Many people are wondering how to stay active during the COVID -19 outbreak, especially since a lot of gyms and sports centers where we generally workout remain closed. That is why we are discussing home workout possibilities in this text.
The coronavirus pandemic transformed our lives almost instantly. Since the beginning, we have been put in an unprecedented situation where we had to suddenly reorganize everything from our jobs and school work for children to how we interact with others and so on. The uncertainty that came with it brought up a lot of stress and anxiety. In such a situation, many of us are trying to finish all the tasks that we deem as mandatory and then just find ways to escape and unwind by eating comfort food, having few drinks and simply surfing the web or watching movies, etc.
This isn’t a problem as such, but the risk that arises with being closed at home all the time is that this sedentary lifestyle that was imposed on us becomes a habit. Most of us are well aware that poor lifestyle choices like bad diet and lack of exercise consequently lead to a lot of health problems – cardiovascular issues, bone and muscular problems, weight gain, and so on.
Fortunately, there are plenty of simple and fun ways to avoid developing poor habits, also during the COVID-19 outbreak. In this text, we will share some of the home workout tips with you hoping they will help you stay active despite this unusual situation. Keep in mind that it is important to have adequate gear like good workout shoes for men if you want to gain maximum from your exercise routine.
Benefits of Exercise
Regular exercise will help you cope with this new situation and everything it brings, not just in improving physical but mental health. Experts from the Mayo clinic recommend that we try to have on average an hour of regular physical activity each day. However, if this is for some reason not possible for you, you should aim to do some form of exercise at least 150 minutes a week. Working out brings a lot of benefits both for children and adults, and thus, we will mention some of them before we move to some ideas for the home workout plan.
- Improves cardiovascular health
- Prevents stroke
- Improves metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes
- Alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Relieves arthritis-related pain
- Regulates high blood pressure
- Boosts energy
- Improves sleep
- Improves sex life
Main Home Workout Tips
Many people who regularly exercise usually go to the gym, sports center, or the park, so figuring out how to work out at home can be quite challenging. The funny thing is that we often have the feeling that we don’t have time for physical activity even though we have more time than under regular circumstances. The high levels of stress generally cause this we are experiencing during this period. The truth is that there are plenty of ways we can organize a workout routine at home with the time we have at our disposal. We compiled for you a list of suggestions for the home workout that we liked most. Feel free to use these or get inspired to find some that suit your needs better.
Weight Lifting
Lifting weights is an excellent exercise for increasing strength and building muscles, of course. But these aren’t the only benefits of weight training. It also works fantastically as stress relief. Now, reasonably if you are used to going to the gym, it isn’t very likely that you have home workout equipment. We completely agree that buying it at once can unnecessarily impact your budget, especially when you consider that life will come back to normal at some point. However, there are a lot of affordable dumbbells that you can buy online. Alternatively, you can make them with things you have at home – for example. You can fill empty bottles with water or sand.
Yoga
Yoga brings various benefits for both physical and mental health, and a lot of people opt for it because it is possible to practice it everywhere- at work, in the park, at the beach. For this reason, it is a perfect full-body workout at home. Not only that, you can do it whenever and wherever you want, you also don’t need special equipment for it. The only thing required is a quiet space, a mat, and comfortable clothes and you are good to go.
Running Stairs
If you are a passionate runner, you certainly miss the possibility of hitting the road during this period. But don’t despair just yet! If you are living in an apartment building or even a two-story house, surely there are stairs. Of course, it is not like running or jogging in the park or along the lake or river, but running up and down the stairs, several times is a marvelous cost-effective cardio workout at home. Besides improving your heart’s health, this exercise is also excellent if you want to lose a few pounds and maintain a healthy weight. For the best result, it is recommended that you run for approximately 20 minutes.
Pushups
They are another widely popular exercise for several reasons. For one, you can also do it wherever you want. Additionally, you don’t need any equipment for doing pushups. This can be significant, especially in this period because besides health we are also witnessing an economic crisis and it isn’t advisable to make big investments. Pushups are besides all this a fantastic upper body workout at home designed specifically to increase strength and build muscle. They are good to strengthen arm muscles but are also great chest workout at home.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are various home workout options that you can do despite COVID – 19 situations in your city or country. We consulted several fitness experts and selected those that we liked the most. However, there are many other possibilities, and if this is something you find interesting, you can check online and find exercises that best suit your particular needs and fitness level.
What are you doing to make sure to stay healthy and fit during COVID – 19 crisis? Are you doing some exercises that we didn’t mention?
Author Bio
Randolph Ray works as a nutritionist for years and can explain the nutrition contents in food to help you resolve eating disorders. Also, he is fond of yoga and likes writing articles on his blog.