DYI Fashion Workout

I’m so excited for my new indoor studio. The weather is getting cooler, so I’ll be posting some more indoor shoots with some fabulous looks. It’s Friday, so I’m here to share some nutrition and exercise tips from my trainer Brandon K. Cole. What’s a workout without comfortable, stylish gym apparel?

Ladies, meet DYI, one of my favorite brands for yoga clothes and activewear. It’s great because you don’t quite feel like you are in work out clothes after you leave the gym and need to run those errands.

I truly believe in “dress for success,” and when you feel like your body can move and stretch in cozy clothes, it makes working out that much easier. DYI makes clothes you can sweat in, and clothes you can wear out with friends. I love a good, lasting pair of yoga pants I can throw a nice sweater or hoodie over.

You can bet that I’m wearing these new digs to my training sessions with Brandon.  What about the times when you just don’t want to go to the gym? This week, Brandon has a few tips for working out at home. Enjoy!

At-home Workout, brought to you by Brandon K. Cole

Brandon’s At Home 20 Minute Workout

The gym can be a stressful place. You circle the parking lot for 30 minutes looking for a space, only to get inside to see that the towels are out, and there’s a naked person strutting around making everyone uncomfortable. You successfully make it to the cardio area, but alas. You forgot your iPod, and all the machines are taken anyway. It’s a jungle of grunting baboons, and umm, you’re pretty sure somebody just melted on that leg press machine by the size of the sweat stain.

Don’t get me wrong. The gym has a lot of benefits, like free classes, pools, saunas, and plenty of equipment. And (hopefully) helpful staff to answer your fitness related questions and maybe offer up some advice.

But sometimes the gym is just too much of a hassle. It can also be pretty intimidating if you’re a novice. So does that mean your fitness goals have to be put on hold as you slip back into your old, unhealthy habits? Not at all. The answer is to get your sweat on in the comfort of your own home.

Working out at home has a lot of benefits. Maybe more than you realize. You save a ton of time by not having to travel back and forth to the gym. No gym fees, obviously. Zero intimidation factor. It forces you to get a bit more creative with your workout since you can’t rely on those same machines you’ve been automatically going to for months (years?).

The best part is you don’t even need a lot of fancy equipment to keep your fitness up, and maybe even make some noticeable improvements. All you need is your body and a space relatively free of distractions. Making your home your personal fitness haven means you can get a quick workout in almost any time. But the most important thing is to be consistent. The more often the better. I’ve seen better improvements in my own chest shape and strength by doing pushups every day, over doing a typical chest day at the gym once a week.

Try this at home program I wrote up to get started. This should give you a pretty good sweat in a fraction of the time it would take for a trip to the gym.