The convenience of home workouts

One of the things that we realised very quickly when embarking on a career as a Pilates instructor and a Yoga instructor was that exercise needs to be convenient. Being able to jump into an exercise programme on your living room floor means you are ready to go whenever you want to.  No need to travel anywhere and negotiate buses or tubes etc.  We know this from our own workouts.

Also, having a space that is comfortable and pleasant to be in seems to us to be one less barrier to deciding to work out. We make sure the flooring is not too hard that when stretching buttock muscles in a seated position, as it presses into the ankles. We recommend a thick carpet, so you don’t have the hassle of putting out a Yoga mat. One of us even works on our hamstrings while at the bathroom sink brushing our teeth!

When attending a group class, you will be lead through a sequence of exercises that have been designed by someone else to cater for a general Populus’s needs.  However, this may not meet the present needs of your body.  Conducting your own practise at home gives you the freedom to be selective with the exercises you choose, so you can tailor your session accordingly.  This is clearly another example of the benefits and convenience of a home workout. 

Another advantage is that you can go at your own pace.  If you need a little longer in that stretch, or a bit more focus on the release work you are administering, you can take it.  And it can also be fun working out what you can use at home to help you find positions or resistance beneficially.  Who knew that sofa was just the right height for a bridging exercise, or that door handle could fix the end of a TheraBand to provide some needed resistance to strengthen your arms. 

We are, of course, not suggesting that group classes are inadequate, or worse in any way.  We are just highlighting another option that can really compliment the type of learning you can get from group classes. Get in touch and let us know what your tips are for home workouts.  We would love to hear from you!