*picture is by David van den Boom
Over the years I’ve used exercise for many reasons. In this blog post, I’d like to share with you how an at-home workout can change your day. I also would like to talk to you about my latest discovery Asana Rebel and give you a full Asana Rebel review. As well as a list of my top 3 gym bag essentials.
Elite athlete
As I already mentioned I’ve used sports or workouts for numerous reasons over the years. If you’ve been following me for a while you know I used to be an elite athlete. Hence why during that period workout or practice was mandatory in my life. I needed the hours and hours of practice a week to get better and become an elite athlete. When I quit my elite career I used workouts or sports for the sole purpose of losing weight and getting in shape. Or rather staying in shape since my body changed a lot when I quit my elite career.
My transformation
If you want to know more about my transformation story head over to the first episode of the podcast The Normal World. When I started my bachelor’s degree to become a Physical Education teacher I saw sports as a way to learn. Learn about the technical aspects, learn about teaching, but also learn about my own body, what works, and a healthy way of working out. During my master’s degree in Sports Science, I went back to gymnastics – the third time is a charm right 😉 – and found myself being overtrained from being overly enthusiastic.
Nowadays I feel like I know my body and it’s not made for intensive HITT workouts every single day. My body rather enjoys pilates or yoga workouts and I’ve really discovered them during the lockdowns. Hence why I wanted to write this blog post about how an at-home workout can change your day. I know from my own experience from working at home how it works for me. Hopefully, you can discover what works for you!
How an at-home workout can change your day?
For the past 2,5 years, I’ve been working from home on a full-time basis. My day job allows me to be able to work from home, so I can say I have quite a lot of experience in the home office area. My day job – as a data analyst – is a sedentary job, which resulted at the beginning of the lockdown to rolling out of bed at 7:55 am to be behind my laptop at 8:00 am. Worked all the way through the end of the day, while eating breakfast and lunch behind my desk.
I would like to say that I generally have quite an active and healthy lifestyle, but this part of my ‘morning routine’ – if you can even call it – wasn’t helping my health or my productivity over time. Hence why at some point I decided to adopt a more healthy and sustainable morning routine with healthy habits.
My morning routine
My morning routine currently consists of 10-minute meditation in bed, a 10-minute yoga classes workout, fill-out my morning section of The Inspired Stories mindfulness journal, planning my day in my The Inspired Stories daily planner, eating my breakfast, getting dressed, and doing my makeup. This morning routine helps me to get set for my day and be so much more productive! It also helps a lot that I don’t wake up to ‘go’ to work, but I wake up to have some me time and then at some point start with work.
Then I’d like to at least do 3 days a week a lunch-break workout session. This really helps to reset my brain, gives me an energy boost, and helps me to be more productive! As for my morning yoga classes, I tried a lot of online workout videos, free version fitness apps, etc. As I already mentioned in the intro it was a change in mindset that I had to give my all every single workout. To the point, I couldn’t feel my legs, abs, or arms anymore. For my body and for a more sustainable workout routine it works a lot better to do an ‘easier’ workout multiple times a week, rather than one workout and sore muscles for a week.
Asana Rebel review
I mentioned in the last paragraph I tried a lot of free workout videos, apps, and whatnot. Then a couple of weeks ago I came across Asana Rebel on social media. It popped up during my stories as an ad and I thought let’s see what it’s about. The Asana Rebel app is a subscription-based service, but so much more than only a workout app. For the record this post is not sponsored, this is just me giving my honest Asana Rebel review. Besides the Asana Rebel fitness videos, there are also a lot of Asana Rebel yoga videos.
Review of Asana Rebel
What I also like is this app also offers a variety of guided meditations, sleep meditations, music for sleep, and music for focus. And nevertheless, it also gives you some healthy food recipes you could try out. This means that I only need this one app for my entire morning routine and lunch-break workout session. It has build-in challenges like the Asana fit 14-day beach body challenge, more HITT like rebel workout challenges, and yoga rebel challenges. It also comes with a personalized Asana fit schedule, based on your goals and workout preferences.
Asana Rebel subscription
So when I saw all of this I thought to myself this must be pretty expensive. Well, the Asana cost is not that high, to be honest, a yearly subscription costs $58.99 USD. Right now you can get a 50% discount on a yearly subscription, and there is also a free trial period. So there you have it, my honest review of Asana Rebel.
My gym bag essentials
Now onto the last part of this blog post my top 3 gym bag essentials. Bear in mind that I usually just do my at-home workouts and when I do go to the gym it’s often a climbing gym. So besides my climbing gear I also like to take:
- A water bottle. Did you know that it is super important to drink before, during, and after your workout?! You lose a lot of water during workouts and you need to restore that in order for your body to function well. Most of us don’t drink enough water during the day, so I would suggest putting a water bottle on your desk too.
- Deodorant. I’ve tried many deodorants over the past couple of years and I have to say I absolutely love the natural deodorants. My skin doesn’t get irritated and they do the job equally well as traditional deodorants. I currently love the Alka Deodorant*, which is the first alkaline deodorant. Combined with hydrating ingredients this one is an absolute winner for me. It’s also vegan, free of aluminum, and natural.
- A protein shake. As you might know, I’m lactose intolerant, which is a little bit inconvenient when working out a lot. This means I have to be mindful to get my proteins, hence why I usually drink a protein shake after an intensive – climbing – workout. I’m currently loving the Kiano Life shakes, which besides collagen powder also have a variety of vegan protein shakes.
I hope you loved this blog post about my gym essentials, Asana Rebel review, and my personal experience with at-home workouts!
