Working from home is great because it allows you to continue making a living despite the health crisis that’s going on right now. There is one drawback, though. The same reason that keeps you away from your workplace is also the same reason it’s probably not a good idea to visit the gym at this time. But then one day, you wake up and stare in horror at the bulge that’s grown around your belly. Fortunately, not only can you work from home, but you can work out from home, as well.
Benefits of Exercising from Home
If you work from home, you most likely spend hours on end sitting in front of your computer. This kind of sedentary lifestyle is terrible for your body. It is especially hard on your spine, lower back, and hips. Sitting still for long hours also contributes to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and deep-vein thrombosis, among other health issues.
Exercise is a good way to preempt these problems. Physical activity helps improve many aspects of your health and well-being. Here are a few of the good things you get from exercising regularly.
Keep Your Body in Top Shape
Ok, “round” is a shape, too. But we’re not talking about that kind of shape. Regular physical activity helps keep your body in good condition. Working out regularly helps you build strong and healthy muscles. It also slows down the loss of bone density and fights off joint problems. Keeping in shape reduces the risk of getting injured from falling — a common danger to those of us who are spring chickens no longer.
Beat the Blues
Exercising from home also helps maintain your mental health. Being home all day, away from people, and being in front of a computer screen for an extended period can take a toll on your mental health. Anxiety and depression may set in. Getting some exercise can break the monotony and dreariness of staying home. It can help you cope with anxiety, improve your mood, sleep better, and strengthen your focus.
Keep Your Weight in Check
You stock up on calories when you eat and drink. Your body naturally burns calories to keep itself going. But if you gain more calories than your body uses up, you can gain unwanted weight. Putting on weight is bad enough for your self-esteem, but the greater concern is how weight gain can lead to health problems, as well. Physical activity through exercise boosts the number of calories you burn.
4 Exercises You Can Do at Home
Here are four exercises that are easy to do and don’t require any special equipment. They’re perfect for keeping fit and staying sane while the pandemic has you trapped at home. They are all very familiar, with movements that are natural and simple. You have certainly been introduced to at least a couple of these, if not all, in high school gym class. If not, each one is easy enough to learn and to perform.
Push-Ups
Who isn’t familiar with push-ups? This is a great exercise because it focuses on strengthening your chest, a major muscle group. But it also helps strengthen your arms, shoulders, back, stomach, and legs. Isn’t that great? With one exercise, you hit almost all the muscles of your body.
How to do push-ups:
- Drop down to the ground on all fours. Place your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Then simply push yourself up from the ground.
- When you’re at the peak of this movement, slowly drop back down to your starting position.
- Do 8 repetitions, if possible. If not, just do as many as you can. If you keep at this regularly, you will soon be able to do a lot more than what you started with.
- If you’re a newbie, you can make it easier by dropping your knees. This will help offload some of the weight until you are strong and confident enough to do it the regular way.
Check out this video that shows you how a proper push-up is done.
Squats
The squat is another simple exercise involving natural movement. But like push-ups, squats engage many muscles throughout the body. Unlike push-ups, you can do squats virtually anywhere where there is room for you to stand.
How to do squats:
- Stand with your feet apart, about shoulder-width, with your toes pointed forward.
- Then, just lower yourself down as if you are going to sit. Extend your arms forward as you do so.
- When your thighs are parallel to the ground, hold the pose for a bit, then rise back up to a standing position.
- Repeat at least 8 times.
And that’s it! Here are a few things to watch out for. As you lower yourself, pay attention to your knees. They should never reach over your toes. If you’re new at this, you can make it easier by positioning a chair underneath you, so you end up sitting on the chair.
Here’s a video that shows you how the squat is done.
Lunges
This is such a simple exercise to do. But it’s great for working out the muscles of the lower body. Like squats, you can do these anywhere there’s room for you to stand.
How to do lunges:
- From a standing position, bring one foot forward.
- Lower your knee as you step forward.
- Step back, and repeat with the other foot.
Do this 8 times per foot, and that’s it!
Here’s how to lunge correctly.
The Plank
And lastly, is the plank. This exercise differs somewhat from the other three, as you will soon see.
How to plank like a champion:
- Get down on all fours, like you’re about to start a push-up.
- Instead of pushing up with your hands, though, place your weight on your forearms.
- Hold this position for about a minute, or for as long as you can.
- And that’s all there is to it!
Unlike the other exercises, there is no repetition of movement when you plank. You just hold the position until your body tells you that it’s had enough.
Here, a planking tutorial video.
And there you have it. Four handy exercises that will help you stay fit and healthy as you ride out the pandemic and work from home. No equipment required, other than a yoga mat, perhaps, for when you do push-ups and planks.
Get into a daily routine with these exercises. Remember to take it easy in the beginning, especially if you’re new to this kind of physical exertion. Keep in mind that you will benefit from constant and consistent action, not from an explosive but short-lived exploit. It’s also a good idea to consult with your doctor before you start an exercise routine. As you get used to it and grow stronger, you may consider doing several sets throughout the day.
The Exercise Environment
In case you haven’t noticed, your home may not exactly provide the same vibe as your gym. There may not be the same amount of available space for you to move around, and you certainly will not find the same equipment that is available in the gym. Fortunately, the exercises we’ve provided require nothing more than your presence and your determination to stay fit and healthy.
A big part of keeping yourself motivated so that you can sustain this initiative is to make sure that you have a suitable exercise environment. Make sure that you can keep yourself hydrated before, during, and after your workout. Make sure that the area where you exercise is properly ventilated. Be mindful of the season, especially if you plan to exercise outdoors. During the summer, make sure you have adequate aeration and cooling so that you do not suffer from heat-related illnesses. During winter, make sure that you can keep yourself warm.
Make sure you have enough space to at least perform the exercises here. Keep the area clean. You might consider decorating your exercise space to keep it pleasant. Playing music while you exercise can be relaxing and enjoyable.