A common question I get from people is, “Please tell me how you stay motivated to work out at home?” when they find out I have been working out at home for 20 years. While I may not be a motivational speaker the likes of Tony Robbins I can tell you a thing or two about staying motivated to work out at home.

Thing one is set a routine

Working out in the morning tends to be best for me because then no matter where the day leads me I have already fit my fitness in. My motivation tends to wane as the day goes on. I know it’s unlikely I will want to work out after a long day of work washed down by a glass of wine and dinner. I have also realized that I make better food choices throughout the day if I work out in the morning. There is something about taking an early step toward the preservation of my body that makes me want to keep up my good habits throughout the day. You can go ahead and file that in your folder of “things that make you go hmmm”. What about that evil girl inside my head telling me it’s okay to hit snooze and skip my morning workout? She’s a total liar! She’s the same girl who told me it was a good idea to purchase that hot pink t-shirt emblazoned with “Sexy And I Know It”. As it turns out, that is not such a cute look for this forty-something-year-old. I recommend you set yourself up for success by planning your at-home workout at a time best suited for your life. Know that there will be a million and one reasons not to stick with your routine, but the most important reason to stick with it is your health! Plus, all those sessions will help keep you sexy and you know it.

Thing two is try something new

When I feel myself getting bored because my workout routine has become, well, routine, I whine, “Whaaa whaaa whaaa…I’m so bored!” Then I notice nobody is listening, so I get over myself, and try something different. Right now I am spicing things up by learning Indian dance steps thanks to Bollywood inspired workouts. This is not a new fitness craze, but it is new to me so it’s just what I need to shake things up a bit. I love the music, the interesting dance moves, and the playful attitude. Join me on a no passport required trip to Bombay and beyond with these energizing and enjoyable workouts.

While flipping channels one day I discovered Reshmi Chetram’s workout program, BollyFIT, on the Veria Living TV network. I scheduled my DVR to record an episode and I was immediately hooked! I then checked out the Veria website and found five full length BollyFIT classes. Each one of these workouts offered incorporates Indian classical, folk and Bollywood dance steps. They are all 23 minutes long, performed barefoot, have great music, and adhere to the following sequence: instructional, cardio, muscle conditioning with flexibility, and BollyFIT dance session. The set is bright white with flowing colorful fabric draped from the ceiling.

Let’s take a peek at one of my faves. In Bollywood Dance Workout: Full Class – 23 Min: BollyFIT #19 Reshmi warms us up with an instructional dance segment where she teaches us 90° jumps followed by a livelier cardio portion. Then we move on to muscle conditioning with a flexibility component where we perform lunges and abdominal twists. The final segment, BollyFIT dance session, is my favorite. We build on the dances we learned in the instructional and cardio portions of the program by incorporating new choreography. This is one quick, festive and fun routine.

I discovered The Bollywood Dance Workout by Hemalayaa when I signed up for a free two week trial of My Yoga Online. I highly recommend you take advantage of this free trial offer as the site is awesome. I originally signed up to explore Hemalayaa’s yoga offerings, and I was pleasantly surprised to also find meditation, Pilates and dance workouts by a host of great instructors. What a find!

The Bollywood Dance Workout is 50 minutes of carefree fun. Hemalayaa leads us through dance moves like shimmies, African arms, hip scoops, feed the chickens, the guerrilla walk, and my favorite, the butt bounce. There is a short toning segment where we perform “Bhangra Bounce” squats and fun abdominal toning exercises. The set is lush with deep colors, a pretty carpet, fabric draped on the ceiling, and Bollywood movie posters adorning the walls. The music is upbeat and stimulating. Hemalayaa’s emphasis is on being playful and just having fun, which is exactly what I did during this workout. A shortened edition of Hemalayaa’s Bollywood Dance workout is available on the Video-On-Demand channel, MagRack. By cutting out a portion of the dance routine and the entire toning segment the MagRack version was reduced to 35 minutes.

Photo credit: Meanest Indian / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

See you next week for another New Year, New You Workout Wednesday.