Coronavirus pandemic turned you into a couch potato? Try these tricks to get fit
If your saggy butt and muffin top are starting to bother you, or if you simply want to get fit to undo all the damage done during the coronavirus lockdown, here are some super fun and interesting tricks and tips for you to get back on the health bandwagon before its too late. Read on....
Working out can be one of the most excruciating things to get started on especially since the coronavirus pandemic took over the world last year and turned the majority of us into homebodies. From sitting at a desk staring at a screen for a large portion of the day for work, to later unwinding in front of the same screen, gorging on meals and snacks while binge-watching a mindless show on Netflix. A lot of us turned to a number of healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms during the pandemic to take our minds off the disturbing reality that surrounds us.
And as expected, none of them stuck, thankfully, things are slowly returning to what seems to be 'normal' and its about time you started trying to take care of your body too, in fact exercising is considered to be the most effective yet underused antidepressant there is.
Like everything in life, if you know exactly what your goal in fitness is, you will be able to achieve them only if you have a well-structured routine where you workout at least 4 days of the week.
Fitness trainers Amrin and Himay of Mumbai's AH Fitness have some interesting tips and tricks for you to get back on the workout bandwagon without putting too much effort. Check them out:
Use a towel for resistance.
Towels can be used to perform a full body workout. You can place them under your hands or feet which helps improve movements. Make sure you’re standing on a tiled or hardwood surface.
Use your body weight to workout
Most people don’t need fancy gym equipment to stay fit. Squats, pushups, lunges, step-ups and planks are all examples of great conditioning exercises that can be done anywhere. As you progress in your training, you can increase the reps you complete of each exercise, raise the number of sets and also reduce the rest time between sets.
Incorporate Higher Intensity Workouts.
For many people, their homes have taken on many different roles including office, kids classroom, a place to eat and relax, and also our gyms. One might think that we will have lots of time since they have fewer places to go now, so tons of spare time, but that just not the case. Instead people are spending more time cooking for themselves, cleaning their house, teaching their kids. It can be hard to find time to work out. So doing a shorter workout with higher intensity will be best for a busy schedule.
Get creative
Think of items around the house that are easy to hold on to. Use them as weights while performing your exercises.
You can also use a piece of furniture as exercise equipment to try box squats/box jumps or triceps dips or step ups on chairs. One can also use backpack filled with books to perform single leg squats or can use bottles of water to perform exercises like rowing for your upper back for increasing the difficulty of the exercise.
Add mobility routine to your work out.
Being stuck at home, our movement has reduced considerably, and even the casual walk from your office desk to your colleague's has disappeared. You may probably sit in the same position for long periods of time resulting in tighter muscle tissue. Adding a mobility routine in the morning, at night or even during midday break will really help you to loosen those tight areas of your upper and lower body.
Some of the stretches you can incorporate to improve your lower body mobility include hip flexor stretch, adductor/groin stretch, 90/90 hip internal and external rotations. For your upper body you can incorporate thoracic spine mobility, cat and cow stretch and some shoulder mobility along with some neck stretches.
Every Minute on Minute (EMOM) workouts or As Many Rounds/Reps AS Possible Workouts
An EMOM workout is when you do a set number of reps for an exercise within a one minute period and then you rest for the time remaining on the minute once you’ve finished. You repeat the desired amount of minutes set for the workout.
An AMRAP workout is when you perform set number of exercises for either as many rounds or reps as possible for a set amount of time.
Change it up
Use mandatory time away from the gym to incorporate new moves into your routine.
If you could bench press an impressive weight, see how many one arm pushups you can do. Experiment with different approaches to fitness. If power lifting with low volume and max weights was your gym routine, try the opposite and embrace a higher volume moderate weight bodybuilding protocol. It’s a different stimulus and the challenge can be just as great.
Build your own workout station for a good cardio burst.
Clearing space and building your own workout station at home requires extra planning but it’s worth it.
You can easily build your own home gym. Do circuit style training with a yoga mat, few pairs of shoes (that act as cones/hurdles), stick and a jump rope. Perform exercises like high knees, butt kicks, burpees etc in between your stations to increase your heart rate that gives a cardio like effect. Having a dedicated workout area in the house will make your home workouts more enjoyable.
Amrin and Himay of AH Fitness have expertise of over 20 years in training people, and are constantly experimenting with innovative techniques and methods to get people more engaged in working out. Whether its running barefoot at the beach or doing a hardcore week-long boot camp that is sure to get your blood rushing, the duo who have trained a number of celebrities.