How To Get Motivated To Workout At Home: 8 Key Tips

The Covid-19 pandemic shut down the world as we knew it and many people had to scramble to find the best home exercise regimen.

From yoga to high-energy cardio to weightlifting, the variety of workouts that one can tackle in their own living room can rival that of any fitness boutique or gym. Plus, home workouts mean no lugging your gym bag on the subway, no crowded parking lots, no waitlists, and no pesky cancellation fees.  

Today, although more and more exercise studios are starting to open up, there are plenty of individuals who still prefer a home gym over a gym membership. But when you live in a smaller space, work from home, or have household chores and family responsibilities calling to you, it can be difficult to find the motivation to get your sweat on.

We’ve compiled 8 tips to help you stay motivated to work out at home, including setting up your workout space, choosing your workout plan, and creating a fitness regimen that not only ensures you exercise regularly but have the most fun while doing so.
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How To Stay Motivated When Working Out At Home 

The benefits of working out at home are endless. Working out at home is often the best option for busy parents, those who don’t live near a gym or boutique studio, and individuals who just prefer to have accessible, affordable exercise programs at their fingertips. 

No matter the reason you’ve decided to pursue the home gym life, chances are on some mornings you feel more motivated than others. These tips aim to help you organize, motivate, and enhance your at-home workout routine.

You don’t have to build an entire home gym to work out at home. All you need is a dedicated space that helps you get in the zone. 

This space doesn’t need to be large. 

In fact, most workouts can be completed on a yoga or exercise mat, which is typically just six feet long. Before launching into a 45-minute HIIT session, be sure to stand in the center of your workout space with arms held wide to see if your jumping lunges or warrior pose will inadvertently knock over any hanging plants or picture frames. 

A few spaces to consider include, but are not limited to: 

• A portion of your living room
• A spare (or guest) room 
• The garage
• An outdoor area should you have a backyard
• A portion of your bedroom 
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Once you’ve found the perfect space in your home for your workout, it’s time to start stocking the space with home gym essentials. Be sure to keep this area clean and organized. If your at-home gym is located in the corner of your bedroom, for instance, don’t let dirty clothes and stacks of books pile up near your sanctuary. 

By keeping the dedicated area dedicated, you omit any excuses that might prevent you from keeping to your exercise routine.

With lululemon Studio, you can create a home gym virtually anywhere in your home—as long as you have some open wall space. You can hang lululemon Studio’s smart fitness mirror on the wall or prop it against the wall. Either way, you’ll benefit from a fully immersive home gym experience without feeling cramped.

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In theory, working out at home should fit seamlessly into your daily schedule—you’re on your time. But while you don’t need to rise at dawn to fight commuter traffic, you do need to fight the temptation to delay your workout a couple of hours, a couple of days, or a couple of weeks. 

You may end up missing a month’s worth of workouts because you keep telling yourself you’ll “do it eventually.”

To avoid this procrastination, make a point to schedule your workouts in advance, then stick to that schedule tenaciously. Use your phone or computer to track your workouts, set reminders, and track how many days you fulfilled in a month. The important thing to remember is that motivation comes and goes, but discipline lasts forever. And once you start seeing and feeling the benefits of a regular exercise schedule, you’ll naturally feel more motivated to stay fit and healthy.

The most important factor when committing to an exercise regimen is creating attainable goals. What constitutes attainable? Well, if you’re currently working two jobs and only have one day off per week, it might not be realistic to say you’ll be working out twice a day, every day (no matter how much of a go-getter you are).

Let’s define attainable a bit more precisely by looking at a few key exercise factors:

• Determine the number of hours (or minutes) you can commit to each training session. If you can commit to thirty minutes every other day, make that your attainable goal. If it’s one hour, three days per week, that’s fine too. Just be sure it’s realistic.
  

• Consider your current fitness levels. You may want to jump from zero to one-hundred, but this stark contrast may set you up for failure, killing your motivation. Try to set attainable fitness goals that improve your current fitness level incrementally. 
  

• Try something new. Your entire workout doesn’t have to be mountain climbers and burpees. Activities that are enjoyable to you can be tough, too! Do you love dancing? Try a latin dance class. Do you buy tickets to the Nutcracker every year? How about a barre or ballet class? Not sure what you like? Browse over 10,000 lululemon Studio classes across 50+ categories. The main idea is to make sure you add exercises and activities you enjoy into your routine; this will ensure working out is a treat, rather than a chore. 
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By considering the above, you can create attainable goals that align with your fitness journey and make it easy to stick to your routine.

Want more tips in setting fitness goals that last? Check out our guide to creating S.M.A.R.T. fitness goals that will ensure your at-home fitness routine gets you to where you want to be.

Part of the gym appeal is being surrounded by other like-minded individuals. There’s no rule that you can’t bring your friends to your home studio, though!

Enlisting an accountability partner will help you stick to the schedule you’ve set for yourself and will most likely get you to push yourself a little harder each time you work out. You and your friend (or friends) can swap houses each week or simply host the sweat sessions in your own, clearly defined at-home gym. 

If you thrive on competition, you can Face Off with other lululemon Studio members during workouts and compete for the most calories burned and other metrics. If gentle motivation is more of your thing, connect with friends on the lululemon Studio app to follow each other’s fitness journey and send each other kind notes of encouragement.

Connect with an entire community of fitness fans and personal trainers. Get 1-on-1 personal training or real-time feedback in over 10,000 live classes.
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Just because you’re breaking a sweat in the comfort of your own home doesn’t mean your workouts have to be comfortable.

This is the ideal opportunity for you to challenge yourself. Never tried a HIIT workout before? Set up a trial day each week where you dip your toes into an exercise you haven’t tried before. There’s no one around to judge you, and you can perfect your form on your own time. 

Depending on the workout,  challenge yourself to increase the intensity level over time. Maybe that’s holding your plank five seconds longer each day or upping your weights a few pounds every couple of weeks. 

Are you working out to build strength and definition? To improve your mind-body connection? To work towards a specific fitness event? Knowing why you’re working out allows you to create more fulfilling exercise regimens.

• If you’re trying to build strength and definition, opt for workouts that incorporate weights like dumbbells and kettlebells. Try a total-body strength workout to target multiple muscle groups in one workout for a full-body burn.  

• If you want to improve your mind-body connection, opt for classes like yoga or pilates to help improve your mindful meditation skills and ability to connect with specific areas of your body.
  

• If you’re training for a specific fitness event, you’ll want to cater your exercises to your desired fitness level. For example, if you’re training for a cardio-based event (running, biking, swimming, etc.), you’ll want to choose exercises that elevate your heart rate to at least 70% of your maximum heart rate. (To determine your maximum heart rate, take the number 220 and subtract your age.)
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Your body is your best tool when it comes to working out at home, and many at-home fitness programs will center around using your own body weight as resistance. You may want to have a few fitness accessories on hand, although this depends on what workouts you're doing and what your specific goals are.‍

Common gear used in exercises across the board include:

• A yoga mat

• Dumbbells 

• A resistance band 

• Ankle or wrist weights

• Foam roller (for post-workout stretching)
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If you don’t have any gear on hand, no problem. lululemon Studio optimizes weekly workout suggestions based on the gear you do and don’t have on hand, so you can always get your workout in regardless of equipment. If you’re looking to elevate your home gym, lululemon Studio offers a variety of equipment and accessories, including digital weights and premium yoga mats.

And remember, wherever you choose to throw down on your mat, hydration is your best friend. An insulated water bottle can help you track the amount of water you’re drinking, which will keep you energized and hydrated throughout your workouts. 

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Once you’ve decided that at-home workouts fit your lifestyle, you may want to invest in smart fitness technology to enhance your fitness regimen and home gym ideas. 

With lululemon Studio, you can create a home gym virtually anywhere in your home—as long as you have some open wall space. Both aesthetically pleasing and technologically advanced, lululemon Studio is a nearly invisible home gym that hangs on any wall of your home, blending in beautifully with the rest of your decor. You’ll benefit from a fully immersive home gym experience without feeling cramped.

lululemon Studio’s smart home gym offers over 10,000 workouts across 50+ fitness categories including:

• Strength Training at Home
• Cardio
• Weightlifting
• Boxing
• Kickboxing
• Dance Cardio
• Pilates
• Yoga 
• Barre
• Stretch
• Pre/Postnatal
• Meditation
• Tai Chi
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If you’re someone that loves the convenience of at-home workouts but doesn’t want to forgo interactive classes and personal strength training, lululemon Studio brings a full range of activities to you. Choose from multiple classes, add 1-on-1 personal training to your routine, and bring the energy of group workouts directly into your home. 

Choose from over 10,000 lululemon Studio workouts across 50+ fitness categories. There’s something for everyone, from beginners to pros.
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Add Variety to Your Home Workouts with lululemon Studio

Working out at home has never been easier or more effective. 

Many people, some inspired by the pandemic, have forsaken the gym grind and prefer to sweat it out in the comfort of their own four walls. While sticking to an at-home exercise routine seems simple, there are always ways to talk ourselves out of a 45-minute gym session. 

By following the above tips, you can experience the results you want without ever having to leave your home. ‍

lululemon Studio helps you champion your at-home workouts by providing access to thousands of live and on-demand classes taught by expert instructors. Get personalized, weekly schedules that fit your goals, and if you need modifications based on your personal profile , your workouts will be tailored to offer you substitutions.

Need extra motivation to work out at home? Join lululemon Studio today and gain FREE access to over 10,000 classes and over 60 workout categories for 30 days.