Overcoming At Home/Alone Workout Challenges

I never played sports growing up and so didn’t discover the thrill of pushing yourself in a workout and truly giving it everything you had until I became a proud golds gym member back in my college days. After I got the general hang of what this place called ‘the gym’ was all about (read my first blog post for more info on my rough start), I quickly realized that I had something not many others have…a determined and strong engine!

You’re probably thinking, what is this girl even talking about with this engine business, so let me explain. While my fellow gym goers causally stepped on the treadmill with their cellphone in one hand and an iced coffee in the other (no, I’m not exaggerating), I showed up ready to work with needlepoint focus, a bit of a resting bitch face look and an all business mindset. I have always been able to push myself more than any trainer or group class ever could, and I am my own worst enemy when it comes to making up workouts. My strategy: if it sounded horrible, hard and I don’t want to do it, double it and get it done! Needless to say, when I say I have a strong engine, I mean I have never needed to relied on anyone else for my fitness drive and can count the number of times I skipped a planned workout on one hand.

For the longest time I was under the impression that many people had the same approach when it came to fitness and it wasn’t until I started regularly working out with friends that I realized I was the odd ball out. When they wanted to socialize and catchup on weekend plans, I was that friend that cut their conversation short and started the workout timer…yup, everyone loved me 😉

While my focus when it comes to fitness can be annoying at times (especially for my sweet husband who has to deal with me taking over half the apartment on a daily basis for my workout), I feel like there is also a lot that I can share with you all to hopefully help you overcome some of the most common challenges/struggles when it comes to working out alone, be it at the gym or at home.

1. Time

Challenge: I don’t have enough time or don’t know how to make time to regularly fit a workout into my routine.

My Suggestions:

• Look at your weekly schedule on Sunday evening and select the days and times when you plan to workout. Make sure you add those workout times in your calendar as you would any other appointment. By setting time aside, I find that the excuse of ‘I don’t have time’ disappears, because you clearly do have time already allocated to the task.

• Set realistic goals for yourself. Don’t go into a busy week expecting to be working out 6 days that week. Instead give yourself an attainable goal, such as perhaps 3 30 minute workouts and you’ll see that rather than overextending yourself and then feeling guilty for having to skip a workout, you finish the week feeling accomplished.

2. Lack of Equipment

Challenge: I don’t have enough equipment for a good workout.

My Suggestions:

• Check secondhand stores, craigslist, offer up for used equipment if you feel you need it asap.

• Rather than trying to get your hands on dumbbells, invest in a good set of long loop bands and follow a banded workout guide (such as the Move Sweat Shred Anywhere Guide from Madeline Moves). You’d be surprised at how sore you can get from only using bands.

• Be resourceful and use things you can find around the house to substitute for weights. I have used water jugs, ammo cans, my dog, etc and have heard that kids make great hip thrust accessories 😉

• You don’t need a ton of equipment to get a killer workout, so get creative.

3. Pushing Myself

Challenge: When I workout by myself I don’t push myself as hard as in a group/gym setting. I take too many breaks and my workout efficiency is compromised.

My Suggestions:

• Think of it this way, you are giving up time with your husband, family, kids, pets to get a workout in, so why not make the most of it. If you plan to half a** your workout, then why even make time for it. I know they say some movement is better than none at all, but this approach really won’t hold up when it comes to achieving long term goals. Let’s give the time we allow for a workout the best version of ourselves; we deserve it!

• If you find yourself stopping mid reps because things get hard, I suggest instead of stopping completely, drop the weights and continue unweighted. You can also swap to a lighter weight and continue the reps.

• Think of your workout and your nutrition working hand in hand. If you’re putting effort into your nutrition goals, why not put the same energy into your fitness goals? Your nutrition coupled with workouts will lead you to convert fat to muscle and grow stronger, but this equation only works if you focus on continually pushing yourself at the gym, trying heavier weights if even for a few reps and making it a priority to show up as planned.

4. Lack of Motivation/Accountability

Challenge: While working out alone or at home, I find I have little to no motivation to start a workout because I am not accountable to anyone to show up.

My Suggestion:

• As much as you might not want to hear it, motivation is a myth and waiting for it to show up will leave you on the sidelines forever, watching your goals get farther and farther away from you. I hardly ever wake up motivated to workout, rather I wake up knowing I am going to get my workout done because it is a habit I’ve cultivated over the past many years. Instead of focusing on your lack of motivation, put that energy into building new habits. Look at your planner, schedule your workout and without thinking about it, show up as you would to a dentist appointment or coffee date with a friend. The more you think about it, the easier the excuses will overshadow your intentions, so put motivation aside and form a habit you can rely on.

• Tell a friend you’re going to workout at X time and ask them to be your accountability buddy or even schedule a virtual workout date. I’ve done this countless times, using zoom, face time, WhatsApp, or google duo and it’s such a blast getting your sweat on with a friend!

• Create an Instagram accountability group! Invite your workout buddies to a group chat and motivate each other to stay accountable to your daily workout goals. As a member of this type of group, make sure you keep your friends accountable, rather than using their excuses to skip your workout too 😉

• If you don’t have a list of Instagram workout partners, post your fitness goals for the day on your stories and tell your community you will post an update after your workout to keep yourself accountable to getting it done.

• If I find myself really not wanting to workout, I tell myself all I have to do is 10 minutes and then I can stop if I want and 9 times out of 10, I finish the full workout because sometimes starting is the hardest part.

5. Lack of Sleep

Challenge: I am not sleeping well and therefore have no energy to workout.

My Suggestion:

• Personally, I don’t workout if I didn’t get at least 7 hours of good sleep.

• I take this magnesium supplement nightly before bed and I found that it improved my sleep greatly.

• Wear blue light blocking glasses at least 2 hours before bed. I have these and they work great for a very reasonable price.

• Pull up a restorative yoga class on YouTube or the FitonApp and end your day with some gentle stretches.

• If you find that you have a ton on your mind as you’re hopping into bed, do a brain dump on a note pad so you can rest easy knowing everything you need to remember is written down on paper.

6. Trouble Getting Up for Early Morning Workouts

Challenge: I can’t seem to get up when my morning alarm goes off

My Suggestion:

• Do not snooze your alarm, rather when it goes off, count to 3 and get up. No if’s but’s or and’s.

• Get your clothes ready the night before so all you must do is grab them and get dressed.

• Review the planned workout the night before so you already know what you are doing and can be excited for the exercises waiting for you that day.

• This one is key for me, plan what you’re going to have for breakfast after your workout. If I know I can have a yummy breakfast as soon as I finish my workout, my desire to get up and get it done increases greatly. Maybe even pick a yummy pre-workout snack, such as ½ of your favorite granola bar, and tell yourself you can only have it if you get up and get after it.

7. Distractions

Challenge: There are too many distractions at home.

My Suggestion:

• Make a space in your home that you only use for workouts and inform your family that when you are in that space they are not to interrupt you unless it’s an emergency. I know not everyone has access to a basement or garage, but even a small space where your yoga mat fits is perfect to channel your focus to when it’s workout time.

• My mom friends often workout during nap time to decrease distractions or even have a designated TV/iPad time that the kiddos look forward to when mom goes to her workout area.

• Pick a workout space that doesn’t have a ton to look at. I used to workout in my home office and face a blank wall to help me focus on the task at hand.

• This is your time, whether it’s 30 minutes or an hour, you deserve to set this time aside for yourself to get stronger.

8. Good Form

Challenge: How do I know if I am keeping good form when working out at home alone?

My Suggestion:

• I always YouTube all moves in my workout that I have questions on and make sure I understand the move fully before starting my workout. Reviewing everything before allows me to keep my focus during the workout.

• If possible, add a mirror to your workout space. Mirrors are an awesome way to check your form, as well as to show you all the new muscles you’re developing as you’re lifting weights.

• As awkward as it may seem, film yourself during workouts. You do not need to post this content anywhere, but reviewing your form via video is so helpful to pin point some areas where you can improve next time.

More than anything, find a workout program you love and look forward to, because we all know, if you’re dreading your planned gym session, the likelihood of something getting in the way of that plan gets bigger by the hour 😉 I hope those tips and tricks were helpful and as always, feel free to reach out to me anytime via Instagram or blog comment and I’d be happy to assist any way I can.