by Lucy Smith.
Many of you may be put off the idea of taking regular exercise by the thought of endless trips to the gym, leisure centre or pool. When I finish work my main priority is simply to get home! Not all of us have leisure facilities on their doorstep and don’t have time to make the journey.
Anyway, who wants to embarrass themselves puffing and sweating in front of the local Adonises in the gym? And who wants to spend their hard earned cash on membership fees and expensive Lycra outfits?
I have a solution that means you can’t use these as excuses to skip exercise -Do It At Home!
When I was at university I used to go to the gym with my friend Vic nearly every day as it was on campus and there was plenty of free time, it was a sociable thing to do! When I started work full time this all changed so I bought myself two exercise videos, Cindy Crawford: Shape Your Body, and Cosmopolitan: Tonetics, I haven’t looked back (or stepped foot in the gym!) since!
There are loads of benefits to working out at home, and several ways of doing it:
Follow work outs set out in books, magazines or on the Internet
Use one of the many available exercise videos, from gentle yoga to powerful dancing
Invest in a piece of equipment such as a stepper, rower or treadmill – these aren’t cheap but you will save money in the long run!
And remember that the most ordinary household objects can double up as weights, ropes and steps! I use a chair and two tins of out of date salmon!
Bear in mind the importance of warm ups and stretching, and if you live on a busy road like I do, save your blushes and don’t forget to draw the curtains!
Once you have decided on your new regime you can exercise whenever you wish. Find a time that suits you personally, preferably when you don’t feel too tired, or when your at home alone. I get home from work an hour before my man, Ben, this gives me the perfect opportunity to have a bit of time to myself and work out.
This sort of exercise program relies on self motivation so it’s important to set aside times you can exercise without disturbance, it’s a good idea to take the phone off the hook. You don’t need anything fancy but make sure you wear supportive footwear to protect your joints. Other than this anything goes, I usually end up in an old t-shirt and knickers, I don’t care, no-one can see me!
The best thing about exercising at home is that you can step into your own private shower afterwards, and then straight into the kitchen to cook a well deserved tea!
