Working out within the comfort of your own home might seem like a luxury. The benefits of exercising at home are seemingly immense at the onset; you’re not required to pay monthly dues, navigate through crowded spaces, wait for equipment to become available or breathe the stench of dripping sweat.
But do the benefits of your home gym truly outweigh the cost of a fully inclusive health club?
Even though the comfort appeal of your home gym might seem like an extravagant benefit, the chances of you reaching your fitness goals at home are slimmer than your waistline.
Lack of Accountability and Discipline
The daily work grind can make a regular habit of exercise seemingly impossible to maintain, especially if you commute directly home after a full day on the clock. But the comfort of your own home is unlikely to serve as a motivational catalyst for gut-busting workout sessions, regardless of if you own fancy pieces of gym equipment, and have the capacity within your home to perform a full workout.
Human nature becomes overwhelming in safe spaces; it’s more likely that you’ll simply become a cave dweller, chomping down salty snack foods while binge-watching your favorite TV show rather than exercising. Working out at home prevents you from developing the level of accountability and discipline that a daily after-work trek to the gym helps generate.
Distractions Take Over
If you’re serious about exercise and have sufficient equipment within your household to perform multiple full-body workouts each week, you might outlast your desire to take it easy. But it will most likely become increasingly difficult to maintain your regimen over time. Distractions will ultimately take over.
It’s naturally difficult to keep up with your at-home workout regimen, especially when needs for entertainment and relaxation creep in. If you want to get fit at home, it’s important to develop a high level of mental tenacity. Even if you think to yourself that you’re capable of utilizing your home gym to its full capacity, the chances of performing exercise at a high level over time are slim.
Lifting While Lonely
Scientific studies have indicated that workout performance is enhanced while exercising with a friend. This is innately difficult to do within the confines of your home gym. Even though some hapless gym-goers enjoy the privacy of their workout routine, the severe lack of others exercising in surrounding areas can create a certain void than hinders progress.
Much like most aspects of life, working out in a lonely atmosphere has the potential to feel debilitating, which hampers motivation. Your home gym might have the potential to get you fit, but the chances of you consistently exercising on a daily basis while maintaining a high level of discipline and motivation aren’t favorable.
[Image via Getty]
