She Strengthens

Home Fitness Hacks from the Pros

Dance Your Way to Fitness

Theresa Farrell, a professional ballet dancer and choreographer, shares her top tips for staying fit and fulfilled at home. First, she recommends incorporating freestyle dance into your daily routine. “Lose yourself in movement,” she advises. “Dance to one track a day and watch your days transform.” Not only does dancing clear the mind and open the soul, but it also gets you fit! Farrell also swears by barre exercises, which she believes are essential for improving posture, balance, flexibility, and strength.

Stretch Your Way to Success

Farrell’s second tip is to prioritize stretching. She recommends setting aside 15 minutes, two days a week, to focus on deep stretches. “Listen to what your body needs and stay in each stretch for 1 to 3 minutes with controlled breathing,” she suggests. Consistency is key, so stick with it and you’ll start to see results.

Tone Those Lower Abs

For a stronger core, Farrell recommends two exercises: planking on your forearms and dropping your hips to the ground before bringing them back up, and lying on your back with your feet at a 90-degree angle and lifting your hips off the ground. These exercises will target those hard-to-reach lower abs.

Manage Your Mood

Autumn Holley, a personal trainer and fitness model, emphasizes the importance of managing stress and anxiety. She recommends acknowledging that we have a choice in how we respond to these feelings and using tools like exercise, deep breathing, and meditation to cope. Holley also swears by the Calm app, which teaches users how to meditate and find peace.

Workout Circuits for Mental Health

Holley’s second tip is to incorporate workout circuits into your daily routine. She believes that exercising every day is essential for maintaining good mental health. Try her strength workout circuit at home, which includes exercises like reverse lunges, push-ups, and dips.

Healthy Eating Patterns

Holley’s third tip is to create healthy eating patterns. She believes that unhealthy food patterns often start with a lack of knowledge about how to prepare healthy foods. To change these patterns, you need to shift your comfort zone and become more aware of the fuel you’re putting into your body. Holley recommends using a point system, like WW (formerly Weight Watchers), to learn what’s good and bad fuel.

Stay Accountable with Your Partner

Juice and Toya, personal trainers and fitness YouTubers, share their tips on staying accountable and supportive with your partner. First, they recommend working out together. This can help keep you both motivated and encouraged. They also suggest finding workouts with modifications so that both partners can benefit, regardless of their fitness level.

Cook Together for Success

Cooking together can also help you stay accountable and explore new healthy meal ideas. Juice and Toya recommend choosing a night each week to cook a new recipe together. This can help you try new ingredients and challenge yourself to cook with different food groups.

Take Walks Together

Finally, Juice and Toya suggest taking walks together. This simple activity can be a great de-stressor and provide quality time together that doesn’t involve food or drinks. Taking walks outdoors can also give you some fresh air and vitamin D after working indoors all day.