They’re common excuses: I can’t afford a trainer or gym membership. I don’t have the time to fit a session into my busy schedule.

When it comes to improving one’s fitness and wellness, time and money always seem to be factors. With time, it ultimately comes down to how committed you are and how badly you want to improve. Set aside the time, even if it’s only 20 minutes to start.

As for the money aspect, we can get rid of that problem by working out at home. The benefits are awesome. Imagine waking up, turning on music and jumping immediately into a workout. Time is saved on the gym commute, and you save money on gym membership and/or personal training fees.

Don’t feel obligated to join a gym to get fit and healthy. If you are interested in improving your fitness, consider these few tips for at-home workouts and you will see some very successful results.

1) Set up a schedule

It’s vital that if you are to be successful with improving your fitness that you set up a workout schedule (eg Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6am)

Schedule your workout outside of family activity; do it while family members are away from home if you can. This will avoid you becoming distracted by their movements and requests, or having children try and climb all over you whilst planking or doing sit-ups.

2) Set the scene

If you expect to be motivated at home, set the scene as if you were in a gym. Wear the correct attire, turn on music.

3) Utilise your surroundings

Scan your house and make note of what can be used during your workout. Do you have stairs that can be run up, jumped up? Chairs for triceps dips or step-ups? Open floor space for lunges and squats? Our homes have potential for success. Our surroundings can be used to aid our workouts. Be creative.

4) Invest in at-home exercise tapes

If you feel more motivated by another voice, or need help with the actual workout regime, exercise tapes can be a great investment.

Tapes can be a great tool because you can then use what you’ve learnt to put together your own programme.

I’ve put together some standard body weight exercises for you to construct your own, personalised at-home workout.

You can completely exhaust this list, one exercise at a time, or you can create a circuit using all or some.

Should you need further assistance, use your YouTube or Google app for clarification.

LEGS:

Squats (sumo squats, jump squats, jump squats up stairs, squat pulses)

Lunges (Step lunges, walking lunges, jump lunges, lunge pulses)

Burpees (with or without a push-up)

Skaters (moving or stationary)

Step-ups (maxing out one leg at a time or alternating)

UPPER BODY:

Push-ups (inclined, declined, flat)

Planks (high, low, side)

Low plank to high plank to push-up repeats

Low plank to high plank repeats

Shoulder taps (holding a high plank alternating a simple tap of each shoulder)

Triceps dips

CORE:

V sit-ups

Toe touches

Russian twists

Bicycles

Crunches

Hip thrusts

Simply choose the exercises and decide how many repetitions or seconds of work you know you can handle, and then how many sets (eg 30 repetitions for 3 sets). Be honest with your efforts, completing all you set out to do. I find writing it down is helpful and keeps me accountable. As stated earlier, it always comes down to how bad you really want to work for it — it being your goal. Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try!

• Dre is a retired track and field athlete who is now a personal trainer, aerobic and yoga instructor and fitness “addict” with more than five years’ experience. She specialises in nutrition, weight and sprint training, operating primarily out of National Stadium. Contact her on: absbydre@gmail.com or 599-0412. Find her on Facebook and Instagram under @Absbydre.