ULTIMATE HOME WORKOUT PLAN

Whenever you aren’t ready to do something, you’ll look for a thousand reasons why you shouldn’t do it. However, whenever you’re ready to get something done, only one reason is enough to accomplish the task. Even when you fail to admit it, you desire to have a physique that will make you proud. You want to look at yourself in the mirror, all smiles, because you admire your body shape.

If we all desire to look fit, why then do many people not commit to carrying out exercises that can help them? There are many contributing factors to this reluctance. One of them is that many people aren’t aware that they can keep fit in the comfort of their homes. Some people think that they can only develop their body shape when they visit a gym or hire a physical trainer. However, this is far from the truth.

You can have an effective workout plan that will enhance your muscles and physique without leaving your home. How? It requires access to the right information, dedication, and commitment. This guide will help you with the knowledge aspect. You’ll find quality information regarding how to create your home workout plan and tips that will help you stick with it. In the end, you’ll be able to enjoy the numerous physical and mental health benefits that come with these activities.

In a world where many people act based on what they see, it is vital to focus on both the outward and inward aspects of your life. Many people will judge you based on your appearance. In fact, some people of the opposite sex can turn you down because they feel you aren’t sexy enough for them.

Indeed, it is not ideal to judge people only based on their physical appearance. Nonetheless, you need to realize that we aren’t living in an ideal world. So, while developing your intellect and emotional strength, you’ll do yourself a lot of good by also investing in your physical appearance. Some people will never give you the chance to show what you can do because of the way you look.

Therefore, it is critical to improve your physique. Besides, the insensitive comments you can get, especially on social media because of your body shape, can be depressing. Therefore, keeping fit is a route to sanity in the modern world. This chapter will explore what a workout plan is and the link between your physical and mental health.

What is a Home Workout Plan?

Indeed, we cannot deny the added advantages of visiting a gym or hiring a physical trainer to develop your physique. An expert has both the knowledge and experience to give you a customized routine that will get the requisite results. Nonetheless, you don’t need a gym membership to build your muscle or lose weight.

If you’ve been observant enough, you’ll notice that many people post pictures and videos about their home workout routines online. It is true that you shouldn’t believe everything you see on the internet because many people post false information just to get likes and positive remarks. Nevertheless, the reality is that many people are improving their physical appearance without leaving their homes. You can be one such person if you’re ready to pay the price.

A home workout plan is a deliberately structured routine to improve your physical appearance by carrying out various exercises. Indeed, there are equipment and facilities that can make this process easier. Nonetheless, you don’t have to break the bank to get a good sweat, lose weight, or develop your muscles. You can still lose weight or build your abs with minimal or no investment by choosing the right plan and tasks.

Vital Features of an Effective Home Workout Plan

Just like any activity, there are vital components that are integral to the success of your home workout plan. Once these features are missing, you’ll only have a plan but will never execute it. They include:

Purpose

When you fail to define the reason for an activity, it will eventually become redundant. You need to ask yourself why you need to start regular exercises. Do you want to start so that you can post a picture on your social media profile? Do you want to do it because it is the current trend? If your reason is flimsy, you’ll stop very soon.

Therefore, you have to ensure that you have a clearly defined objective before starting your plan. Endeavor to write your targets down so that you can tailor your plans in the right direction. Your goals will also help you to develop an effective diet plan that will support your commitment to physical activity.

Vision

A vision is something you see long before it happens. Having a clear vision about the kind of person you want to be determines the kind of commitment you’ll have today. It enables you to channel your energy and resources in the right direction.

The purpose of starting a workout will affect your vision. Meanwhile, your vision will determine the kind of exercises you’ll perform. For example, if you’re doing exercise to develop your abs, you’ll not have a workout plan that encourages the development of butt muscles. The kind of physique you imagine yourself having is what will determine your routine.

Gradual Process

Nothing you do in a hurry can stand the test of time. Rushing may earn you some quick results, but you’ll not be able to sustain it. Besides, impatience often leads to desperation, which often leads to disastrous outcomes. In the context of physical activities, it can make you engage in strenuous routines that can have adverse effects on your health.

You must never forget that developing your physique is a gradual process. Impatience and desperation can make you injure yourself or become discouraged along the way. You need to enjoy the process to make your home workout plan a success. It is good to use the body shape of others as inspiration, but you must never forget that it took them time to achieve that physique.

Motivation

The fuel of any aspiration is passion. Zeal spurs you to follow up on a plan or strategy to ensure that you succeed. Your home workout plan will never become a reality when you lack motivation. You must be excited to do your press-ups every day.

Once you lose the desire to go on, you’ll quit. So, use your vision as a springboard to get going, especially during days when you’re tired or in a bad mood. Joining a fitness club may encourage you to sustain your momentum. Nonetheless, if you’re self-motivated, you can still be consistent all by yourself.

Commitment

You cannot separate motivation and commitment. When you’re motivated to carry out a task, you’ll commit to it. A plan that lacks commitment will only remain on paper but will never be executed. Laziness is one of those factors that can stop you from achieving your desired body shape. So, ensure that you don’t allow laxity and boredom to set it. Anyone can start working out, but only committed people can sustain the momentum in the long run. There are some critical tips that can help you sustain your plan. You’ll learn about them in subsequent chapters.

Link Between Physical Health and Mental Health

It is impossible to separate physical health from mental health because one affects the other. In other words, if you have poor physical health, it will affect you mentally. For example, if you’re battling a chronic disease, it could lead to depression. In the same way, your mental health can also affect your physical health. For instance, if you’re battling depression and anxiety, it could affect your eating habit and exercise.

Meanwhile, you cannot maintain your physical health if you have bad eating habits and don’t exercise. Moreover, the definition of health, according to the World Health Organization, shows that both physical and psychological health must be constant before you can term a person as “healthy.” Besides, social wellbeing is also a key part of overall health.

The following are ways your mental and physical health are interconnected:

Depression and Terminal Diseases

Research has shown that people with low self-esteem are 32% more likely to die from cancer. Also, depression increases the chance of suffering from coronary disease. This claim is not farfetched because you’ll not eat healthy meals when you’re not in the right mental state. You’ll not stick to a healthy plan by just eat whatever is available, which can have adverse effects on your physical health.

Schizophrenia and Terminal Diseases

Experts have observed that schizophrenia patients are at double risk of dying from heart disease. They are also thrice at risk of dying from respiratory disease. This connection is because mental health patients aren’t likely to receive routine checks such as weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Exercise and Depression

Research has proven that regular exercise affects the release and uptake of endorphins. These are chemicals in the brain that makes you feel happy. So, lack of exercise increases your chances of depression.

Physical Exercise and Mental Alertness

Scientists have discovered that you can generate positive energy and improve your mental alertness through physical exercise. In fact, even a short burst of ten minutes fast walking can be a difference-maker.

The advent of social media exposes us to multiple influences from various people across the world. It is easier to act in ways to fit into the crowd because you don’t want to be rejected. This mindset can also affect your plan for a home workout. You might want to lose weight to earn the acceptance of people who don’t care about you. This chapter reviews how to ensure you start on the right note by making your plan all about you.

Avoiding Unnecessary Attention

The last thing you want is people paying attention to you unnecessarily because of your physique. Unfortunately, this is the experience of many people today, especially plus-size folks. The internet and movies are full of insensitive jokes to mock people because they are overweight. Indeed, it is not good to have excessive weight. It is not beneficial to your appearance, and it can also make you at risk of some health challenges, including obesity.

However, you shouldn’t start your workout plan on the wrong note. There’s nothing wrong with losing weight, but you shouldn’t do so because you want to avoid unwarranted attention to yourself. Remember that developing muscle or losing weight is a gradual process. Of course, you should have a vision – a desired physique. Nonetheless, you need to learn to accept yourself while working towards your objective.

See yourself as someone who deserves the love and respect of other people regardless of your appearance. If you notice that your circle of friends often make insensitive comments about your looks, you need to keep your distance from them. Be around people who aren’t ashamed of you despite wanting you to get better.

Good friends will tell you your deficiencies and give you a roadmap to improve on them. They will support your plan and provide you with moral support to sustain your momentum. Besides, losing weight or building muscles does not mean that people will stop making jest of you. Insensitive people will always find reasons to mock you regardless of how successful you are. For example, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers ever, but people still make demeaning remarks about him. So, learn to love and accept yourself regardless of your appearance.

Keeping Fit With the Right Motive

In some fitness-based articles and books, the authors often encourage people to use negative comments and experiences as inspiration. For example, as a lady, if you were dumped by your boyfriend because you’re overweight, they would encourage you to look sexy to get back at him. At the surface, it looks like a brilliant idea. You’ll imagine going out on a date with another hot guy and posting the picture on social media. Nonetheless, it is a sign of insecurity.

Whoever breaks up with you because of your physique does not deserve your time. It is a different case if you have decided not to put in the effort to enhance your appearance. However, if a guy hooks up with another lady because he feels you’re no longer as sexy as you used to be, he does not deserve you. It is the same for a lady who breaks up with a guy on the same grounds. The worst thing you can do is to start visiting the gym or starting a workout plan because of revenge.

If you start doing exercise to prove a point, you’ll be frustrated and discouraged in the long run. Think about it; some guys still cheat on their spouse even when she is gorgeous. Many celebrities come to mind in this regard. In the same way, guys who have attractive abs lose their partners to other men. So, the issue is never because of physical appearance. If a person loves you, he or she will stick with you regardless of your physique. He or she might encourage you to lose weight, but it will never be by threatening to dump you for someone slimmer.

Staying Clear of Media Pressure

Some people can recognize their source of stress. For example, you may know that your boss at work has been frustrating in recent times. In the same way, you may know that your kids or spouse have been making you unhappy recently. However, excessive exposure to media influences can affect you in ways you may never know. For example, you may be feeling bad about your body shape because of unpleasant comments after posting a picture.

Some people would post heavily edited pictures just to get likes and positive comments. Unfortunately, you might be feeling that such people have lives better than yourself. Meanwhile, they are just living a lie. Before you do anything, you need to ask yourself for the motive behind it. For example, you might want to start working out to earn more likes on social media. You might want to be given appellations such as hot, sexy, gorgeous, handsome, and the likes.

Indeed, such comments are nice and can put you in a good mood. However, it is a problem when you feel downtrodden or rejected because someone called you ugly or fat. You can become desperate and start working out to prove a point to such people. However, you’ll not be able to sustain it. In fact, they can mock your effort to improve yourself.

Wait until you have the body shape you desire before posting videos or pictures if you want to inspire or encourage others. Don’t post them to show to your detractors that you’re making progress. They can laugh at you, and that will only affect your self-esteem further. You might need to take a break from the digital world to help put you back in charge of your life. This process is called digital detox. You can read “Disconnect to Reconnect” by the same author for more details.

Signs You’re Working Out For The Wrong Reasons

You can know when your motive for starting a workout is wrong. It will affect the way you go about it. The following symptoms shows that you need to review your motive or method:

You’re working out too hard due to impatience

You’re excessively indulging in one type of movement.

Your body is overly sore with pain lingering for a week or more.

You’re feeling pain on one side of your body.

These signs are common to people who are trying to prove a point. You’ll be fixated on one side of your body instead of overall health. Also, you’ll be trying too hard because you’re desperate.

Understanding the benefits of an activity gives you the requisite impetus to sustain your momentum. Having a home workout plan offers you the following advantages.

Prevents Muscle Loss

It’s no news that your body will not function as efficiently as it used to as you grow older. Building muscles becomes more challenging, and the ones you have built will break down faster. Therefore, it is not shocking that older people look less attractive. They are like flowers that are gradually losing their beauty. The blossoms are eventually replaced by degradation.

You need to prepare for the latter periods of your life by having a plan for regular exercise. Nonetheless, you must go beyond just drawing out plans; you have to execute them. Regular exercise is an integral part of healthy aging. It helps you to maintain your muscle mass and also increase it. You might have seen people who still looked robust and active in their latter years. You can also be like that by working out.

Regular exercise keeps your metabolism high and gives you strength and resilience to complete your daily tasks. Indeed, you’ll need the support of the people around you as you grow older. However, working out reduces your dependence on others. Moreover, it helps to prevent falling unconsciously, which is critical for older adults.

Improves Digestion

Regular exercise is beneficial to your overall health, including digestion. When you have a culture of working out, you’re doing your digestive tract a lot of good by strengthening it. Physical activities also keep the gut healthy. When you’re less active, your intestinal flow becomes slower. Experts reckon that exercise has both short-term and long-term benefits.

It also alleviates gas, heartburn, constipation, and stomach cramps. Note that excessive or mistimed physical activities can have adverse effects on digestion. It can make you experience gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal pain, constipation, heartburn, bloating, and upset stomach. You can have these issues when you workout immediately after taking a meal. Therefore, exercise is beneficial to digestion when you do it before eating instead of after taking your meal.

Note that working out after eating is not always counterproductive. What matters is the timing. The reason working out is harmful immediately after taking your meal is that blood flows around your intestine and stomach to help with digestion. So, if you start exercising without allowing your body to rest, the blood will flow back to your stomach and other muscles, which could lead to digestion problems.

Enhances Appearance

Working out improves your appearance in many ways. However, the two major ways it gives you a more youthful look is by building your muscles and improving your skin. Regular exercise detoxifies your skin of oils and dirt. How? Working out helps you to sweat more efficiently, which ensures that you lose toxins in your body through your skin pores. So, with exercise, you might not need a detoxifying medication.

According to Audrey Kunin, a dermatologist in Kansas City, regular exercise is more like getting a mini-facial. She explained that working up a good sweat expels the sweat and oil trapped in your pores as they dilate. However, she recommends that you should ensure that you wash your face immediately you’re done. Failure to do so will make the gunk get sucked back into your pores.

More so, regular exercise helps to relieve stress, which ensures that you look younger. Mental and physical exhaustion accelerates the aging process. Therefore, you give yourself a more youthful outlook by starting and sustaining your workout plan. Besides, building your muscles makes your clothes looked more fitted when you wear them, which improves your confidence when you step out.

Improves Mental Performance and Work Productivity

You need to be calm and relaxed to succeed, especially when carrying out mentally taxing tasks. This state of mind is vital in the modern world where we work more with computers. So, to be at your best, you need to keep your focus whenever working. Meanwhile, one of the reasons you’re distracted is because you aren’t relaxed. Regular exercise offers you the requisite tranquility to excel in your daily activities.

With greater relaxation, comes enhanced efficiency. Remember that you cannot be at the apex of your career or fulfill your potential when you’re fond of producing poor performances. Besides, there is a lot of pressure to perform or face the sack in the modern world because of its ultra-competitive nature. There are many people waiting in the wings to take your role and do a better job.

Even if you’re an entrepreneur, you still need to be at the top of your game to stay relevant. The fierce competition of the business world requires that you’re on your toes all the time. So, engaging in stress-relieving activities such as working out gives you a much-needed edge to have a clear mind.

Have A New Circle of Productive Friends

You need positive energy around you to keep your sanity and fulfill your potential. It is imperative to keep the right company in a world of multiple negative influences. Many people out there are only interested in doing things that aren’t productive, such as spending excessive time with digital devices or talking ill of others.

However, you can choose to rather spend your time doing things that can improve your health and performance. The truth is that you’ll attract your kind. In other words, you’ll easily make friends with people who share common interests with you. When you start working out, you’ll mix up more with such people who like to invest their time in productive activities.

It is easier to meet these people when you join a health club. Note that the reason that making this move will make sense to you is that you’re carrying out health-boosting activities. Working out makes you find other people doing the same thing. You’ll share your improvements with them, and they can also give you tips that can make you more efficient.

Viable Alternative to Social Media Activities

One of the best ways to curb a harmful habit is by replacing it with a positive one. For example, you may be addicted to a substance that improves your mood because you’re often depressed. So, by having a hobby or doing sports, you might have more ways to make yourself happy instead of drug abuse.

In the same way, you might be addicted to digital devices because that is the only thing you do with your leisure period. However, you can break free from it by involving in productive activities such as visiting your loved ones or doing sports. Having a home workout plan is another helpful way to spend your time wisely because of the physical and mental health benefits it offers.

According to Dr. Cheng, if the benefits of working out are put inside a drug, it would have been worth a million dollars. Researchers have always been interested in investigating the effects of regular exercise. The results have been promising. Here are some findings.

Boosts the Immune System

A 2017 study revealed that a 20-minute moderate workout has tremendous effects on the immune system. The study involved 47 healthy volunteers. The participants were required to jog or walk on a treadmill, depending on their level of fitness. Before and after the exercise, the researchers measured an inflammatory marker’s levels, TNF. They observed that there was a 5% reduction in the number of immune cells that generated the marker.

This result shows that physical activity could boost the immune system by preventing excessive inflammation. The researchers confirmed that working out has anti-inflammatory effects. Nonetheless, they were not able to explain the mechanism through which it takes place. Note that inflammation is a natural response of the immune system to injuries and diseases. However, when it is excessive, it can be counterproductive. It can lead to pain and other harmful effects.

Therefore, the fact that this study showed that exercise has anti-inflammatory effects is positive. It proves that it could protect you against chronic conditions due to moderate inflammatory responses. This result is liberating because it demonstrates that you might never have to invest in anti-inflammatory medications to rescue yourself from being at risk of excessive inflammatory responses. So, Dr. Cheng was right when he said that the advantages of working out are worth a million dollars.

Reduces Cancer Risk

Cancer, in its various forms, is a devastating disease causing many people pain all over the world. Treating it can be challenging because it often requires surgery, which is expensive and also comes with various side effects. Therefore, prevention is the best approach when it comes to this ailment. The good news is that one of the ways you can reduce the risk of having cancer is by engaging yourself in regular exercise.

Studies have shown that routine physical activity is associated with reductions in the incidence of breast and colon cancer. A review of several studies demonstrated that moderate physical activity is linked with a greater protective effect than lesser intensity activities. The study showed that physically active men and women have a 30%–40% decrease in the risk of having colon cancer. The women, in particular, have a 20%–30% reduction in the risk of suffering from breast cancer.

The summary of this systematic review is that there is compelling evidence that working out is linked with a decrease in the prevalence of specific cancers. The authors believed people who engage in regular exercise are less likely to have breast and colon cancer, in particular. The researchers also confirmed that cancer patients who are involved in recreational physical activities are at a lower risk of dying of the disease when compared to those who are less active.

Prevents Cardiovascular Disease

Generally, regular exercise boosts your heart rate, which bodes well for your overall health. Experts believe that women, in particular, have a lower chance of dying from specific diseases associated with physical inactivity. An example of such diseases is cardiovascular disease. Moreover, studies have proven that men and women who engage in regular exercise have a lesser risk of dying from heart-related illnesses.

For example, a study explored the effects of working out on the health of middle-aged men and women followed up for eight years. The researchers noticed that the lowest quintiles of physical fitness were associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, the top quintiles were linked to a decreased chance of mortality. Further research has only proven that the chances of dying from this disease are far less than earlier thought.

Recent investigations have demonstrated that being fit or active offers a greater than 50% reduction in the risk of death from heart-related sicknesses. These studies also showed that physically inactive middle-aged women experienced a 52% increase in all-cause mortality. These women engage in less than one hour of exercise per week. The scientists also confirmed that these people have a 29% increase in cancer-related mortality when compared to their physically active counterparts.

Decreases Chances of Diabetes

Diabetes can be life-changing in a negative way. Apart from causing you agony, it will also prevent you from eating some of your favorite meals. However, scientists have discovered that you can protect yourself from suffering from this disease by engaging in regular workouts. For instance, a study revealed that both aerobic and resistance types of exercise are effective in preventing type 2 diabetes. The study involved 46 participants who are involved in energy-expending activities.

The researchers observed that regular exercise reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 6%. They noticed that this benefit was more evident in people with a high body mass index. These participants are at higher risk of diabetes than the other participants. Nonetheless, this study demonstrated that, apart from weight loss, working out also decreases the chances of becoming a diabetes patient. Several studies have supported this investigation, proving that the findings are reliable.

For example, a study involving 271 male physicians recorded similar results. The research showed that the participants who reported weekly physical activity had a reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes. The activities they carried out were sufficient to make them sweat. The researchers explained that these participants also have a lesser chance of battling cardiovascular ailment.

Improves Bone Health

If you want to improve your bone density, you need to have a culture of regular workout. Weight-bearing exercise, particularly resistance exercise, has the most effects on bone mineral density. A review of several cross-sectional reports proved that doing resistance training increases bone mineral density. Therefore, those that engage in these activities have a higher chance of having healthier bones than those that don’t do them.

More so, the authors observed that the type of sports you engage in determines your bone mineral density. For example, athletes who participate in low-impact sports tend to have lower bone mineral density when compared with athletes who are involved in high-impact sports. Therefore, although working out improves bone health, some specific routines have significant impacts than others. Other researchers have gotten similar results in studies involving children, adolescents, middle-aged and older adults.

Numerous longitudinal studies have examined the effects of exercise on bone health using various categories of people. The scientists recommend that more studies are needed, especially the ones involving more participants. Nonetheless, the studies so far have shown that there is compelling proof that physical activities improve bone health. They also reduce the chance of suffering from bone-related diseases. Researchers suggest that weight-bearing and impact exercise enables you to avoid bone loss associated with aging.

Regular exercise has a plethora of benefits, as you have seen through the science-based evidence in the previous chapter. So, you have more than enough reasons to start and sustain a workout plan. Nevertheless, physical fitness also helps you in your sex life.

Indeed, you shouldn’t be involved in exercise solely for the sake of boosting your sexual prowess and adventures. However, we cannot deny that physical fitness goes a long way in helping you in this aspect. This chapter reviews the link between staying fit and your sex life.

Attracting the Opposite Sex

It is true that what many people find attractive in the long run defers. Some people find brilliant people attractive, while some people find emotionally intelligent people appealing. Nonetheless, the reality is that the outward appearance often encourages you to check inside the “container.” One of the worst kept secrets in the world is that people are moved by what they see. Humans tend to believe that good-looking people can do no wrong until they do so.

Indeed, you want people to see the qualities beyond your appearance. However, you need to help them by looking good. You may have fantastic traits that will make you an excellent romantic partner and still struggle to find a spouse because of the way you look. Only a few people are patient and insightful enough to look beyond the surface. So, you need to do your part to give yourself a higher chance of meeting the man or woman of your dream.

You should be able to look at yourself in the mirror and smile because of your physique. If you’re objective enough, you might admit that you’ll not want to date yourself if you were the opposite sex. Therefore, start your workout plan to give yourself that admirable figure. Remember that this shouldn’t be your main focus for involving in regular exercise. Nonetheless, it is an added advantage that can make a significant difference.

Self-Confidence When Asking or Going For A Date

Confidence is a vital trait that helps you to achieve remarkable success in every aspect, including your sex life. If you have low self-esteem, people that are less qualified for a role will be selected ahead of you. Everyone wants to be with someone they can trust to handle a job. Indeed, some people can be overconfident such that they promise what they cannot offer. However, such people will always get opportunities to prove themselves more than people who have low self-confidence.

When it comes to relating with the opposite sex, you need to be assured to get a date. Also, you need high self-esteem to cope with the eventualities of going out on a date. When you aren’t self-confident, you can make silly mistakes that are very avoidable. In the movie “Aladdin,” the main character ruined his first opportunity to impress the princess because he was anxious. He said things he had to apologize for later because he was not assured in himself.

Meanwhile, having a good appearance gives you the requisite confidence to apply yourself appropriately when speaking to the opposite sex. You love to have that body shape any man or woman will desire. This confidence also goes into the bedroom. When you have a great physique, you’ll want to show it off to your partner, and this affects your performance.

Keeping Fit and Libido

Physical activity has multiple effects on functioning during sex. It can be positive or negative, depending on how you go about it. According to a study by the University of California, men who involve in regular exercise have significantly enhanced performance during sex. They also have a higher percentage of satisfying orgasms. This study also showed that women who are physically active enjoy the same perks.

A study by the University of Texas also investigated the link between physical fitness and sexual performance. The researchers observed that working out boosts physiological sexual arousal in women. This result shows that ladies who engage in exercise are more likely to be turned on than those who don’t. Experts believe that physical activity plays a vital role in sexual performance because it increases breathing, heart rate, and muscular activity. This enhancement ultimately affects sexual performance and sexual satisfaction.

Nonetheless, you need to tread carefully. You can ruin your sex life when you excessively exert yourself during workouts. Research has found out that men who involve in strenuous exercise on a regular basis could have significantly decreased libido. This study was carried out by scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In other words, men who engage in lower-intensity exercise could have better sex performance than their higher-intensity counterparts.

Fatigue, Mental Exhaustion, and Sex

There are different ways your body can react when you’re stressed. One of them is that it can sabotage your workout. Besides, your libido can also suffer. Stress increases the production of a hormone called cortisol, which can reduce your interest in sex in the long run. Meanwhile, exercise produces the feel-good hormone, endorphins, which lower cortisol levels.

Lower cortisol levels will, in turn, reduce your stress levels and boost your sexual arousal. Therefore, working out enhances your sex drive. According to Dr. Penhollow, physical activity reduces depression. Meanwhile, you aren’t likely to have sexual desires when you aren’t in a good mood. So, by reducing or eliminating depression, regular exercise enhances your sex life by boosting your sex drive.

Additionally, working out improves your flexibility, which boosts your ability to try different sex positions that are more satisfying. Moreover, you need body strength to hold or sustain some sexual moves. Therefore, by involving in regular exercise, you’ll give yourself the vitality and power needed to engage in optimum sexual activity.

Sex-boosting Exercises

The following activities, in particular, can boost your sexual performance:

Kegels

Kegels exercises strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Therefore, experts believe that it could help enhance libido in both men and women. These exercises are also recommended to alleviate problems with bowel control or urine leakage. In women, these activities could strengthen vaginal muscles, which promote a more powerful orgasm. It could also help delay ejaculation in men.

Strength Training

This exercise involves using weights or resistance to make your muscles stronger. Experts reckon that this type of workout is better than cardio exercises such as walking a treadmill when it comes to relieving stress.

Walking

Walking for just thirty minutes around your house can make a tremendous impact on your overall health. Specifically, it can decrease the risk of suffering erectile dysfunction in men. A Harvard study revealed that it reduces the chance of erectile dysfunction by 41%.

Swimming

You may not be able to swim every day, unlike walking. Nonetheless, just thirty minutes of this activity three times a week can boost your sex drive according to the same study. It can also lead to weight loss, which enhances sexual sustenance.

Working out at home comes with a lot of advantages. You’ll not have to spend money transporting yourself to and from the gym. It also affords you the time for a thorough warm-up before starting a session. Meanwhile, with some minutes of warming up, you’re ready to fire on all cylinders. It is not ideal to start a session with cold muscles to avoid injuries during the activity. This chapter will guide you through how to create your own home workout plan.

Crescendo all the way: Starting with the Easiest Tasks

Remember that desperation will only get you undesirable results. Therefore, when starting your home workout, you need to set clearly defined goals to channel your energy in the right direction. You should ask yourself the following questions and many more:

Do I want to lose weight?

Am I trying to bulk up or build muscle?

Regardless of your reason for involving in regular exercise, you should start from the easiest tasks. Write down your targets so that they can serve as inspiration and motivation later. Nonetheless, you need to take it slowly to avoid getting injuries or overstretching your muscles.

Typical Home Workout Plan

Your objectives will determine your home workout plan. You can do more research regarding specific exercises that favor your goals. As a beginner, you can choose to start by working out three days a week. If you’re choosing Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, a typical week’s routine looks like this:

Workout 1: Monday

After warming up for a few minutes, you can start your routine with the following activities:

Activity #1 Power Snatch

This exercise involves bending your knees while holding a dumbbell in one hand between your legs. Then extend your hips, knees, and ankles explosively to raise the weight overhead. Drop into a half squat to hold the weight overhead once your body is straight from head to toe, then stand up straight. It is recommended that you rest for a minute before moving to the next activity.

Activity #2 Squat Press

Begin with the dumbbells at shoulder level and go down into a squat. Proceed by standing up and press the weights directly overhead. Bring down the weights and go back to the initial position.

Activity #3 Jump Squat

After resting for sixty seconds, start with the dumbbells by your sides, and go down into a half squat. Then jump straight up from the ground, land softly, and do it again.

Activity #4 Windmill

Begin by holding a dumbbell overhead before bending at the waist by bringing one hand down your leg. Ensure that you focus on the weight throughout the routine.

Activity #5 Roll-Out

With the dumbbells below your shoulders, kneel. Then roll the weights forwards as far as possible. Control the movement with your abs, then return to the initial position. This move, alongside windmill, is the best way to develop a rock-hard six-pack.

Workout 2: Wednesday

Just like the first day, focus more on functional movements. These activities aren’t difficult and give you the momentum to keep going when you’re beginning to tire out. They include dumbbell swing, overhead squat, side lunge, press-up renegade row, and leg raise. Make the exercise seamless by resting for a minute after completing a task.

Activity #1 Dumbbell Swing

By hinging at the hips, send the dumbbell between your legs. Then in order to use the hip drive to raise the dumbbell to shoulder height, push your glutes forwards powerfully. Reverse the move to the beginning and move to the next rep.

Activity #2 Overhead Squat

This activity involves starting with both holding the weights directly overhead. Then bend at the hips and knees to lower into a squat at the same time. Ensure that you don’t allow the weights to come forward.

Activity #3 Press-Up Renegade Row

Perform a press-up at the top while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Ensure you row one dumbbell up to your side. Then row the other dumbbell up while lowering the weight to complete one rep.

Activity #4 Side Lunge

Begin by holding a dumbbell in each hand. Then bend your leading knee as you take a big step to one side. Make sure that you keep your foot pointing forwards while your knee is in line with your toes. Return to the start by pushing off your leading foot. Then take move other way to repeat the movement. With each rep, alternate sides.

Activity #5 Leg Raise

This exercise is quite straightforward. It involves holding a dumbbell between your feet with your heels elevated slightly off the ground. Raise your legs until they are vertical while keeping them straight. Then slowly lower under control while ensuring that your heels don’t touch the floor.

Workout 3: Friday

In the last workout day of the week, it is recommended that you end on a high. In other words, do more tedious tasks. In this routine, the first one here might be the most challenging exercise you have ever attempted. The issue is not complexity or heaviness, but technicality. Pressing weights directly overhead while squatting demands excellent mobility and control. The last activity is the Turkish get-ups. This activity is so demanding and beneficial that you can make it an entire session.

Activity #1 Back of Steel

Start by lowering into an overhead squat with the dumbbells above your head. Then lower the weights to shoulder level while still in a squat position. Continue by repeating the lowering and pressing movement while in the position.

Activity #2 One-Leg Squat

With the dumbbells by your sides, stand on one leg. Then bend at the hips and knees to lower into a single-leg squat while keeping your chest up. Press back up to where you began. Endeavor to complete all the reps on that leg before switching to the other.

Activity #3 Woodchop Lunge

Start this exercise by placing a dumbbell over a shoulder. Then lunge forwards with the opposite leg while bringing the weight down across your body at the same time. Swap sides after doing all the reps on one side.

Activity #4 One-Leg Romanian Deadlift

With the weights hanging down by your thighs, stand on one leg. Lower the weights towards the floor by hinging at the hips. Ensure that you keep them close to your leg. You’ll put a strain on your lower back if you come too far forward. So, avoid it.

Activity #5 Turkish Get-Up

End the session by lying on the floor as you hold a weight above your face. Then bend your knee on that side and come up onto your elbow. Move to your hand and push your hips off the floor. Then bring your straight leg back under your body. Remove your hand from the floor and stand up.

You cannot have an effective workout plan without an equally excellent diet plan. Exercise is a physical activity, and you need the energy to make it work. Besides, a good eating habit by itself affects your appearance. Therefore, it is imperative that you have a healthy eating habit to ensure that your effort is not futile. This chapter examines the right way to go about creating a diet plan that will complement your workout plan.

The Link Between Physical Fitness and Feeding Habits

Physical activity requires “fuel” to make it run smoothly. Therefore, the relevance of food to your workout plan cannot be overemphasized. When you start engaging in exercise, you’ll be fitter and lose weight. Nonetheless, your energy needs will also change. You’ll need more calories to keep up with the metabolism and activities going on in your body. You’ll need an adequate amount of the following as a physically active individual:

Carbohydrates, which is the body’s primary source of energy.

Fat, which is an additional source of vitality.

Protein, which is vital to the maintenance and rebuild of tissues, including muscles.

Water, which is critical to the replacement of fluids lost during the activity.

In order to have these essential nutrients, you need to eat a moderate, varied, and balanced diet. Too much or too little of them will not aid your objective of giving your body what it needs to support and sustain your workout plan. Moderate implies that you should eat a little of everything without anything in excess. It is possible to have every essential class of food in your food without eating too much.

Varied means that while eating different food types, you’ll still ensure that you always get the nutrients you need. In other words, you’ll eat other fruits instead of just apple, for example. Note that no one food provides any particular nutrient. So, eat a wide variety of food to avoid overeating any substance, which will not be beneficial to your body. Meanwhile, balanced implies that you’ll eat the recommended number of servings from each food type most days.

Athletes and people who are very physically active have special nutritional requirements because of the demands they place on their bodies. They often need more carbohydrates like grains more than the amount required by an average person. However, they don’t need as much protein as other people.

The liver and muscles store carbohydrates as ready energy, and this supply is rapidly consumed during exercise. Endurance athletes such as cyclists and runners require a large amount of this nutrient because of the nature of their activities. They need to eat the carbohydrate before or during the exercise because the body does not have the capacity to store a lot of it.

Typical Diet Plan

The scope of this book covers a two weeks diet plan that is scientifically designed for substantial weight loss. It offers approximately 1250 calories daily, which is more than enough for a physically active individual. Below is a summary of the basic dietary guidelines.

It outlines the daily amount of food that is permitted from each food class. Endeavor to mix and match food items all day long. Make sure that you don’t exceed your caloric goal while doing this. You can follow one of the pre-designed menus below to ensure that you’re doing the right thing.

Nutrition Guidelines

Vegetables: One and a half cups (half cup is equivalent to: half cup of raw/cooked/frozen/canned veggies, one cup of leafy greens, or half cup vegetable juice). Pick different options, which can include starchy veggies, orange veggies, dry beans, dark green veggies, and peas.

Oils: Four teaspoons (one teaspoon is equivalent to: one teaspoon vegetable oil, two teaspoons light salad dressing, one teaspoon butter, or one teaspoon of low- fat mayo).

Fruit: One cup (one cup is equivalent to: one cup of frozen/fresh/ canned fruits, half cup dried fruits, or one cup fruit juices). Healthy choices include pears, apples, mangoes, cherries, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and pomegranates.

Grains: Four ounces (one ounce is equivalent to: one slice bread, one cup of cereal flakes, one small muffin, half cup cooked rice, or one ounce dry pasta).

Milk: Two cups (one cup is equivalent to: one cup of yogurt/milk/ soy milk or one and a half ounces of cheese. Choose low-fat or non-fat options as much as possible.

Meats and Beans: Three ounces (One ounce is equivalent to: One ounce lean poultry/meat/ fish, one egg, one tablespoon peanut butter, quarter cup cooked beans, or half ounce nuts/seeds).

Menu #1

Breakfast (8 am – 9 am)

One slice of toast

Smoothie (blend one cup soymilk and ice cubes + one cup berries together)

One teaspoon of butter

Lunch (11 am – 1 pm)

There-quarter cup vegetables (such as carrots, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)

One cup cooked grain (such as brown rice, white rice, wild rice, millet, quinoa, etc.)

Two ounces of lean meat (around the size of half deck of playing cards)

Snack (3pm – 4pm)

A half ounce of seeds or one egg

Dinner (5 pm – 7 pm)

Two teaspoons light dressing

One and a half cups of leafy greens

One and a half ounces of cheese

Menu #2

Breakfast (8 am – 9 am)

One cup of yogurt

A Half cup oatmeal

Herbal tea or black coffee

Lunch (11 am – 1 pm)

One slice whole wheat bread

Tomato, cucumber, lettuce (equivalent to three-quarter cup total)

Two ounces of tuna

One teaspoon olive oil + one teaspoon mayo

Snack (3 pm – 4 pm)

One piece of fruit or one cup of fresh fruit or

Dinner (5 pm – 7 pm)

One corn tortilla

Half cup shredded lettuce

Half cup salsa

Half cup black beans

One half ounce cheese

Half cup cooked rice

Menu #3

Breakfast (8 am – 9 am)

Half cup milk/soy milk

One cup high fiber cereal

One banana

Lunch (11 am – 1 pm)

One cup raw carrot sticks/celery/green peppers

One cup of pasta

Two teaspoons of olive oil

Two ounces of lean meat

Snack (3 pm – 4 pm)

Half cup vegetables or half cup pasta sauce

Dinner (5 pm – 7 pm)

One cup low-fat cottage cheese

Six crackers

Half ounce mixed nuts

Tips for Dieting Success

Following a strict diet plan is easier said than done. Nonetheless, the following hints can help you succeed in this endeavor:

Plan for every week ahead of time.

Clear your fridge and pantry of every food item that can potentially derail your diet plan. This is an easy way to avoid temptations.

Consume eight or more glasses of water daily. Also, drink at least a glass before every meal to avoid overeating by decreasing your appetite.

It takes around twenty minutes before your brain notifies you that you’re full. Therefore, eat slowly as much as possible. Chew each bite and put your fork or spoon down between bites.

Bring variety to an otherwise restricted diet by trying new foods whenever possible.

Increase your chances of feeling satisfied by adding spices to your food for flavor.

Resist the urge of to eat excessively outside by cooking for yourself.

In order to avoid being tempted to take a snack after a meal, brush your teeth. Lack of sleep can stimulate appetite and lead to overeating. So, get adequate sleep.

Most importantly, never forget your objective.

It is easy to start anything, but it can be challenging to stick with a plan and accomplish the goal. You can draft a diet and workout plan after reading this book. Nonetheless, you’ll find reasons to stop over time. There will be days when you’re discouraged and don’t feel like continuing again. However, you can ensure that you retain your focus and maintain your consistency by leveraging the following tips.

Be Consistent with Time and Location

When you carry out an activity, it is an act. However, when you carry it out regularly, it becomes a habit. Note that you can train your body in such a way that you’ll crave to do something all over again. It is possible to do something repeatedly in such a way that you’ll feel like something is missing whenever you didn’t do it. Examples of such daily tasks we train ourselves to do daily include brushing the teeth and taking your bath.

In some cases, you can feel like your life is out of place whenever you didn’t carry out these tasks. You can train your body to see your home workout plan that way. The key to making this possible is to be consistent with time and venue. Avoid using different places and periods as much as possible. When you do something at a particular time during a particular day at a specific location, your body will get used to it.

You’ll desire to do it again whenever that time gets closer. You may need an alarm at the early stage. However, after a week or two of consistent workout, your body will be used to it. Your body will have a natural timer that reminds you that it is getting close to that period. Even if you forget to carry out the activity, you’ll still remember later in the day because it has become part and parcel of your daily tasks.

Always Remind Yourself About the Benefits

There is no point in doing something without doing it well. Meanwhile, you cannot enjoy the benefits of carrying out an activity without doing it consistently, and workout is no different. You cannot get that body shape you desire when you’re unstable in the way you go about your exercise. Also, you cannot lose weight or build your muscles to your taste when you aren’t consistent. Therefore, you need to retain your focus on the advantages to spur yourself to keep going.

Write out your goals from onset to make it easier for you to keep remembering them. You can make them a note reminder in short forms on your phone. Besides, you can also make them short notes and place them in conspicuous places in your house to remind you. You have to leverage your environment to set yourself up to succeed in your plan. For example, if you use a mat during your exercise, you can spread it close to your bed before you sleep to remind yourself the following morning.

These are just examples. Think about other creative ways you can help yourself to remember to stick to your plan. Only those that sustain the initial momentum and motivation will achieve their targets. Note that being motivated is not enough because there will be days when your passion will be low. Nonetheless, by reminding yourself about what you need to achieve, you’ll be able to inspire yourself to stay committed.

Surround Yourself with the Right People

The importance of having the right people around you cannot be overemphasized. Determination is the most critical ingredient that will see you succeed in any task. However, it is possible that you lose your initial zeal when you have people around you that don’t value what you’re doing. They will tell you that you’re just making yourself go through unnecessary stress. They might even point out studies such as the one cited earlier about strenuous exercise leading to a reduction in libido.

Note that you don’t need the right people around you for the good days when you’re motivated. When you’re zealous about something, it is difficult for anyone to convince you otherwise. Nevertheless, the problem is that you’ll not always be passionate. In fact, there might be days when you mistakenly injure yourself while carrying out a physical activity. A circumstance like this can discourage you from engaging in regular workouts.

It is during those days when you aren’t inspired to continue again that you need the right people that can encourage you. They will remind you about your goals and help you get back to your feet again. Remember that you’re working out at home. So, you may not have access to such people physically. However, you can meet them by joining a group or page on social media where people share their experiences, challenges, and victories.

Keep A Journal of Your Progress

Having a culture of keeping a journal offers a variety of advantages. One of them is that it enables you to keep your thoughts organized. It enables you to record daily thoughts, feelings, and events. If you want to train your writing, keeping a journal is one of the ways to do it. You’ll learn to write a specific topic and develop your ideas, thereby improving your writing skills. However, journaling is a veritable tool that can help you achieve your goals.

Your journal is the best place to highlight your goals, including your workout objectives. Anytime you need to update it, you’ll remember the targets again and have renewed optimism and commitment to follow through on your plan. Besides, it is a convenient and practical way to monitor your progress. Whenever you record your milestones, you’ll be excited to keep going. You can highlight the next target and how you intend to achieve it.

Additionally, keeping a journal enables you to record ideas on the go. You can jot down new tips that can help you improve or stick with your diet and workout plan. You’ll not be limited by location or time when you have a journal. Besides, updating your journal helps you relieve stress. You can write down your anxieties and frustrations there instead of keeping them on your mind. This approach helps you to improve your overall health by releasing tension.

Share Your Results with People of Like Minds

Talking about something shows your conviction about it. Besides, the more you discuss an idea, the sounder you’ll be about it. So, it is vital to share your plans, experiences, and improvements with other people to keep you interested and motivated. Nonetheless, you should be careful about the kind of individuals you talk to about your workout plan. From your previous interactions, you can know people who aren’t likely to share a common interest with you.

If you talk to people who don’t value exercise, they might discourage you. As mentioned earlier, if you cannot find people around you that are also fascinated and enthusiastic about engaging in exercise, you can join a page or group on social media to that effect. You’ll find many individuals who are at the same level and those who at advanced stages. You’ll learn from their mistakes and disappointments to improve your routine.

Such avenues also provide you with the opportunity to share your experiences and shortcomings with other people. You’ll easily find tips and hints that can help you improve. You’ll realize that there are other people that are also experiencing the same struggles. If you have questions, you’ll be able to ask them, and you’ll find helpful answers that can help you improve your plan. Whenever you reach a milestone, such platforms afford you the opportunity to share your happiness with people of like passion.

The most limiting factor when it comes to achieving a target is a lack of quality information. Nonetheless, knowledge is not enough to succeed in any endeavor. You need to be committed to implementing the ideas you have received to record remarkable success. Reading this book has given you the information required to create and sustain an effective home workout plan. However, if you don’t implement the ideas, the knowledge is pointless.

So, do more than get vital tips for your regular exercise. Ensure that you follow up on the knowledge by using it. You have been taught to write out your goals for your workout plan. However, there are many other benefits that you can enjoy apart from your objectives. Many of them have been mentioned earlier.

They include improved sleep, stress relief, depression reduction, and a decrease in cancer and diabetes risk. The advantages are science-based facts. Therefore, starting and sticking with your workout plan is one of the best decisions you can make.

You can still get the body shape you desire that will give you the requisite confidence to excel in different aspects of your life. Also, you can stay fit to improve your sexual performance to your partner’s satisfaction. You can also avoid attracting unwanted attention to yourself and being ridiculed because of your weight. Nothing can stop you if you are determined. Begin your workout and diet plan today to give yourself a new lease of life.