Fitness | Home Workouts & Physio World Review

I made the decision a little while back to cancel my gym membership. Based mostly on the cost of it, but also on my inability to find the time to go inbetween working a full-time+1 job and modern day life. Prior to starting my current job I managed to squeeze in at least 2 classes a week, but now my work has picked up I'm generally working pretty late, so not knowing when I'll be leaving the office means I can't commit to attending classes or even head down for an individual workout (boo).

Without getting into it too much, I'm surprised fitness bloggers generally don't cover home workouts tht much. Longer working hours aren't a thing of the past, and keeping up a gym membership isn't exactly the most budget friendly way of getting fit for many. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm going to make home workouts a little feature on my blog, to share with you what workouts work well for me, and how I fit them into my busy schedule (and modest living room). I hope you'll find them useful, and that they work well for you whatever your schedule might look like :)

Despite not having all of the regular 'gym' equipment to hand, I'm a huge fan of strength training and using my own body weight to improve my fitness. Working out at home has made a significant difference to my running too. Focusing on my core strength has really helped me to maximise my longer runs, and has helped get rid of some lower back pains that keep appearing after most runs over 8ish miles.

In light of my gym break-up, I purchased a shiny new workout mat to make my workouts easier and more comfortable. I've tried a few exercise mats over the years, and have generally been pleased with them all. After all, they aren't particularly exciting...right? Nonetheless, if I was making a monthly membership saving I wanted to try something a bit more 'up market'.

I picked this up from Physio World on Amazon after scouring the usual sports websites. Thanks to my prime membership it came within a day, and I'm really pleased! Naturally, pink was my first choice and I went for a 10mm depth. You can get an even thicker version if you prefer, but I would highly recommend the 10mm if you're like me and generally don't have many issues with your back. Unlike most exercise mats on the market it's super long, which means I don't have to worry about my hands or feet hanging off the edge too much. I'd definitely recommend giving this mat a try if you're looking for one to get started with your home workouts, or even one of a similar size/depth if you can't get it online.

Youtube is brilliant for quick workouts when I don't have much time. I've been a subscriber of Xhit Daily for a while now, and I honestly can't recommend their workout videos enough for women and men of all fitness levels. Heres the link to the video I was watching when I snapped these pictures for my blog if you wanted to give it a go! See you soon with a home workout blog post!