Quarantips: Tips on how to stay fit at home during the quarantine
Rose May Pimentel in Health
May 17, 2020 • 2 min Read
During this challenging global pandemic, it is more important now than ever to stay fit and healthy. But, no gym? No problem! Here are some tips from WebMD on how to get fit at home with no gym required:
According to Dr. Kevin Steele from WebMD, an effective fitness program has five components, all of which you can do at home: a warmup, a cardiovascular (aerobic) workout, resistance (strength-building) exercises, flexibility moves, and a cooldown.
A warm-up could be an easy walk outside or on a treadmill, or a slow pace on a stationary bike. For the cardiovascular portion, walk or pedal faster, do step aerobics with a video, or jump rope — whatever you enjoy that gets your heart rate up. The resistance portion can be as simple as squats, push-ups, and abdominal crunches. Or you could work with small dumbbells, a weight bar, bands or tubing. Increase your flexibility with floor stretches or yoga poses. And your cooldown should be similar to the warm-up, says Steele — “cardiovascular work at a low level to bring the heart rate down to a resting state.”
If you’re a beginner, aim for 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least three times a week, and 20 to 30 minutes of strength work three times a week. Be sure your strength workout covers all major muscle groups, in your upper body, lower body, abdominals, and back. Shoot for three sets of 10-15 repetitions of each strength exercise. No matter what type of exercise you do, be sure to start slowly and gradually increase your workout time and intensity. And don’t forget to listen to your body, says Richard Weil of WebMD. “Focus on the muscles that you think you should be working,” he says.
The experts offer some other tips for home exercisers:
* Challenge yourself and avoid boredom. At home, you won’t have a variety of equipment and classes that are available at a gym. So surf the Internet and browse fitness magazines to check out new workouts and make sure you’re exercising correctly.
* Find an exercise partner. You’ll be less likely to find excuses when you’ve arranged to work out with a friend.
* Schedule your workouts. “Have a plan.
* Use a journal to track your progress and jot down any breakthroughs you may have. When you have a bad day, write that down, too, to help you to find patterns you can break.
* Set goals, like training for a race or losing 20 pounds. Give yourself mini-rewards along the way.
* Perhaps most important, make exercise as integral to your life as sleeping and eating, says Tony Swain from WebMD. “You have to think of it as a lifestyle change. It doesn’t end. Get out of the mind-frame that exercise is something you’re only going to do for some time.”
Stay fit and healthy while staying home!
