Indoor Workouts To Keep Fit During Lockdown

By Jessica Merkel

Fitness is essential to a healthy life, but now more than ever, it is integral to maintain some kind of personal fitness routine while under stay-at-home orders. So what are some excellent ways to stay active at home without fancy equipment or a gym?

We could all use some de-stressing, and yoga can be a perfect solution for that. You might think, “But I’m not flexible, so I can’t do yoga!” However, using simple movements, yoga can be a way to gradually stretch out the body, focus on breathing and reset your mind. Over time, one can use yoga to become more flexible and improve balance with more complex movements and poses, but there are ample stretches and actions to get the body moving. Plus, you don’t need any equipment for yoga. A mat is helpful, but you can always use a towel, blanket or rug as a makeshift area to practice. Yoga is excellent to do in the morning as a way to get your blood pumping and body moving early in the day! Or, take a break during your at-home work to do yoga to stretch and reset. You can find tutorials to follow on YouTube.

Similar to yoga, Pilates is low-impact, but focuses more on full-body strengthening and can focus on muscle relaxation. In contrast, yoga is used more for gradual flexibility in the muscles and joints. If you’d like a low-impact home workout for muscle strengthening and toning, Pilates is the answer for you. It also does not require any equipment, and tutorials can be found all over the internet.

Use things from around the house to create your own workout.

• Use a sturdy box or bench to do step-ups or box jumps.
• Walk or lightly jog up and down some stairs.
• Do pushups with feet elevated on a sturdy box or chair.
• Use small boxes (or another low-to-the-ground item), one on each side of you, to jump over side-to-side.
• Use an empty wall to do handstands or to “walk-up” the wall with your feet into a handstand position.

Or, do some exercises without any equipment, known as bodyweight workouts.

• Squats
• Lunge around the house
• Jumping jacks
• Forearm or extended arm planks
• Side planks
• Pushups
• Crunches or sit-ups
• Wall sit
• Calf raises

Find exercises that work for you and make sure to do some kind of movement for at least 30 minutes a day, even if it is just stretching. We are living through a stressful time, and exercise can be used as an outlet to relieve your stress, get fit and feel great.

In addition to working out, try to maintain a healthy diet. Eating healthy is a way to supplement and nourish your body after exercising. So, it is recommended to eat fresh fruits and vegetables when possible, consume proper amounts of protein and, most importantly, hydrate!

For the latest on COVID-19, please visit https://www.newmanrh.org/coronavirus

Here are some additional tips from Newman Physical Therapy