How a beginner can start working out at home

You don’t have to be a gym junkie to be able to workout at home. The best thing about exercising from the comfort of your front room is that you won’t feel intimidated when you work out!

The most important things are… that you stretch properly before you start – you don’t want to pull any muscles – and that you have fun doing it!

How to begin working out if you are a beginner

When we think of the term “exercise”, words such as annual gym memberships, personal trainers and heavy equipment may come to mind.

However, working out does not need to be expensive, time consuming or inconvenient. Plus, finding the time to exercise when you have children can be difficult!

So why not try and include your kids in your work outs at home?

Tips on how to start working out at home:

1. Warm up properly

You don’t want to pull a muscle, so make sure you warm up and stretch before you start.

2. Have a workout plan

Write down a list of exercises you are hoping to do in your workout, so you have a set plan and time how long you will do each exercise for.

3. Set realistic goals

You may have never exercised before, but the good news is the more you do it, the easier it will become. If you are planning to run up and down the stairs then start off with 10 sets, then each time build on that.

5. Start small

If you are a beginner then don’t try and over exert yourself. The more you do it, the easier it will become.

6. Stay hydrated

Make sure you stay hydrated during your workouts so have a bottle of water on hand.

Some home workouts you can do without equipment:

1. Push ups
2. Sit ups
3. Planking
4. Tabata
5. Dance Fit
6. Squats

There are a HEAP more exercises you can find out our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge! All of which can be done from the comfort of your home.

15 budget-friendly exercises you can do at home

1. Squats

There’s a reason why we often have squats on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge exercise plan. They work! Tone that butt and tighten those thighs just by adding squats to your daily routine.

You can squat anywhere – while you’re feeding the baby their Weet-Bix, while you’re hanging clothes on the line, or even just while you’re stir-frying your veggies for dinner.

Read how you can sneak 100 squats into your day HERE.

2. Tricep Dips

Stronger arms with more definition can really help you feel good in a singlet top! Tricep dips can be done anywhere, so why not slip a few tricep dips in while the kids play at the park, using the benches?

BUDGET TIP: Use your pantry staples as weights to increase the intensity of your dips. Grab your flour, rice or some cans and get dipping.

3. Lunges

Lauren da Silva loves that she can do lunges from the comfort of home. They’re great for your legs, thighs, and butt.

Read her five favourite exercises to do in the lounge room HERE.

4. Push-ups

Kristy Mead has lost 30kg with the help of the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge. She shares her advice for squeezing in some push-ups – while you watch TV!

“Simply commit to doing as many push-ups as you can during the ad breaks!’

Read her 10 tips for exercising HERE.

You can also do this Healthy Mummy HIIT workout which incorporates push-ups in a 5-minute workout.

5. Plank

Whether you do this in the lounge room, the backyard, or at the end of an outdoor training session – planks get results for your core and stomach!

Here’s our tip for performing the perfect plank with Nathalia.

6. Burpees

These can be tricky at first, but they really do give your body an all-over workout. Lots of mums on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge use them as a way to measure their fitness.

For instance, mum Melanie found that once she joined the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and started the exercise program, she could do things that weren’t possible for her 6-7 months ago.

“I now can successfully run 5km without stopping, do push us on my toes, do more than 10 burpees in a row and run multiple laps of the basketball court. I cannot wait to see what my body is capable of in another 6-7 months,” says Melanie.

7. Box jumps

Box jumps are great to get your heart rate up and are a full body exercise.

It doesn’t matter if you can only jump 20cm, or if you can jump upwards of 60cm. Every box jump gives you a sense of accomplishment. Keep your eyes on your landing area, squat down and propel yourself up onto the box/step with your arms. Perform 15 reps, 3 times.

WORKOUT TIP: All the workouts, like the box jumps above, from the 28 Weight Loss Challenge can be done at home with things you can easily find around the house.

8. Curtsy lunge

Curtsy lunges are one of Healthy Mummy Stephanie’s favourite exercises. They target your outer and inner thigh muscles, as well as your butt. Take your time, control the movement, and don’t forget to brace your core to keep you balanced.

9. Hip thrusts

Hip thrusts are a super versatile exercise. You can perform these laying on the floor, you can add a weight on to your hips, you can also do these with your upper back resting on a bench or the lounge to make it even more of a workout.

To target your outer booty, place your heels together, fold your knees out, and then perform the hip thrust. Do 20 reps, 5 times over.

If you are working on getting your booty in shape for summer check out our booty busting workout below.

10. Pause Squats

Pause Squats are a booty burner for sure. Take a normal squat stance, feet just past hip width, squat down, squeeze your glutes, and pause for 3 seconds.

Drive back up to the starting position. Perform 20 reps, 3 times. Use a resistance band to make sure you’re activating your glutes.

11. Walking weighted lunges

Walking weighted lunges are just that. Grab yourself some weights, brace that core, and slowly perform walking lunges. Do 20 lunges in total, 3 times over.

Read more of Stephanie’s exercise tips HERE.

BUDGET TIP: You don’t have to go out and buy weights you have things around the house that work as weights, look in the pantry for some canned goods or fill up some bottles with water and use them. Or even pick up your kid and use their extra weight.

12. Walking workouts

This may be an obvious budget-friendly exercise as we all generally do some sort of walking during our day but just increasing the number of steps you take per day and the efficiency of your walk may be more simple than you realise.

Walking is one of the best exercises on the planet as it costs nothing and is readily available to most people. Simply walking for just 10-15 minutes increases cardiovascular function, aids muscle strength in the hips, legs and core and may help to reduce stress.

TIP: Simply add in a few walking lunges or a short jog every 10 steps to spice things up by actively creating your own personal lower body and/or cardiovascular workout.

13. Abs Workout!

Who doesn’t want a flat tummy!? It’s a problem area for many mums, but thankfully there’s great exercises and workouts to target your core and make it super strong.

Try these FAB ABS Work out with Nathalia!!!

14. Lower Body and Arms Workout with Nathalia!

The 28 Days Stronger program features Nathalia in a series of strength training videos designed for mums to gain strength and cardio fitness. The new 28 Days Stronger program provides full length workouts for Beginners (20) and Advanced (20), along with a demonstration of the Fitness Test for the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.

Get your FREE lower body and arms workout HERE.

15. Lower Body Work Out

Want to up your fitness level and get strong legs, glutes and core?!! Check out this Lower Body Workout from our new 28 Days Stronger Fitness Coach Nathalia!

Check out more free exercises on The Healthy Mummy YouTube channel.

Mum loses 22kg doing these easy exercises using her kids!

Stephanie Marriott, who is a Healthy Mummy community member, has shared her top tips on how to exercise with her kids when the weather is bad outside.

“Finding time to fit in exercise with children is definitely a hard task at times,” she says.

“I have three kids at home and a husband that works late so it seems silly for me to pay for a gym membership when I can’t utilise it to its full capacity.

“Luckily, there are plenty of exercises you can do at home with no equipment required.

“My children love to get involved, either copying my movements, getting used as a weight or simply dancing around to the music with me.”

Stephanie has shared her awesome exercise video to do at home with the kids, which include doing step ups holding her kids on the stairs, push ups, squats, hip thrusts.

Check Out Stephanie’s workout video here:

“These easy to follow exercises can be squeezed in when washing up dishes, hanging washing out, when the baby naps or when the kids are having dinner and a bath,” she says.

“Moving your body is really important, whether it’s a strenuous workout that raises your heart rate and works up a sweat, or a gentle session of pilates or yoga that’s relaxing and good for your mental health. 

“Winter is the perfect time to start your fitness routine, schedule 30 minutes in your diary each day, and make a commitment to get it done.”

The affordable, realistic and easy-to-follow Mums-only Challenge