Okay. Like so many of us, you’ve binge-watched half a dozen TV shows on Netflix while munching on comfort snacks, and the twangs of guilt are starting to creep in. Maybe you your previous routine included a love of surfing, group yoga classes, regular gym visits or an active job that kept your heart pumping while you were on your feet all shift. With those options limited for many, what else could you do to maintain your health and fitness, from the comfort of your home?
Here are four (4) ways that you can burn away those Doritos and regain your healthy physique during isolation:
1. Bend and stretch
Before you indulge in anything too vigorous, consider improving your body’s flexibility. Getting back in touch with your joint mobility, warming up your tendons, ligaments and muscles, and stretching out any built-up tension can be a great way to both relax, while also improving your overall physical state. Oh, and this one can still be done in front of the TV – just in case you still have a couple of episodes to go on those Buffy re-runs.
In their “Beginners Guide to Stretching,” the authors at Shape Magazine point out three key things to avoid, which are bouncing (this can trigger your muscles to reflexively contract, rather than relax, which can cause small tears), stretching beyond the point of pain (some discomfort can grow flexibility, but build this slowly – don’t rush), forgetting to breathe (results are best if you inhale while positioning and exhale slowly while stretching).
With those pointers in mind, you could either move through a yoga, ballet or sports stretching routine that you’ve tried previously, or follow through a video such as this one by Tom Merrick, which offers a 15-minute stretching experience that covers all major body areas:
2. Dance like no one’s watching
… Because they’re not. 🙂
Many people, regardless of age, gender and ability level, find the act of dancing to be liberating. Like many forms of exercise, dance triggers a release of feel-good hormones such as endorphins, while also creating moments of joy regardless of whether you hit or miss each move.
Whatever your experience level, there is a style of dance that you could practice at home, ranging from retro dance to zumba, physie, line dancing, hip hop or Bollywood-style movements. Of course, before undertaking any strenuous physical activity, be aware of your own limitations and conduct a remote consultation with a doctor if in doubt.
For inspiration getting started, you could explore any of these YouTube classes:
- 12 Basic Bollywood Dance Moves
- Zumba Dance Workout for Beginners
- 8-minute 80s Dance Warm-Up
- Disco Funk – 10 Minute 70s-Inspired Dance Class
- Hip Hop For Beginners (fairly intense)
- Beginners Zumba Workout – 10 Minutes
Go easy at first, but have fun and shake it off! 🙂
3. Walk It Out
Now, this suggestion may be unavailable, depending on where you live. Fortunately, most of us are still able to leave the house to exercise outdoors, whether alone, with household members, or with one other person. Refer to your country or state’s particular recommendations in this regard.
If you are able to venture out, this situation provides a unique opportunity to explore your neighbourhood largely in the absence of cars, air pollution and external noise. Using Apple Health, Samsung Health or a similar step-tracking application on your phone, set yourself a daily target for the number of steps you’d like to make, and try to reach or beat that every day.
For long-term health growth, 10,000 daily steps is often recommended. You’ll probably cover somewhere between 6-8km (approximately 4 miles) if you reach this target, and this does cover walking done around your home during normal daily activities. If you haven’t walked for exercise in a while, then start with a lower goal and step up incrementally as your fitness increases.
Personally, I can’t walk for long periods on a treadmill without becoming bored, but walking in the outside environment tends to hold interest for longer, especially if the route is changed every few days. If you’re still allowed in national parks, that can be even more rewarding. You may also choose to hook into your favorite Spotify playlist while striding to stay motivated – just be careful that you can still hear traffic noises if you choose to use an earbud option.
If you can’t escape from your building, there are even walk at home routines available for people to explore. See this one, for example.
4. Aerobic Fitness Classes
If you’re looking for quick gains and have access to an exercise mat, comfortable shoes and perhaps a pair of dumbbells or boxing gloves, then there are a huge number of aerobic classes available online. Before we were engaging in Les Mills classes and Body Combat sessions at the gym, fitness videos were all the rage. Personally, I was a huge fan of Dolph Lundgren’s Maximum Potential workout back in the 90s, and even that can now be found online. Self-isolation is causing a large number of video-based fitness routines to have a comeback.
Whether your interests lie in traditional aerobics, the martial arts-inspired Tae-Bo (remember that?), celebrity-endorsed routines or pilates, there’s plenty of material that is available for free, to help activate your metabolism and twitch those muscle fibres in all the right ways.
So, clear some room, unravel that exercise mat and get ready to raise your pulse with the following aerobic video classes:
- Tae Bo Punch Out with Billy Blanks
- 15-Minute Aerobic Bootcamp
- Maximum Potential with Dolph Lundgren
- 30 Minute HIIT Workout (high intensity)
I hope that you find these hints and tips useful. We’ll be adding more fitness resources to this website during the coming days. In the meantime, be well.
