How to NOT Get Hurt Working Out at Home

Working out at home is all the rage right now given many of us do not feel at "home" in the gym so many are taking their workouts to the living room.

Here are some of the best tips for making the most out of your workout at home without getting hurt or injured in the process.

1. Get warmed up. This may seem obvious but so many injuries can be prevent through proper warm up. In fact, it is estimated that up to 45% of people who get hurt exercising believe they could have avoided it with proper warmup. It doesn't take much either, getting your heart rate up instead of pulling on your muscles may be most beneficial. Once your body feels warm (not tired) start stretching the parts of your body you will be working during your workout. This only has to take 5-10 minutes of focused attention.

2. Only do what is necessary. This may be a bold assumption but I think we can agree most of us are trying to either lose weight or maintain a healthy weight with out exercise routine. If you are a beginner then doing more is NOT better. Many of us want to go from 0-100mph during our exercise time and that often leads to burnout, overuse and injury. Think 20 minutes most days (3 or 4 days a week).

3. Keep it simple. So many people are doing what I call "circus workouts" and are jumping up, flying around, twisting and doing summer saults in an attempt to stay with the latest fads in exercise. The truth is doing the basics are still some of the best things we can do to keep a healthy, strong and limber body. Squats, pushups, planks, lunges and pullups are STILL some of the most effective things we can do to strengthen our bodies.

4. Know your limits. The "go hard or go home" mentality is often what can hurt us. The key is to work smarter and not harder. What good is pushing yourself into the ground on Monday's workout if you can't get back into the next one until Friday? Know your limits and know the more you push the more your body will push back. As a rule of thumb think " push until I can't, rest until I can". This will limit the need to be going harder than you need to. By knowing your limits you'll reduce the stress on your body and the likelihood of something going wrong.

5. Stay hydrated. Many more people are working from home but they still have the 8am conference calls in the morning. For some that means waking up early and sometimes immediately going into our exercise routines. Getting adequate water first thing in the morning is always a good idea but even more-so if you are diving into exercise first thing. Even if you are not on the floor doing pushups first thing in the morning, it is estimated that 3/4 people are chronically dehydrated during the day. Getting a proper amount of water (at least half your bodyweight in ounces) may help lubricate your joints, muscles and body making the risk of injury much less likely.

These 5 simple yet effective tools may be the difference between staying consistent versus being laid up for several days or even weeks. Give them a try before your next at-home workout!