Staying Safe During Home Workouts

Read This Article, Published on CNN

I’ve been working out regularly since I was 21. While a lot of my exercising has been done outdoors – namely, running – I’ve also held a gym membership for years. Gyms are great for group exercise classes, if that’s what motivates you, and for the variety of equipment they offer. They also often include a pool, which is something most people don’t have at home. (Pools are great when you need to give your joints a break or you’re injured.)

Yet despite my commitment to regular exercise, I’ve only occasionally worked out at home. Why? I’m not sure. We did own one of those now-ancient Schwinn Aerodyne bikes for several decades, and we’ve often considered purchasing a treadmill. But I only used the bike when the weather prevented me from either running outside or driving to the gym, and we never did find a good space for a treadmill. And then, 2020 arrived.

Home Workouts on the Rise

In March 2020, as the COVID pandemic raced around the world, many gyms closed, including mine. My body could no longer handle running six days a week, so I had to find new workouts, including ones I could do at home. One I came to love was a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) video by Les Mills, a New Zealand company. There was just one tiny issue: our home doesn’t contain a gym. Nor is there space to create one.

I began doing the workouts in my backyard, which I enjoyed immensely. How can you not enjoy being out in the fresh air? But once winter arrived, I had to move indoors, out of the elements. Since I didn’t have any adequate space inside, I moved our cars out of the garage and created a HIIT exercise space there.

It’s not an ideal solution, as the concrete is hard and the garage can be pretty cold during Wisconsin winters. But I know enough about exercising, and have enough experience, where I can safely exercise there.