Fresh Tips for Summer Fitness At Home

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Finding creative ways to exercise at home became a trending topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although gyms and fitness studios have long since reopened after limited service during lockdowns, the rise in popularity of home workouts revealed the many benefits of having your own personal exercise space.

Whether you’re starting a new fitness regimen this season or considering in-house options to make your current routine more convenient, here are some tips to optimize your home for summer workouts.

Assess and Invest

Commercial gyms and studios have floors, carpeting and utilities that are carefully selected for general safety and sanitation. Your home workout doesn’t need to reach this level of setup, but you can customize your exercise space with equipment and accouterments to keep your regimen sustainable. Consider the best indoor or outdoor spot at home with enough room to comfortably accommodate the range of motion for your exercises. Account for technology needs including music, livestreaming and ambient noise cancellation. Investing in your workout space can be inspiring if your budget allows — install a horizontal workout bar, purchase a spin machine, or set up a total body circuit one piece at a time. Add décor and personal touches to keep you motivated.

Stay Cool

With summer’s heat and humidity, it’s important to keep water and oxygen flow in mind when working out. At home, exercise in a well-ventilated space — even with air conditioning, an extra fan or two helps with air circulation during sweaty aerobics sessions. If your home doesn’t have air conditioning, consider working out before sunrise or after sunset to avoid heat exhaustion. Have towels and water bottles on hand for when you take a break. Pay extra attention to your session-ending cooldown: Take time to stretch and catch your breath before heading in for a cool shower.

Embrace Modifications

Working out at home is a balancing act between tailoring your space to fit your regimen and adjusting your regimen to fit your space. There is no shame in modifying some of the moves in your fitness session that cannot be realistically done at your home. If you enjoy high-intensity interval training or plyometrics but live in a small apartment, search for a routine that doesn’t require a wide range of space. Lower-impact exercises like Pilates, barre workouts and yoga can be adjusted with choreography offering different moves that work the same muscles. Find what works for you, and have fun.