Working out at home hasn’t always been everybody’s cup of tea, some people prefer the real gym experience. For many people, exercise has become part of their daily routine during the current pandemic, whether it’s going for a walk in the park, or bringing the gym home.
Throughout this pandemic people have relied on social media and apps to help get that home workout, but how do you know whats the best for you and what gets you to the results you want? First step to creating a workout that works for you is choosing your workout days, rest days and active recovery day. Wait a minute… what’s an active recovery day? An active recovery day is a day dedicated to rest whilst doing light exercise, such as a long walk which burns energy and reduces stress and can also release soreness from previous workouts. Low intensity yoga or a casual swim can both accomplish the same thing at a light intensity, this is considered more beneficial than sitting and resting.
Don’t be repetitive by doing the same routine everyday, this can become predictable to your body and can cause nagging injury. But what’s a nagging injury? It’s injury pain that can occur and not go away and the two prime causes are over using and repetitive motion.The best way to increase working out intensity over time is when your workout becomes easy and quicker to accomplish, build on your intensity gradually. It’s not a competition; go at your own pace, you would typically want to be working out 4-6 weeks before increasing your intensity. Also, when increasing intensity, you need to focus and put more effort into your diet and keep track of your training plan.
A very important factor when working out is to keep track of your progress. How? Lots of ways! You can do this by keeping records of things like your recovery time, distance, how you’re feeling after your workouts and your mental attitude. The reason it’s good to do these things is to help see what’s working and not working for you. This can also show you what you need to improve on and what next steps you need to take.
“Actions speak louder than words”.
10 Health and Fitness Tips you can do from home:
- Never skip breakfast – first meal of the day is very important.
- Get at least 8 hours sleep – wake up feeling fresh a ready to start the day.
- Choose a great space – a well lit room creates a positive atmosphere.
- Water is the key – drink at least 3-5 litres a day.
- Limit your distractions – the more focus the more achieved.
- Exercise in the morning – start your day on a positive note.
- Music is the way – a great way to focus and feel good.
- Keep healthy snacks around – if you’re gonna snack, do it right!
- Form a support group – support of others is a great way to motivate.
- Prepare for success – have a positive mindset.
“Did you know making excuses burns zero calories an hour” “The difference between try and triumph is the extra umph”.
Exercise of all kinds have been proven to be beneficial to your mental health, however not everybody enjoys running, lifting weights or even skipping ropes. Fear not, there are plenty of calming alternatives such as yoga, meditation, tai chi and more. What is the difference? How do they help? Yoga is an old discipline from India. It is both spiritual and physical. Yoga uses breathing techniques, exercise and meditation. The purpose of yoga is to create harmony in the body, mind, and environment. Yoga professes a complete system of physical, mental, social, and spiritual development. There are many physical benefits, such as improved posture, increased flexibility and muscle strength. Mentally, it has helped many to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, which has been a huge help through the current pandemic and it can also boost your concentration, focus and memory.
Tai chi combines deep breathing and relaxation with calm flowing movements. Originally developed form martial art in 13th century China, tai chi is now practised around the world as a health promoting exercise. The difference between yoga and tai chi is that tai chi focuses on relaxed movements; the postures are constantly evolving and there are no pauses, as the body moves from one posture to the next, whereas yoga focuses on stillness. However, they do both use controlled breathing and meditation to enhance the practise. There are many physical benefits from tai chi such as improved flexibility, increased energy and stamina, as well as improving muscle strength and definition. Similarly to yoga, it can help to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression and it can also improve executive functions like the ability to multitask, manage time, and make decisions.
Did you know that there are 108 moves to learn and master in tai chi and 84 poses in yoga to learn and master?
Pros and Cons of home workouts:
Cons:
- Being at home isn’t as motivational as going to the gym for majority of people.
- Not always a huge range or options of equipment or space.
- Don’t get educated on classes and new workouts.
- No professionals to advice and guide you through your workout.
- Distractions can occur, for example, if you are a parent.
- No if, ands or buts, easy excuses to avoid the workout.
Pros:
- Wearing gym attire gives you the motivation to workout.
- You save your money as you don’t have to pay for fees such as membership, travel and extras like food and drink.
- Staying active and still keeping safe through the current pandemic.
- Flexibility of when and where you workout.
- Helps people with anxiety issues become comfortable working out in a safe space.
- Saves time that you would usual spend scheduling or traveling to gym and waiting for equipment to be available.
- You have your own privacy.
- Your own choice of music which means no need for earphones.
“The ground work for all happiness is good health”.
Jack is a graphic and Content Designer with a passion for creative work . In his spare time, Jack likes to spend time creating digital art and playing video games.
Alexandra is a junior account manager, who also has her own small business called Petals and Pearls. She has a creative mindset and has a passion for dance.
