Curious about ways to stay fit without leaving the house? We know all about it! Check out these effective tips to stay fit even when you’re stuck indoors.
There are lots of reasons why you may get stuck in the house for a lot longer than you’d like. Perhaps the weather is nasty out there.
But it’s even worse now with an ongoing pandemic that warrants social distancing and staying most of the time indoors. The gyms are indefinitely closed, and you may worry about your fitness.
We’re here to tell you today that you don’t need to leave your house to exercise. You never needed to.
Here’s the thing.
There are tons of exercises and some you can do at the comfort of your home and get the same results you’d get in the gym.
You see, it’s all about making your body do the work and not where you are.
Now, let’s examine some of the best ways to stay fit when you’re stuck indoors.
1. Jumping Jacks
Ever heard of cardiovascular exercises or just cardio as it’s popularly known?
Well, they are a system of workout routines meant to spike your heart rate and exhaust you. These types of exercises are generally intense and can make you sweat so badly in a matter of minutes.
But that’s the reward. The sweating means you’re burning calories.
So, jumping jacks fall in this group of exercises. It’s a simple but powerful all-around workout. It helps you boost your body strength.
This workout involves jumping with your legs extended and hands stretched above your head. Think of how scissors work and imitate the motion, opening and closing the jumps, creating a star figure.
The best aspect of this exercise is you don’t need anything but yourself. Just move a few things away from the living room to create space if you have a porch, even better.
One more thing, cardio results are perfect if you combine two or more of them. You can alternate between your jumping jacks and push-ups.
Also, if you can handle intense routines, try alternating between jumping jacks and jump roping.
2. Take on the Stairs
There’s a reason why people love elevators because stairs are nasty, and if you’re not in good shape, you’ll hate them.
But now that you’re stuck indoors, the staircase is your friend. You can turn it into an exercise tool.
Jog up and down the stairs as many times as you feel you can take. Start small and increase the number of trips gradually as your body acclimates to the exercise.
Stairs are great at burning calories fast. If you can jog for 20 minutes up and down the stairs, you stand to burn at least 200 calories. Besides, this is a great way to work your heart and respiratory system.
3. Hit the Yard
Unless you’re stuck inside the house, you should take advantage of the yard, balcony, or porch area if you have one.
It’s become common now to hole yourself up for days on end, barely seeing the sun rising and setting.
Is it healthy, though?
Not at all. Too much time indoors can compromise your immune system, exposing you to infections and other ills.
You need to give yourself some breaks, so you enjoy plenty of natural vitamin D that comes with daylight. Vitamin D carries properties that can help boost your immune system.
Considering staying healthy is a one of the best ways to stay fit, it’s crucial to give yourself a bit of outdoor time. Put a mat on the balcony and complete some yoga moves.
If you have access to a yard, make the most of it. Take long walks or run several laps every day, pushing yourself to break a sweat.
4. Try Zumba
Zumba is a fitness program created sometime in the ‘90s by a Colombian dancer Alberto Pérez. It’s a workout technique made to look like dancing.
You’ve probably seen a bunch of people in a class dancing before an instructor and having loads of fun in the name of exercising.
That’s Zumba, and no, it’s not some lazybones’ idea of exercising. It’s an intense workout program that’ll leave you all drenched in sweat in about an hour of it.
Zumba has lots of benefits, from losing weight and toning muscles to improving heart and respiratory health.
If you want to try Zumba at home, set up an area to allow movements and sign up for an online Zumba class. There tons of them now that many trainers are making their classes virtual.
5. Bodyweight Workouts
Pretty sure the general population doesn’t own workout equipment. A lot of us go to the gym for that.
But since you’re stuck indoors, there’s another effective way of working out, minus the fitness center and equipment. This method is known as bodyweight exercise or no-equipment exercise.
These exercises end the notion that you need resistance-based equipment like dumbbells to build muscle and tone your body.
The idea is that you can achieve a complete workout by using your body in various specific movements. And researchers seem to agree with this position.
Bodyweight exercises are a system of motions that use various body angles to burn excess fat, tone, and strengthen your body.
Here are some popular examples of no-equipment exercises:
- Push-ups and pull-ups
- Plank
- Squats
- Burpees
- Sit-ups
The primary benefit of these ways to stay fit is that you can perform them without setting foot outside your house. All you need is a small space to function as your training area and a training DVD, app, or YouTube video to guide you through the techniques.
Conclusion
Staying indoors is fun. Really, you get to binge on snacks, Netflix, or sleep even. The point is, you’re encouraged to sit back and relax.
There are exceptions to this, of course. Lots of people are mindful of their time, even at home.
Still, it doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re unlikely to work out when you’re stuck indoors. You start to slack because you don’t think you have a lot of exercise options.
Well, we’ve just given you the options. All you need to conjure is the motivation to put in the work.
Author bio:
Caitlin Sinclair is the Business Manager at Anson. With over 5 years of property management experience, she begins and ends each day loving what she does. She finds joy in helping current and future residents and makes Anson a place everyone loves to call home.
