts with discipline, even when you don’t feel like it. All you really need is yourself and your commitment to yourself. You don't need any equipment or the latest workout clothes — begin to move your body regularly and you will see the mental and emotional benefits for yourself! 

Know WHY you are exercising

Remember that you are going to get a lot further along your fitness journey and have more success if you are working out to take care of your health, and not to change how you look. Physical and aesthetic changes will be part of your journey, but the number on the scale should never be the primary focus. 

No matter which form of exercise you choose, exercise for the purpose of maximising your health. You ARE intrinsically valuable and your body is WORTH taking care of.

What equipment will I need to work out at home?

You don’t need a complete home gym to do PWR Zero Equipment. You only need enough space to fit a yoga mat. Start with the 10 weeks of PWR Zero Equipment, including four beginner weeks that help you to build your strength and fitness.

Another option for you is my PWR at Home program. You can start by substituting in household items for the recommended equipment. You definitely do not need all the equipment on the list to do this program! If you have a pair of dumbbells and some resistance bands, you are great to go. Many of the exercises that call for other equipment can be modified using just these items. 

While the program does include a range of free weights and various equipment, the equipment I have selected are things that are attainable at your local Walmart or on Amazon. 

How do I know if I am doing the exercises correctly?

Using correct form when exercising, especially when weight training, is of paramount importance. This is one of the reasons why I exclusively offer my programming through SWEAT. Every measure has been taken to enable me to train you safely. 

You can tap the videos of me during the exercises at any time to read step by step instructions if you are unclear on exactly what to do. Further, feel free to reach out to SWEAT Member Support who can always help you if you are confused. 

How to track your PWR progress

Firstly, I highly discourage you from weighing yourself — screw the scales! Instead, I recommend taking progress photos every four weeks. Take your photos in the same lighting, around the same time of day, wearing similar clothing, to best see any aesthetic changes.

Please remember that things like time of day and whether you’ve eaten or not can have an impact on these photos because every woman’s body naturally fluctuates all of the time. 

While my program is designed to maximise your time and efforts, true aesthetic changes take time. You must always remember that exercise is not a punishment to change your body. It is a tool to care for and strengthen it. Don’t feel frustrated if your body is not changing as fast as you think it should.

Instead, focus on gratitide and take the time to appreciate the your body. It's a priveledge to be able to move your body, so take the time to notice how you feel — you might have more energy, better sleep, more confidence and improved overall wellbeing. 

What if I have a setback?

I fully encourage you to erase the word ‘setback’ from your vocabulary. Fitness is a lifestyle, so there is no such thing as a setback. If you stop exercising for any duration of time, get injured, fall sick or have to take a step back from your workout routine, please do not view this as a setback. 

You are exercising to care for your health, and there are times in life when caring for your health will not be through physical exercise. When you can’t exercise, you can rest or do what you need to do to care for your body at this time. This does not mean that you are set back. 

I encourage you to commit to waking up and doing one thing to care for your health every day. Sometimes that will be exercising, sometimes that will be meditation, resting or other various activities. This is not a race or a marathon that you are trying to run — this is your life. 

No matter what circumstances your day brings, your question should be “How am I going to care for my health today?”

Benefits of working out at home

Working out at home has so many benefits! It saves you time because you don’t have to commute to the gym. If you have children, you don't have to worry about getting someone to watch them, you can still carve out time to focus on yourself. 

It enables you to begin implementing exercise without having to face the mountain of working out publicly. You don’t have to worry about anyone around you, you can have the complete peace and privacy of your home. 

Why you should try strength training

Remember that cardio is not the only form of physical fitness, there are so many incredible benefits to strength training and resistance training. 

Strength training is a great way to build lean muscle, improve your metabolism, and it can even have cognitive and mental health benefits. One of my favourite things as a trainer is to watch women discover these benefits and discover how strong and powerful they are. 

Why you should exercise at home

If exercise is not currently part of your regular life, you must try and get active. Not because you need to change how you look and not because it’s going to make you into a better person. Be active because physical exercise is a powerful tool to cultivate gratitude for your body, to remember how strong you are and to get back in touch with yourself. 

It’s not about making fitness the focus of your whole life — exercise can fit into your schedule and help you to succeed in all of the other areas of your life. 

Discover the power of fitness from the comfort of home

Taking care of your physical health is essential. If you are able and healthy you should be moving your body to care for it! It’s about making choices that give you your best opportunity to live your longest, healthiest life.

I invite you to use the guidance in my PWR programs to move your body and to discover your inner strength — it’s already there, just waiting to be uncovered.