Written by:
JILL EHRMANTRAUT, PT, DPT
Jill can be reached at jill@apexptwellness.com.
We all know exercise has a myriad of benefits. This is true now more than ever. With the current global events, we are seeing negative impacts in both physical and mental health. The good thing is exercise can help offset these effects! Moderate levels of exercise can assist in keeping our immune system strong. It has been proven to decrease both depression and anxiety by releasing chemicals in the brain that boost our mood. Exercise will also give us more energy, which is much needed right now!
Due to current CDC recommendations, you are most likely not going to the gym right now, and hopefully trying to stay around home as much as possible. The good thing is you can still get in a great workout at home! There are thousands of options to get a good at-home workout. From different apps or online workouts, to at-home equipment, or even use of your own creativity, there is no reason why you can’t keep your body strong even while spending more time at home when practicing social distancing!
Strength
Exercises you can do at home
It’s important to keep your muscles strong. I usually recommend doing each strength exercise in a slow manner, and 10-15 reps (give or take) per exercise. Below is a list of some of my favorite strength training exercises you can do at home: (Incase you are not familiar with any particular exercise below, you can Google it and find picture and video instruction!)
- Core
- front planks
- side planks
- dead bug
- bird/dog
- Legs/Hips
- squats
- lunges
- clam shells
- bridges
- Arms/Shoulders
- bicep curls (can use hand-weights or soup cans for extra weight)
- pushups
- side arm raises (can use hand-weights or soup cans for extra weight)
- shoulder blade squeezes (can use exercise band, or just squeeze!)
- tricep dips (can do off a dining room chair or a step)
Cardio
Exercises you can do at home
There are SO MANY cardio exercises you can do from home. These include:
- walking or running (outside or on a treadmill)
- cycling (inside if you have a stationary bike, or outdoors)
- jumping jacks
- dancing
- going up/down stairs
- jump rope
- plyometric exercises (think sports practice or gym class from when you were in high school)
You can do prolonged cardio exercise (example, a 30 minute run) or a circuit format (30-60 seconds per exercise with a short break in between)
Format
It’s fun to mix up the style of your workouts. I love to exercise either in a circuit or Tabata style (do an exercise for 20 seconds followed by a 10 second break). By doing your workout up in this format, you only need to select a few exercises and repeat them multiple times. This allows you to do different exercises each day, which is good for your body and to keep you from getting bored!
There is no better time to try a different type of workout than what you usually do. While exercising at home, there is no fear about other people watching you like there can be at the gym. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try yoga, or get into running, but have been too nervous to do so. Well, now is the time to try it!
Equipment
You don’t need any equipment to exercise from home (yay!) However, if you do have exercise equipment at home, now is the time to take it out! (Be honest, it is most likely either covered in clothing or dust at this point). Common home exercise equipment include small weights, an exercise ball, or yoga mat, some of you may also have a treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike. Like I said, there is no better time than now to put that equipment to good use!
If you don’t have any exercise equipment at home, you can use things you already have to assist your workout. Use what you find around your house, such as the stairs, a chair, or items from your pantry to add extra weight. Now that it is warming up, you can also bring the exercises outside into your back yard for a nice change of scenery!
There are also hundreds, if no thousand of apps and online workouts you can use. You can search on Google or You Tube to find some online or search the app store on your device. Some are free and some are via paid subscription, however many of the subscription apps are also offering extended free trials over the next few months.
Continuing to exercise will keep your mind and body strong, as well as help pass the time while social distancing!
I’m sorry, but there is no excuse to not exercise at home, especially since there are so many fun ways to do so!
So, in short, keep moving your body!
