Mz Trina

I loved going to the gym before COVID-19 restrictions. Even now with restrictions lifted I don’t feel comfortable going to them, so I have to make do at home. It doesn’t compare to several rooms of only exercise equipment. It was like my playground.

Finding the motivation to workout at home without a dedicated space meant I had to get creative. One of the tricks I use to form a habit is to commit to doing something for 2 minutes. I don’t tell myself I should just start, because that’s too vague. I just think “time for a 2-minute workout” and do it. It’s something I learned from Mel Robbins’ book “The 5 Second Rule”. In almost every case, that 2 minutes goes to anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes of continuing that action.

The best minutes of spare time I find in my day is in the kitchen when I’m cooking or reheating something and I need to stay there to keep an eye on my food. So I started doing squats for as long it’ll take the microwave to reach zero. Or I’ll do side leg raises on both sides. Or lunges. Sometimes I’ll grab a 10kg bag of rice and do some shoulder presses with it.

All it takes is to familiarise yourself with an exercise, make sure you get the form right and do it properly for just a few minutes, using the food as a guide.

Now, this situation doesn’t usually allow for you to go way past the limited time period, but it gets momentum going. It reminds you that it isn’t so bad, it’s easier than you thought, and you let go of more of the resistance around doing the exercise.

Stretching for 2 minutes is also great. My favourite is placing my hands on the kitchen bench and bending from the hips to crack my upper back. Like this:

Whether it’s 2-minute workouts or 5-minute yoga sessions, those are easier to start with than goals of 5km runs or 20-minute weight training sessions.