Dumbbells On Deck
I love going to the gym, but sometimes I just can’t fit it into my schedule.
I’m already committing 2 nights a week at school, so I feel a little guilty going to the gym on weeknights and spending additional time away from my family. I bring Bella with me on most gym trips because she likes coming with me to “mommy workout” and playing with other kids in the gym’s playroom, but some days I just want to stay at the house.
Just because I skip the gym doesn’t mean I have to skip my workout.
Right now, I exercise 4-5 times a week, and I try to be active on a daily basis. I don’t enjoy exercising outdoors in the winter, so I've limited my exercise to indoors from December thru March (sometimes even April smh).
I have a small collection of fitness items at home, that I use on days I can't make it to the gym. Currently, my most used items are my dumbbells.
As a part of my workplace’s initiative to improve employee health, they offer free consultations with licensed nutritionists and exercise physiologists, gym reimbursement, and free biometric screenings. Please believe I took advantage of all of the perks!
I’ve been working with an exercise physiologist from the University Of Rochester Medical Center, and she suggested that in addition to my aerobic exercise, I needed to be more consistent with my strength training to reach my weight loss goals. She recommended I work all of the large muscle groups at least twice per week, using a combination of dumbbells and body weight.
She also recommended I switch up my weight training routine every 3-4 weeks to keep my body guessing. She sent me the link below, and it’s been so easy to complete this at home and at the gym. I’ve been using 10 lb and 12 lb dumbbells, and so far I’ve been getting lean in these streets.
Dumbbell Routine
Also, if you have wifi and a laptop (or any phone/ tablet device), you can find many workouts on YouTube. I am all about the free.
This is one of my favorite videos to use when I’m at home. He goes through 6 exercises, and increases the number of reps each set. It’s only 20 minutes! By the end of the video I am pumped and ready for a shower.
I use dumbbells because it’s easy for me to do a variety of workouts. I can use them for lifting, and for adding weight to my squats and lunges. Dumbbell exercises are easily modifiable. If I can’t lift 2 weights at a time, I can easily do one arm at time.
They are also perfect for home use because they are small enough to put away and keep out of my daughter’s reach. I like that they are portable and I can use them in any room of the house in case my husband or daughter get ticked off when I’m blocking the television while doing my bicep curls. Dumbbells can get pricey, so I don’t have many of them at home, and therefore haven’t really been upping my weights. I haven’t used my amazon prime subscription in a while (a week), so I may order a new set soon!
What are some of your favorite at-home workout tools?