Should you have a home gym if you work from home? I asked that very question on my YouTube channel and in a post to my Instagram feed and the results were overwhelmingly in favor of keeping your home gym even if you work from home.
Exercising While Working From Home
Exercising while working from home seems like a win win. First of all, most home gym owners tend to be a little on the introverted side. It’s how we’re able to thrive away from the community aspects of a public gym that so many fitness lovers enjoy. In fact, for many home gym owners, the idea of being in a crowded, noisy environment where we have to wait to use equipment, being exposed to other people’s germs and sometimes substandard hygiene practices is a no go. We’ve grown accustomed to deciding when we work out, choosing the music on our playlist if we enjoy working out to music, we love working out the way we want without that random gym guy coming up and asking us questions WHILE WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SET (based on a true story)! So if you work from home, and have a home gym, you not only cut your commute to the gym down to zero, but you also do away with all of the negative aspects of a public gym.
But Is It Good for You To Be Home All of The Time?
There are benefits to being alone. It’s a great opportunity to recharge your batteries, focus on your goals and in the case of working out alone, it definitely can speed up the workout session because you’re not spending time socializing. But there are psychological drawbacks to being alone all of the time. In an article by Amy Novetsky posted at apa.org, she cites a 2015 study “linking perceived social isolation with adverse health consequences including depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function and impaired immunity at every stage of life”. I mean, there’s a reason that solitary confinement is a punishment in prison. So while being alone can unlock your creativity and productivity, it also gives you more time for negative self talk and serious health issues. That means even someone who’s a functional introvert like I am, needs time in public to build community and just be normal. Many remote workers reported feeling isolated and cut off during the COVID-19 lockdown and even connecting with others online didn’t fully remedy the situation.
So Should You Have A Home Gym If You Work from Home?
I think that having a home gym if you work from home is a great idea! Not only can exercise help alleviate some of the negative emotional aspects of being a remote worker, as well as the potential weight gain from being more sedentary – there’s no need to walk into the office from the parking lot when the office is inside your house, but it also can help spark some creative thinking if you take movement snacks throughout the day. Many employers recognize the value of exercise during the workday, these are the people paying your health insurance premiums after all so they’d prefer you taking thirty minutes to exercise to losing you to an extended hospital stay because you let your health go.
Just Call It Therapy
Your boss may not be enthused about you taking an hour to deadlift but if you block out thirty minutes for lunch it should be fine. I know one online coach who tells her clients who are remote workers to call it a therapy session because that’s a little more acceptable from a corporate standpoint. Whatever you need to do to get your training in needs to fit the rhythms of your life but the answer to “Should you have a home gym if you work from home” in my opinion is a resounding YES! Set up that home gym and use it!