Staying healthy at home is extremely important during this time as our lives are having to adapt to a new normal. Health and fitness don’t have to take place at a gym, they can be accomplished right in the comfort of your home. At-home fitness plays a large role in not only physical health, but mental health as well. Read on to find tips on optimizing your health and fitness from the comfort of your own house.

3 Steps to Optimize At-Home Fitness

Step 1: Setting Up Your Home Gym

First, you need to decide where you want to set up your home gym. The spare bedroom, office, or even a back porch or patio, are all great spaces for exercise. If you don’t have a spare room, a small area in your home (like the living room) that can double as your workout space will do. Try to find or create a space with natural light, and keep it as light and airy as possible. Your at-home gym area should be a place that is bright, comfortable, and away from distractions.

Once you have decided on your space, stock it up with all your necessary exercise equipment. Try to avoid having too many items in one space to make sure it is easy to maneuver during your workout, and keep your area organized to cut down on clutter. If you are watching workout videos, set up your screen to be at eye level. Including a mirror in your setup can also help you watch your form while exercising.

Step 2: Doing Your Home Workout Routine

Of course, this is the most important part of your at-home fitness – the actual workout! Once you have your workout space set up, it should be easy to jump into a workout whenever you want. Start off your home gym session by creating a workout routine. It’s recommended to change it up a few times a week so you don’t get bored and you have the ability to properly work all areas of your body without becoming too fatigued.

After coming up with your workout routine at home, be sure to do a warmup session prior to jumping into the meat of the exercises. This allows you to prepare your body for strenuous activities and reduces your chances of injury during your workout. When exercising, monitor your form and make sure you aren’t pushing yourself too far past your limits. Of course, it is important to have water nearby to keep you hydrated. Just like with the warmup session, complete your workout with a cooldown session to help alleviate muscle soreness and allow your body to wind down to a resting state.

At the end of every workout, sanitize your area. While home gyms may not have the germs of strangers, keeping your space clean after sweating out toxins is important for staying healthy at home. Not only does it keep things clean for your health, it also helps prolong the quality of your home gym equipment for longer.

Step 3: Using a Sauna After Workout

Once you are done with your workout, you can improve your at-home health even further with the use of an infrared sauna. Not only is a sauna a great way to relax after an intense workout, it is also a great tool in helping you stay healthy at home. Some of the post-workout sauna benefits include:

• Muscle Recovery: During exercise, your muscles are worked harder than they are accustomed to, which causes them to form microscopic tears. Using a sauna enhances the muscle recovery process by increasing blood circulation and carrying oxygen-rich blood to oxygen-depleted muscle. Heat also allows muscles to relax better, thus relieving muscle tension.
• Sweating: Sweating during your workout helps cool you down, but it also helps release toxins in your body. You can prolong the detoxifying benefits of sweating well past your gym session by sweating it out in a sauna. By purging your body of these toxins, you are more likely to feel better post-workout. Just be sure to stay hydrated, as you’ll be losing more fluids in a sauna than you’ll be taking in.
• Weight Loss: Saunas boost your cardiovascular, immune, and lymphatic systems to help detox the body. Additionally, infrared heat can slightly increase human growth hormone (HGH) production and lower cortisol levels to promote more weight loss. Overall, sitting in a sauna can help boost muscle recovery, improve well-being, and decrease body fat – all things helpful in a weight loss journey.

Your body is already more worn down after a workout, so it’s best to keep it short and sweet in your post-gym sauna session. Plan to stay in the sauna no longer than 20 minutes to avoid over-exerting your body. Your body will tell you if you’re spending too long in the sauna post-workout. Look out for signs such as lightheadedness, dizziness, and headaches, as they might be signs that you are dehydrated or overheating.

The Importance of At-Home Health

Of course, there is much more to staying healthy at home than just working out. As being in the house becomes a more normal way of life, it is important to know how to maintain both your physical and mental health at home. It is easy to fall into a rut when in the same space for an extended period of time, but setting boundaries, routines, and goals can help you stay on track. Our health is especially important in times like today to keep us grounded, healthy, and active.

Use this time at home as a way to connect more with yourself. Set aside time to meditate, focus on a hobby, do a workout routine, or whatever you need to create a peaceful and healthy environment at home. Schedule about 30 minutes every day to do these activities, and actually stick to it. By following these at-home fitness tips, you’ll be on the right track to staying happy and healthy at home!