The current pandemic situation has resulted in many people staying at home for quarantine purposes. The coronavirus has caused enormous disruption in our daily routines, affecting our work, health, and lifestyle.
It is easy to fall prey to unhealthy eating habits while staying home all day long. There are limited options on what to eat, and the most accessible choices are usually junk food. As such, a lot of people have gained weight during the lockdown, and it gets harder to burn off excess fats since you can’t go to the gym to work out, or even go jogging on the street.
To combat this unhealthy lifestyle, we have put together a list of practical indoor exercises for you to try in the comfort of your home, garage, or even a spacious shed. You won’t need fancy equipment or accessories, you need to put in enough effort, and your body should feel and look better before you know it.
1. Warm-up exercises
Warming up is hugely underrated, with a lot of people seeing it as a waste of time. Warm-up exercises are necessary because it allows your muscles to loosen up before engaging in large actions. This prep time is vital to prevent injury and maximize your muscle’s potential. Using your muscles in controlled light actions before working out will help loosen the joints and add flexibility to your movements. If you go straight to working out, your muscles can get shocked at the sudden force requirement, and you can suffer a muscle tear.
A proper warm-up exercise also increases activity in your nervous system, leading to improved blood circulation. When blood efficiently reaches each part of your body as you work out, you will have an easier time exerting energy to do more things. After working out, your body will still exhibit the benefits of your warm-ups and therefore allow you to feel less fatigue.
Basic warm-up exercises like static stretching are okay, but you’d instead go for more movement through arm swings and shoulder rotations. The goal is to elevate your heart rate enough to get your nervous system excited while warming up your muscles for more significant actions.
2. Abdominal Exercises
People often focus on abdominal exercises because they want to get rock hard abs. While that can be a worthy long-term goal, burning enough stomach fat to lessen your belly’s size is also a great objective.
You can start with planking to apply pressure to your abs while also strengthening your arms and back. The starting position is quite similar to a push-up except that you’ll be bending your elbows at a 90-degree angle, shifting your weight on your forearms. Hold on to this position as long as possible while keeping your body straight from head to toe.
Side planks help you work on your abs while also making the oblique muscles stronger. Start on your side with your forearm below the shoulder area, and then slowly raise your hip to form a straight line once more from head to toe. Make sure that you keep your feet together as you put your hips up. Do this at least twice on each side for the best results.
3. Cardio Exercises
Cardiovascular exercises, or cardio as it’s usually shorted, work out your entire body by focusing on three things — frequency, intensity, and duration. It is one of the most popular forms of working out because of how fast it can burn out calories, perfect for people trying to lose weight.
Cardio exercises also speed up your metabolism, which is ideal if you are aiming to arrive at a specific weight. With regular cardio workouts, you can burn what you eat fast enough to offset the calorie count and lose significant pounds.
Jumping jacks are an excellent introduction to cardio workouts. The consistent movement of your whole body builds stronger bones and muscles while also improving your stamina. To perform a jumping jack, stand with your feet together and place your hands on each side. Jump while raising both arms above your head into clapping motion, while spreading your feet and legs apart as you enter mid-air. As you land, reverse the movements to get back to your original position.
Doing jumping jacks can quickly tire you out, so take time to rest after 8-10 counts. Ideally, the more you do it regularly, the more sets you can finish without stopping, and the faster your movements will be.
High-knee exercises are another excellent choice in starting cardio. Stand with your feet apart and raise your left knee as you raise your right arm. Do the same with your right knee and left arm. Continue alternating each action until you complete a set. This exercise is good at burning belly fat while also strengthening your thighs and hip region.
There are several workout programs that you can try at home, but these exercises should be enough to start your fitness journey with. If you have any weights stored in a shed or exercise videos saved on your laptop, do not hesitate to incorporate them into your daily exercises for increased effects.
