Musholt also mentions that viewing your home through the eyes of a parkour practitioner can help you change your training. “There are chances everywhere,” he says. You can do tricep dips off chairs or stairwell step workouts. This Ikea stepstool has also proven to be a surprisingly handy piece of gym equipment for me.
Choose Your Workout
Finding something you enjoy doing, whether it’s running, walking your dog, or attending weekly Dance Church, is the greatest way to get started working out consistently.
If you’re still unsure about what would pique your interest, I recommend starting with free services. The New York Times provides a 7-minute strength-building routine that you can do during your lunch hour. Musholt also created a whole-body workout for beginners for WIRED readers.
January is also an excellent time to get your regimen started with a 30-day online program. I’m presently participating in the Yoga with Adriene 30-day program with Adriene Mishler, whom I’ve come to see as my only quarantine companion. Her voice is calming, her directions are simple, and her expectations are refreshingly low. Blogilates by Cassey Ho also features a 30-day schedule and a free quarantine workout. Despite the name, PopSugar Fitness features a diverse range of trainers of all genders, shapes, and sizes. Orangetheory also has free YouTube lessons.
Advanced Equipment
It’s easier to invest in genuine equipment once you’ve decided what you want to achieve (if you need it at all). For example, I’m less hesitant to spend a hundred dollars on a running jacket because I know I’ll use it every day. Peloton is the apparent champion of the Pandemic Olympics for in-home options, but new competitors emerge on a daily basis. If you’re a serious rider, the Wahoo Kickr is a better option. The Myx system is actually a more cost-effective alternative to the Peloton for recreational athletes.
If you long for travel, I also recommend NordicTrack treadmills and Studio Cycle. If you have the money but not the room, consider investing in a Tempo or a Mirror that can be hung on a wall. These at-home gym systems include a variety of routines as well as screens that allow you to examine your form.
I also keep a list of the Best Fitness Trackers and Watches. Fitbit and Garmin both have their own own training applications and coaching services if you prefer one type of fitness tracker over another. It may take some trial and error to find your unique preferences; as a runner and cyclist, I like to use Strava to log runs on a Garmin or Apple Watch.
If you’re seeking for particular gear ideas, I recommend reading our Best Running Gear guide, as well as our guides to the Best Workout Earbuds and Headphones and the Best Biking Accessories. If you need a device to stream some of these free fitness services to your TV, check out our Best Streaming Devices guide.
Experiment with More Intense Services
Let’s be real. You’re probably sick of doing sit-ups in front of Netflix and going on pointless walks to get out of the house. Now is an excellent moment to try something new. Again, the Peloton app is clearly the most popular, and you don’t even need a bike to use it. It provides ten different types of workouts, such as weight training, guided outdoor running sessions, and meditations, and the first two months are free.
Two of Peloton’s main competitors have also recently launched new health programs. If you’re an Apple fan, consider Apple Fitness+, which allows you to sync exercises between your watch, iPad, and Apple TV. Fitbit just launched a 1:1 coaching service for those who require extra accountability. Checking in with an online coach as well as my husband, boss, coworkers, kids, friends, and family seemed burdensome rather than encouraging. Obé Fitness was also appealing to me. It features a free trial with harsh workouts and teachers in a strangely vacant, white Clockwork-Orange-like area.
