Enhancing My At-Home Workout Routine
In Los Angeles, it’s hard to say if and when gyms will open again in 2020. My gym opened a couple of months ago for maybe a week or two. And during that time, I had zero interest in actually stepping back foot in there.
As someone who’s gone to the gym at least three days a week since I was 17, the shift to at-home workouts has been easier than I thought it would be, but it’s also had many phases. First, it was really fun and I tried a variety of workouts on YouTube. Then, my amazing friend behind U BEAUTIFUL SOUL launched thrice-weekly live workouts on Zoom. I fell into that rhythm for months, alternating days of cardio with the UBS workouts. When that ended, I moved onto running more often. When that ended (as it always does for me and my shins), I turned to something I’ve never before considered: mat Pilates.
I have to admit…I never really “got” it. The few Pilates classes I’ve tried over the years felt lovely and elongating, but they didn’t get my heart pumping the way I’m accustomed to. But one week during lockdown, I woke up with my neck out of whack and my usual run, HIIT, or weight-based workout wasn’t going to cut it. I turned on a Tasha Franken 20-minute Pilates flow and breathed my way through it. The next day, I tried another flow of hers. Then the next day, yet another. Eight days later, I realized I’d been doing Pilates every single day.
The gentle movements worked tiny muscles I’d been overlooking. Because the flows weren’t overly taxing, it didn’t feel like I had to get myself amped up to do a workout. There was no intimidation. I could simply show up at the mat and follow along. I felt encouraged and excited. I also felt more centered and grounded.
I enjoyed the videos so much I invested in one-pound Bala bangles and three-pound weights to enhance the workouts. From March through August, the only equipment I had at home was my mat, booty bands, and a set of 10-lb weights. I dare you to try Tasha’s 7-minute arms with 10-lb weights (JK PLEASE DON’T)…it’s not possible. The ankle weights make any leg or booty-focused workout a more intense burn. I genuinely can’t believe I’ve underestimated the power of light weights and gentle movements for so long.
I’ve known it’s not true we need to sweat in order to get a great workout, but sometimes you get so used to something that it’s hard to break out of it. Something I’ve come to learn with age and experience is that no workout is superior to another, and what’s most important is variety within your workout routines.
Of all my at-home workout phases in quarantine, I’m happiest with the one I’ve settled into for now. It’s a messy, non-calculated, go-with-what-I-feel-that-day mix of Pilates, HIIT, classic weight training, running, walking, cardio barre, dance, and some days, nothing at all.
I’d love to know: What at-home workout phases have you been through and what have you found works best for you?
Ciao for now,
Kailey
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