Smart Ways to Stay Toned and Fit at Home
By Sandy Schroeder
Most of us are busy at home right now, maintaining work commitments, tending family and pets, and trying to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. With that much stress and hands-on work, exercise often takes a backseat, but that is a mistake.
Harvard Health tells us we would look better, feel better and have a better chance of staying healthy if we just started with two 10-minute sessions of exercise per day.
Simple daily routines help you maintain muscle mass, lift your spirits, sleep better, and keep weight down. Look around and consider how you and your family members could sit less and move more.
How to Get Started
If it has been some time since you exercised daily, check in with your doctor before starting new fitness routines. When you are cleared to exercise, set up some fitness goals.
- Shoot for 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity workouts
- Do 20-minutes per day such as 10-minute morning and 10-minute evening exercises
- Do aerobics daily and strength workouts two or three days per week
- Do warm-ups before exercising and cool down stretches afterwards
Take Your Pick of Exercises
Find the best aerobics for you
Ride a stationary bike - Move one into the family room and pedal while watching TV.
Dance whenever you want - Set up your favorite playlist and clear a space to dance, removing area rugs and extra furniture.
Walk or jog on a treadmill - I have a friend who even puts his dog on the treadmill to get enough exercise. Log in your 10 minutes morning, noon or night.
Stride off - Move around the house, the backyard, or the block maintaining a brisk pace
Tailor strength training to your needs
- Do chair yoga with leg extensions, plank yoga on the desk
- Use small weights to run through graduated lifts
- Work with resistance bands to build individual muscles
Here's a sample chair workout from Harvard Health.
Seated Knee Extension
This exercise strengthens quadriceps to help you get up from a chair, walk and climb stairs.
- Sit up straight in chair with feet flat on floor
- Contract right thigh muscle
- Exhale as you slowly lift right foot as high as you comfortably can
- Return to starting position.
- Switch legs
- Do 8-10 reps
Once you get in the swing of exercising in 10-minute spurts daily, it may feel as natural as brushing your teeth. Try to get the whole family involved and keep everybody moving.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Euless, Tex.