Working out from home: What works for you all?

I workout with an Oculus VR set. Lots of different options and I work up a nice sweat.

You'll need to play around with your routine and see when it's easiest for you to fit in some time for exercise - you've got to make it easy for yourself or you'll talk yourself out of it every time.

I'm a first-thing-in-the-morning exerciser, and I've recently also started going for leisurely walks in the evening to meet a step goal (mine is 10k steps per day, YMMV). Here's how I make it easy to say yes to movement:

• I noticed that I had about half an hour in the mornings before work where I wasn't doing much - mostly doomscrolling social media or farting around some other way. So, I just started doing something during that time, rather than trying to wake up extra early just to get a workout in.
• I keep my workout clothes bundled together into full outfits (socks, underwear, sports bra, shirt, all rolled up in a pair of leggings or shorts), and the bundles live on top of my dresser in a little basket. Easy to grab, no fumbling around in drawers.
• I found things that were fun to do, which is the biggest thing tbh - if it's fun, and you want to do it, you'll find or make the time for it. What's fun for me might be heartbreakingly boring for you, though, so YMMV here as well.

I started with some beginner-level ~20-minute workout videos in the Planet Fitness app on my phone. On the weekends, to reinforce the "get up and move" habit, I would just do some simple stretches. Then I started walking outside; there's a park near my house with lots of walking trails, so I would go there in the mornings on days when I worked the late shift. I saw a lot of wildlife and a lot of amazing sunrises that way. I discovered almost two dozen more such little natural areas in my county with walking/hiking/nature trails, so I started exploring those on the weekends when I had more time. I took a peek into the wide world of Youtube workout videos (there's a whole thread about them here). Hubs got Ring Fit Adventure for his birthday last year and I started playing it, too - I haven't picked it up in a minute because I've been doing other things, but it's super fun. Once I got vaxed last spring, I started getting back into the gym and got back to strength training - the nice thing about going early is there aren't many people there, and it's been recently cleaned.

Cycling is my primary form of exercise. This time of year I do most of that indoors on my indoor smart trainer with Zwift and take it outside on the weekends...usually my hardtail for a trail ride. Timing of your exercise is only relevant to you actually doing it...otherwise it makes no difference. I start a new cycling program on Monday and I've decided I'm going to do it in the morning before work 2x per week and after work 2x per week. My before work sessions are going to be on the days I have a long commute because I know that after long day of work and an hour commute home I'm not going to want to do anything. My other office is only about 10-15 minutes from home so I can train after work on those days.

I'm not much of a morning person and typically don't like working out in the early morning, but I can swing it if it's only a couple of days. Everyday would be a non starter for me.

I like to do the treadmill, HIIT, yoga, indoor biking, cardio exercises.

Here is one of my favorite You Tube work outs that I do at home! & it is at your own pace. I love it!

https://youtu.be/WJqYiO8JaLw

I walk and do Beachbody workouts also.

One of the best things I invested in is a thick yoga mat. I don't do all that much yoga, but I have found that, when doing floor exercises, having a yoga mat has saved me joints (and tailbone). Pushups, planks, sit-ups, bicycle kicks, even squats.

Weather permitting, I find outdoor walking to be very relaxing and a good workout. Now, I will often call my mom and chat with her (using headphones with a microphone) because it makes the time go faster, but some people listen to music or audio books and others sort of meditate, pray, or let their minds wander.

A bunch of workout equipment isn't necessary, but if you do want to buy some, I'd suggest a little at a time. Also, it may be a controversial opinion, but I'd say start out with cheap dumbbells or kettle bells. Like with tools, if you wear them out, you've used them enough to justify buying the expensive kind. The opposite goes for machines. You want a high quality bike- not one that may fall apart underneath you.

I mostly work out at home, where my only equipment right now is a thick (10mm) yoga mat and a pair of 5 pound dumbbells. I find most of my workouts on YouTube, and I have a few exercise DVDs. On YouTube, I always look for workouts that include very clear form instructions (tons of videos these days are just music with no narration to guide you on the safest ways to breathe and move your body...not good in my view). The Popsugar channel has workouts at every level. I also like Jessicasmithtv; she doesn't post much anymore, but has a library of very good videos with clear form instructions at all levels (I also have two Jessica Smith DVDs). Amazon Prime also has some workout videos for sale and some included with Prime; I don't have Prime right now, but when I did I Iiked the BoxxHiit workouts (hard but satisfying).

I also take a brisk walk almost every day and take hikes when I can.

As for time of day, do it whenever feels best to you. I work from home, and I typically work for a couple of hours in the morning and take about 1.5 hours midday to exercise then have lunch and shower and get back to work until mid-evening, when I take a walk before dinner and my evening work session. When I worked in-person, I exercised right away after finishing work. I'm not a morning person so I didn't want to do it before my commute, and I found that if I didn't do it right away upon getting home I'd just get tired and crash. I always exercise before eating or I get queasy while working out!

In my opinion, the key is finding exercise you like and doing it at a good time for you. Otherwise, it isn't sustainable. Try different things and stick with what you like. I found that while I like running on the treadmill, I hate running on the street, for example, and I found machines I liked at the gym. When my gym closed I tried lots of different videos (dance cardio, Zumba, boxing, workouts with heavy weights, workouts with light weights), until I found my favourites (mostly boxing videos plus some high-rep workouts with light weights that move at a cardio pace).