by Contributing Writer: Malika Jameel

Keeping fit in the last couple of months has been a dilemma for most people as the gyms were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, again who says you need a gym to stay healthy and fit? There are workouts you could do at home “on your own” (meaning sans the screen) to help you maintain your fitness. In case you didn’t know, whether you are a gym person or not, if you can engage in 75 minutes of rigorous activity or 150 minutes of moderate physical exercise, you can succeed in staying healthy mentally and physically. Suppose you are wondering why you should go to any lengths to keep fit, you should know that there benefits of working out, and they include:

• Mood improvement
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Increasing muscle force so that you go about your daily activity
• Lowering your risk of getting cardiovascular diseases
• Maintaining your mental health

You can mimic gym activities while at home to stay healthy. Here are some of the best home workouts you should get started on:

1. Biking

Suppose you went to the gym, you could take a spinning class if you wanted to burn calories, improve your cardio health as well as build muscle. At home, you could get a bicycle and ride it around your neighborhood to achieve the same results. A good cycling device to enhance your activities at home would be a bicycle with an e-bike kit. A motorized bicycle is easy to maintain and is less expensive. It is also efficient for mountain cycling activities.

2. Running and Jogging

In case you do not have a treadmill at home, you can put on your running sneakers and go run or jog in the park. These exercises will help you strengthen your bones and muscles, burn excess fat, improve your heart health, and maintain your BMI at a healthy

threshold. Apart from staying healthy, running and jogging is a fun activity that you can do with friends or your dog. It also costs nothing and the benefits are numerous.

3. Cardio Floor Exercises

If you want to limit your workouts to the indoors, you can start cardio exercises to stay fit. You do not need high-end equipment to perform these activities. Some of the exercises that you can engage in include squat jumps, rope jumping, dancing, burpees, kickboxing as well as running the stairs. Performing cardio exercises will enhance your heart function, help you sleep better, burn those excess calories, and control your appetite. To get the best results, you should have cardio exercises for 30 minutes every day. The beauty of workouts is that when you make them a regular activity, you do not struggle to do them because your mind will adjust itself. If you’re suffering from chronic diseases, such as arthritis, make sure to turn to light cardio and other physical activities, such as assisted biking, walking, stretching, etc.

4. Resistance Exercises

Common resistance training exercises that you can do at home include body squats, push-ups, bench press, barbell squats, and dumbbell training. To perform some of these resistance training workouts, you may need to get some equipment to use at home. The benefits of resistance exercises are:

• Weight management
• Enhanced body balance and flexibility
• Tone and muscle strengthening

With regards to duration, you can perform these exercises for about 30-45 minutes based on your endurance capabilities and stamina. If you can do this training at least twice a week, you will succeed to stay fit and healthy at home.

5. Yoga at Home

Yoga is one of those stretching physical activities that help you improve your flexibility, athletic performance as well as reduce weight, enhance vitality, and balance your metabolism. You can successfully do yoga at home. You only need to get a mat, make sufficient space in your home, and commit your time to the practice. If you are a beginner and you do not know where to begin, there are numerous YouTube channels you can watch to get started. It is recommended that you start with hatha yoga if you are a newbie. This exercise will help you balance two energies and you can scale up as you get used to it. The advantage of yoga is that you only need to do it for one hour a week to stay healthy.

Conclusion

Exercising at home requires that you have both discipline and commitment. Since no one is monitoring you, it is easy to procrastinate whenever it is time to exercise. If you know that you cannot stay committed, you can schedule your workouts and get an exercise partner to help you meet your physical activity goals. When done correctly, home workouts can help you achieve physical fitness the same way a gym would.

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