Hey, yall! I don’t know about you, but I have been doing way more workouts at home than I ever have before. Normally, that is not my style and I personally feel like I get a better workout when I am in the gym and have all the racks, barbells, machines, etc. at my disposal. HOWEVER, with COVID-19 a lot of the normalcy in our routines has vanished and that includes routine workouts at the gym. Some gyms are still not open and some require masks which can be uncomfortable to workout in and that combined with the still ever present threat of COVID has a lot of people just sticking to home workouts. So, I thought I would share my top 5 items for at home workouts!
- Bands
I love working out with resistance bands at home. They are great for getting in a quick trigger session at home or stretching out a muscle. And they are so compact and light weight which makes them perfect for traveling. Zack and I use these bands for arm and upper back workouts and stretching. And these bands are a different style but they are great for leg workouts. They help to create resistance and give more value to body weight leg and glute workouts. Having these bands on hand is so helpful because you can get in a pretty good workout anytime anywhere.
- Water bottle
It doesn’t matter what kind or where you got it, but having a water bottle or yeti cup or something similar on hand is so important. We all know staying hydrated is imperative to a healthy lifestyle, but how often do we actually maintain that? I have
found always having a water container with me has helped so much because it serves as a constant reminder to drink more. (Bonus: I drink more if it’s cute! LOL) I keep this YETI on my desk all day at work. Then I also have this half gallon water
bottle because I love the little words of encouragement and reminders to drink throughout the day. This Hydro Flask bottle is great option for outside workouts or activities because it definitely keeps your water COLD during the summer heat! And lastly, I always keep a water cup next to my bed on my nightstand so I remember to drink right before bed and as soon as I wake up. A hydrated life is the best life, am I right?!
3. Caffeine
Okay, this may shock you, but I do not use pre-workout at all. I’m really not into supplements and never have been throughout my entire lifting journey. I feel like a lot of the supplements are unneccsary calories and I don’t normally love the artificial flavors. Don’t get me wrong tho, sometimes I need a kick in the butt to get me going and pumped up for the gym after a long day of work. This is exactly why I always keep a bottle of caffeine pills in my car or my gym bag. You can grab any caffeine pills from a gas station, Walgreens. CVS, etc. I have used this brand before and also found it on Amazon -> Jet Alert Caffeine Tablets I usually just take ½ unless I’m really dragging and need the extra energy. This is the best zero calorie, zero sugar extra hype that I need. I let it set in for 20ish minutes and then I’m ready to hit the weights!
- Dumbbells
Eventually I would love to build my weight set at home and maybe even have a home gym one day, but for now our “home gym” consists of the living room floor, the bands I shared above, and the few dumbbells we have. We have a few sets because obviously Zack would not use the same weights as I do, but for beginners like me I would recommend at least having 2 sets – lighter and heavier. I have a set of 5 lb as my light set and 10 lbs as my heavy set. You can find these at Target, Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc. I also loved this cute set from Amazon. These are great to add in to your body weight workouts for a little extra “oomf” or for a quick pump when you need a boost of confidence! We love having dumbbells on hand at home.
- Steps tracker
Really it doesn’t matter what type/brand of tracker you have. There are tons of articles and individual performed studies comparing to find the best brand: FitBit vs Apple vs. Garmin and more. Honestly, in my opinion, none of them are really all that accurate, but that’s okay because that’s not why I am recommending you get a step tracker. I know it sounds crazy, but you don’t really need to know your exact number of steps each day. You will never really need to know that (unless you are in a step competition at work or something lol)! The main point of me recommending a tracker is just to have a good idea of your base level. How much do you stand/sit per day, approximately how many steps do you take? You can monitor this for a week or two to get a good idea and then decide if you want to increase it from there. I suggest picking a tracker you like and sticking to it 
just for consistency purposes. So, I use the Apple Watch and it says I average about 6,000 steps a day. I don’t care if I actually average 6,350 steps or 5,789, I just need to know the range I am in so that when I want to add in more activity and increase my daily movements, I know how much to add. I suggest adding about 500-1,000 steps at a time and working your way up from there. So if my “neat” or average is 6,000 but I’m looking to increase my cardio, then I will be shooting for closer to 6,500 or 7,000. I hope that makes sense and is helpful. I am linking my apple watch and favorite watch bands here! Watch and Watch Bands
I hope this helps! These are the 5 things I couldn’t live without for my at home fitness routine. What are some items you can’t live without?! Leave a comment below if you have any suggestions for me!
Xx, Ella