5 Easy Fitness Hacks For Work From Home Dads
Working from home has its advantages and disadvantages. One of its most obvious advantages is that we no longer have to commute to the office, thus, we can use the spare time for our family bonding activities or for our passion projects.
Jump rope
On the other hand, since we are mostly just at home, it’s easy to fall into the trap of inactivity and forego fitness altogether.
5 Easy Fitness Hacks For Work from Home Dads
Why keeping a fitness routine at home is important?
We are all aware of the countless benefits of keeping our bodies and minds fit. A regular exercise routine can reduce the occurrence of lifestyle-related diseases like reducing heart attacks, certain cancers, diabetes, and bone density loss, just to name some.
It can also help us manage our weight better and if coupled with a meditation routine is a good way to clear our minds and reduce stress, in general.
However, for those of us who are working from home, it’s easy to give in to the temptation of unhealthy snacks or the lure of the couch and your favorite series on Netflix. As such, we need to be more mindful and exert extra effort in sticking to our fitness routine at home.
How to keep yourself motivated
I can only think of one thing to keep yourself motivated and that is by setting a goal. It doesn’t have to be a lofty goal, in fact, having a small goal that is realistic and doable is ideal. By accomplishing small goals, you will begin to gain confidence and be driven to achieve more.
Photo by Gerd Altmann from Pexels
For example, since I was just at home for the entire duration of the lockdown, I realized that I easily lost my breath even when walking a short distance. So when I started to incorporate fitness into my daily routine at home, my only goal was to address my shortness of breath when walking.
After a few days of cardio exercises, I noticed that I began to regain my lung power and that I was no longer gasping for air. Having achieved that goal further motivated me to continue exercising because of the benefits that I experienced.
Also, set a time for doing your exercises and stick to them. That will also help keep your motivation level high. In the end, though, it’s all up to you to motivate yourself to stick to your fitness routine.
Easy fitness routines that you can do at home
If you would also like to create a fitness routine at home, I’d advise you to choose exercises that you really enjoy. Obviously, if you don’t like doing it, you won’t be able to stick to it long.
Here’s how I divided my fitness routine to make it fun while targeting different areas of my body:
1. Choose a cardio exercise that you will enjoy
A good cardiovascular exercise can help keep you alert and energized throughout the day. Furthermore, it can also help elevate your mood as you breeze through your daily tasks.
Photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels
You can opt for a morning run in the park if this is permitted in your neighborhood, or even a walk around the block.
A good way to work up a sweat is to do dance exercises, run on a treadmill, or ride a stationary bike. Personally, I like to do jump ropes because it’s high intensity and I can do it in the front yard or even inside the house.
I understand though that these exercises may not be for all as some people would prefer a change in scenery when exercising. Whatever your preference is, it’s all up to you.
2. Incorporate resistance exercises
Keep your muscles toned and strong with resistance exercises. Again you can just keep it light if you don’t want heavy lifting at home.
Personally, I prefer to do push-ups for my upper body and to walk on the inclined pavement in our front yard to target my legs. I do several reps until I feel a bit of soreness in my muscles.
If you want to use exercise equipment, you can opt for dumbbells, resistance bands, or a barbell.
3. Make it a family affair
Make exercise more fun by using it as a bonding opportunity with your family. If you have big kids, you can play a game like basketball, volleyball, and even Filipino traditional games like patintero and tumbang preso. Doing the latter is a great way to introduce Filipino games to your children especially if they grew up playing video games or watching cartoons.
If you are like me who have little kids, use playtime to sneak in some exercises. We have morning and afternoon sessions in our front yard where I chase my kids or carry them as I walk back and forth. It’s I always end up
4. Cook your own food
Good nutrition is important to keep our bodies healthy and strong. Instead of ordering from fast food restaurants, cook your own food at home so that you can make your meals as healthy as you want.
Instead of using instant mixes and seasonings, opt for natural flavorings like salt, crushed pepper, a little brown sugar, herbs, and spices.
5. Enroll in a mindfulness class
A healthy and fit mind translates to a healthy body. With our busy work schedules, we often tend to forget this important aspect of our overall wellness.
Photo from Yin Yoga Garage
Some of the things that you can do is meditate, pray, read an inspiring book, listen to relaxing music, and so on. There are actually countless options on how you can do it as long as it fulfills the goal of decluttering your mind and regaining your focus.
One highly recommended mind health technique that I discovered recently is to do one-on-one mindful coaching with Vince Dizon. Each online session lasts for around one hour only but the benefits of having a one-on-one coach to help you reset your mindset and provide clarity to your thoughts.
If you want to know more about one-on-one mindful coaching, you can read this post: The Benefits of One-On-One Mindful Coaching for a Blissful Career & Life Journey.
Epilogue
Establishing a fitness routine at home is fairly easy, similar to the hacks I enumerated above. You just have to put your mind to your goal to keep yourself motivated. In the end, you just have to keep things simple, fun, and easy.
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