So, you spend most of your time seated at home? You’re not alone. Technology, changing working dynamics and personal reasons are forcing more and more people to work, study and stay at home for long hours.
Perhaps the only reason you’re at home is because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Maybe you wish you’re on a vacation or hanging out with friends. It doesn’t matter why you now stay seated all day.
You could be working, learning new skills or trying a new hobby. Whatever you do, ensure exercising is part of your schedule.
How do you exercise from when you stay at home? We’ll show you how to exercise through simple stretches at home. You don’t need gadgets or sophisticated tools. Just try out some of the tips shared below.
Thrust With Rotation
This is done when you are on your feet. Proceed by taking a huge step ahead with your right foot into a thrust, being careful that the right knee does not go past your toes. Put one hand on the right foot. Raise your right arm in the direction of the roof and stare upwards. Change sides as you repeat this.
This stretch helps in boosting the strength in your legs and shoulders at the same time stretching your hips. It also contributes to the maintenance of a healthy, spinal movement.
Butterfly Stretch
Our kinetic chain is subjected to a lot of stress whether we walk, run or just sit around. The hip bone is right in the middle of the chain, and this is why it’s important to do a butterfly stretch every time we are exercising.
Sit up straight with your feet pressed together, and your knees pushing down. Inhale, lift up your hips gently and lean forward. Grasp your ankles and carefully pull yourself forward until you feel the strain.
The Backbend
This is where your arms are placed above your head, the arm joint bent backword, in such a way that the palms face towards the wall. Gently slant back and support your body weight with your hands. This is carried out when you stand facing further from the wall with the feet about a meter away from the corner of the wall.
It helps to enhance your pose and holds up your muscularity that protects the spine. Ensure to be gentle when beginning.
Bottom Cobra With Feet Raised
This where you lie down while the ankles are relaxing on a roller. Push down your forearms onto the ground and draw your shoulders back as you lift your skull up and down.
This stretch helps to strengthen the butt, stretching out the chest, shoulders and builds up your lower back.
Stretching/Opening The Shoulders
This is carried out when you’re on your feet. Grasping either a band or a towel on both hands behind one’s back, lift your arms beyond you as high as possible without any discomfort. Draw your shoulders back and jointly as you raise the towel.
This stretch helps to spread out the shoulders and chest because sitting causes our shoulders to move inwards and chest to cave in.
Star Outreach
This also works when you are standing, with legs a bit wide apart. Your arms must be raised up in the sky with palms facing ahead and fingers spread. Then rise up on your toes; you will feel a thrill stretch on your hips, chest and shoulders.
It helps to stretch the shoulders, ankles, chest and back.
Mountain Climbers
From a push-up position, mountain climbers involve engaging your core as you usher one knee in the direction of your chest. Usher the knee such that it is straight under your hip. Moving too high will submit the low back to rounding. Swiftly return the foot to the surface at the same time usher the other knee under your hips. Redo this from side to side without allowing your hips to spin.
This exercise will challenge your cardiovascular system and strengthen it. It may be advisable to get a personal trainer for this exercise. After all, there are tons of benefits of working out with a personal trainer even if you stay at home.
Side Bounds
This involves rising up on one leg, lowering the hips back and maintaining the knee out as you bend laterally. You should ensure you alight gently on the opposite leg. Be engrossed to your alighting before bounding back to the original leg and redoing. Do this as fast as possible preventing the knees from collapsing in.
Draw More Than Press
When you attend the exercise room and do any kind of muscle training, you should keep this in mind. Many people commit most of their exercise room time to pushing exercises. Nevertheless, if you are at work sitting all day or stay at home sitting on the couch all day, it is highly advisable to that you carry out pulling exercises.
This kind of workout will enhance the muscles found at the back of your body, commonly known as the postural muscles. These muscles are usually weakened and tightened through sitting on the desk.
Some of the pushing exercise can aggravate the orbit like shoulder, hump like posture that is essential to sitting. That is why it is highly recommended to always add drawing exercises for every pressing exercise.
Jogging
This is a type of running but at a slower pace. It helps people who sit all day by preventing obesity and improves the cardiovascular system of a person. It is highly recommended for people who are not good at running, since one will not have to strain a lot when it comes to jogging.
Bottom Bridge
This involves lying on your back with knees bent to a certain degree. Involve your core so that posteriorly slanting your hips. You should feel the lower back being flat on the surface.
Maintaining your hip-width apart, move through your heels as you shrink your bottom and push your hips off the surface. You should be in a straight line from the shoulders through the hips to the knees, preventing your lower back from arching. Redo this while your hips are lowered with control. This exercise neutralises your hips and engages the hips and legs muscles.
Walking
As simple as it sounds, walking is one of the best exercise that you can do, and there are several reasons why you we should all walk more. Whenever you can get up and walk, be it to the supermarket or just at the grocery store, just do it.
Try parking your car a bit far from your destination so that you can walk your way there. Take every chance you can get to walk at least 40 minutes a day. This will help your body in terms of reducing your chances of getting diabetes or any other disease that’s comes with just sitting all day.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a number of exercises and stretches that people who sit all day can do. And these are the best ways to stay fit while you stay at home during COVID-19. For instance; walking, jogging, bottom bridge, draw more than press, side bounds, mountain climbers, star outreach, stretching the shoulders, the backbend, thrust with rotation, bottom cobra with feet raised.
This will help improve the cardiovascular system, and improve the immune system protecting you from diseases such diabetes and high blood pressure. People who sit all day be it at work or stay at home are advised to exercise at least every day to improve their health.