Best at Home Workout that Fits Your Schedule

It can be difficult to fit exercise into a busy schedule. It can be even more difficult to fit exercise into a busy schedule when you’re stuck at home- But it’s not impossible. As with most things, the more you exercise, the easier it will be. That mentality goes for both the physical aspect of exercise and time commitment. Once you get used to exercise as a part of your daily life, it will go from perhaps feeling like somewhat of a chore, to being the highlight of your day.  So, let’s talk about the best at-home workout to fit your schedule, no matter what your home situation looks like right now.

When it Comes to Exercise, Quality is as Important as Quantity

If you don’t have an hour a day to devote to working out, don’t let that stop you from integrating exercise into your daily routine. While 30 minutes a day of physical activity is recommended for weight loss or meeting specific fitness goals, studies have shown that even 15 minutes a day can increase life expectancy and contribute to better health. Not to mention, any amount of physical activity is better than none at all. Benefits of exercise include:

- Elevated mood - Increased energy levels - Improved brain health and memory - Helps prevent heart disease and high blood pressure - Sculpts your muscles

Why Rowing is the Best At-Home Workout for a Busy Schedule

When you’re looking for the best at-home workout to fit your schedule, you really can’t find a more effective or efficient workout than rowing. The efficiency of a rowing workout is unmatched. Looking for a cardio workout and strength training all in one? Rowing works 86% of the muscles in your body with each workout. Looking to focus on the upper body vs. lower body? While rowing itself is a full-body workout (which is one of the reasons it’s so awesome), you can customize your rowing strokes to focus a little more on the lower or upper body.  Think about it this way, for less than you used to spend on a gym membership, you can get the convenience of an at-home rowing machine that you can reap the benefits of long after your gym reopens. An at-home rowing machine offers unparalleled convenience, and that’s why rowing has become so popular, and why so many exercise enthusiasts have made the decision to invest in an at-home rowing machine. Some benefits that come with an at-home rowing machine include the following:

- Low impact - Full body workout - Cardio and strength workout at the same time - Ideal for any fitness level

Rowing is a low impact activity. It doesn’t require you to support your own body weight, and it’s easy on the joints. If you have any experience with running, you know that it tends to be hard on even the most seasoned athlete, and its high-impact nature leaves the chance for strain or injury, even for someone used to that level of activity. Rowing may be an intense workout, but because a rowing machine offers such a low-impact alternative to traditional fitness equipment, indoor rowing is safe for even someone brand new to exercise, because there is very little chance for injury. Many people who aren’t ready for high impact sports or activities have enjoyed the stamina and endurance building of a rowing machine, along with its awesome strength training benefits. So how does rowing burn so many calories? Rowing uses your arms, back, glutes, legs, and core – these muscle groups work together with each stroke, and the use of so many muscle groups at once is what makes rowing such a powerhouse workout.

Choose from Live and Pre-Recorded Workouts to Fit Your Schedule with the Hydrow App

Whether you’re in the mood for a high-intensity session, are new to rowing and looking for a beginner workout routine or help with training, you’ll find something in one of the hundreds of pre-recorded workouts on the Hydrow app to fit your mood and schedule. The Hydrow app offers subcategories – from warm-ups and cool-downs to specialized workouts designed for exactly the type of workout you’re looking for at any given moment:

Drive – this section focuses on maximum effort and is a target for those days when you really want to test your limits and the cardio and strength training benefits of your rower. 

Sweat – these videos focus on building endurance, but aren’t quite as intense as the rows featured in the Drive section. You can choose how long you want to row, and there are videos ranging anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes, to really let you customize your row.

Breathe – No matter how active you are, some days you just want to slow things down a bit, but not break your exercise streak. The Breathe section of videos focuses on stress relief and toning it down a notch while focusing on form.

We’ve talked about how quality is just as important if not more important than quantity. The Hydrow fitness app offers rows of varying time commitments, so you can find something to suit you no matter how much time you’re able to dedicate to your fitness on any given day. Aside from the live and on-demand rowing workouts, led by a team of experienced athletes as your personal trainer, the  “On the Mat” section lets you choose from bodyweight workouts such as yoga classes and pilates, and yoga mat work targeting specific areas of the body - core, upper body, or lower body, for example. Do not worry, you do not have to be a yogi that does handstands to complete these workouts.  These bodyweight exercises range in time from 10 minutes to 30 minutes, so no matter how much time you have, you can find the best at-home workout to fit your schedule. 

If you’re not in the mood to pick up your device and follow along with a workout, the “Journeys” tab allows you to grow at your own pace and focus on your proper form, with only beautiful scenery on your screen rather than an instructor-led workout plan. You may find this feature especially enjoyable now – there’s nothing like feeling like you’re on the open expanse of an exotic body of water when you’ve been stuck in your house for weeks at a time.