5 Tips For Exercising From Home Effectively
With gyms closed and team sports out of the question, many of us are searching for inspiration about keeping fit. Exercising from home has become essential, for mental and physical health. In this guide, we offer you the essential tips and tricks to ensure your exercise from home is as effective as it can be.
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Be realistic and start slow
If you haven’t exercised much in the past, you are unlikely to be able to suddenly do an enormous workout. And this is not advised – you could injure yourself or strain your body with a sudden, high impact activity.
Be realistic and build up gradually, starting with 10 minutes and slowly increasing the time you spend working out. Choose exercises that fit in with your schedule, and ensure you are working at an intensity you can tolerate. Walking is a great way to start, as it is low impact – you can even walk on the spot if need be but getting outside can be another boost, particularly to your mental health.
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Find your ideal routine
Create an exercise routine that works for you. While it’s always great to exercise, having consistency with your workouts is key to your health outcomes. Try to have set times to do exercise during the week. This makes the habit easier to stick to long term.
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Integrate aerobic and strength exercises
It’s important to do some cardiovascular activity (or aerobic exercises) and some strength-building exercises each week.
Adults aged 19-64 are recommended to do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, such as cycling, swimming, or fast walking, as well as strength exercises on 2 or more days per work that work all the major muscles. You can achieve 150 minutes of activity by doing 30 minutes on 5 days per week, or you can make each individual session longer – this is up to you! Of course, a higher impact activity can reduce the total time you have to spend, and this could be something you work towards.
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Use what you have available
Remember: you don’t really require fancy equipment in order to get the exercise you need. Also, you could do things like mowing the lawn, or a solid amount of gardening, and consider this as moderate physical activity towards your weekly goal.
Your core muscles are very important. When they are strong, they help protect your skeletal system. You can support your core muscles by doing the following exercises:
- Jumping jacks
- Chair squats (or regular squats if preferred)
- Push ups (against a wall, with knees down, or regular)
- Chair dips
- Glute bridges
Using your body in these new ways is a great way to start building the strength you need from home.
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Utilise the online world
Exercise classes and instructions are now widely available online, with plenty of videos on YouTube, including a class from the NHS. Use the great wealth of information available to you to make exercise as effective and fun as it can be, even from the comfort of your living room.
If in doubt, ask your chiropractor to recommend the best exercises or classes to suit your needs.