Physical exercise keeps you active and healthy,offering a wide range of benefits to mental health, especially during COVID-19. Unhealthy routines can result in various challenges such as weight gain, stress, and sleep deprivation.
The Department of Health and Human Services published Physical Activity Guidelines in 2018. This guideline suggests that Americans should stay active during this challenging time. It also highlights benefits of workouts. The best indoor workouts reduce anxiety, improve sleep schedule, and lower death risks.
Best Indoor Workouts
You may be wondering how you can work out when you can’t go to a gym because of the pandemic.Well, in this post, we will discuss the best indoor workouts you can include in your daily routine and stay healthy. So without further ado, let’s get started:
1. Jump Rope
You may think that jump ropes are only suitable for little kids. However, that’s not true.Jumping rope warms up entire body muscles. This is an incredible cardio workout and only a minute of jumping rope can improve your blood circulation in the entire body.
Jump rope improves your balance, coordination, and strengthens muscles. Whether you want to improve your body posture or reduce anxiety, starting your day with jumping wrong will offer significant benefits.
2. Stair Stepping
Stair stepping is an intense exercise to quickly lose weight. This workout offers immense aerobic benefits. What’s more, you can perform this exercise anywhere. If you don’t have stairs in your house, you can use a sturdy table or a box. Place them in front of your TV and step up while enjoying your favorite show.
Stair stepping increases muscular strength, and builds endurance. Moreover, it can also boost your cardiovascular and respiratory system. Including this activity in your daily routine will keep your body active, which is especially important during the pandemic.
3. The Plank
If you don’t have enough time to build your core, you should perform planks every day. This exercise will fire up your muscle groups and build core strength.The plank is a challenging exercise but performing it regularly is ideal for physical health. To perform this exercise,get into push-up position and hold your body in this position for 30 seconds. Add extra 10 seconds ever day and challenge your core strength.
Besides your core, planks also improve your body’s alignment, coordination, and balance. If you want healthy posture, you should perform this exercise every day in the morning. Also, planks help to boost metabolism, flexibility, and burns fat belly.
4. Burpees
Burpees are another full-body exercise that lowers blood pressure, and maintains a favorable cholesterol level. These are effective, powerful, and comprehensive exercise with a myriad of benefits. Performing burpees regularly will build your muscle and boost energy.
5. Dancing
Besides being a fun activity, dancing also improves your overall mental and physical health. Salsa, ballroom, or aerobic dancing are some types you can include in your workout routine. You don’t have to be professional to dance in your home. After all, your room is a private space and you don’t have to impress anyone.
Dancing increases your motor fitness, muscular strength, and endurance. Furthermore, it improves your heart, reduces risk of osteoporosis, and builds agility.
6. Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are an advanced workout that improves your overall body. This exercise strengthens your muscles, especially in the lower body. By including this exercise in your daily workout routine, you can burn calories and eventually lose weight. Moreover, you can strengthen your shoulders, core, arms, and legs. If you want to burn stubborn calories, you should follow these steps.
7. Lunges
Lunges are an extremely effective technique to target large muscle groups in the lower body. It boosts metabolism, reduce excess fat, and keeps you in shape. You can try this exercise anytime in your home, be it your living room, bedroom, or even in your backyard. This exercise will give you intense burn in your lower body, especially legs. If lunges seem too easy for you, try holding equal weights in both hands.
What’s more,this exercise targets your legs, butt, and core. If you want to increase muscle mass, tone your body, and build up strength, consider performing it daily.
8. HIIT
If you want more results in less time, try high-Intensity interval training. HIIT workouts contain a quick circuit of exercises and includes breaks as well. This workout includes series of exercises that improves your heart rate and burns massive amount of calories. Furthermore, this exercise:
- Improves stamina
- Strengthen bones
- Relives stress and pain
- Improves heart health
- Reduce blood sugar
- Increase oxygen consumption
- Keeps you younger
There are a plethora of variations in HIIT. For instance, you can jump for 60 seconds, and then take a 30-second break before heading to pushups. Numerous studies suggest that HIIT improves heart-rate and builds stamina.
9. Pilates
You should also include pilates in your home work out sessions.You will need a mat to perform this exercise. If you don’t have a workout mat, you can use a towel as well. Pilates increase muscle strength, build lower back, abdominal muscles, and balance muscular strength. If you ask a fitness expert for a single exercise that targets multiple muscles, many of them will suggest pilates. This exercise also improves your mental health by providing energy, reducing stress, and enhancing concentration.
10. Inchworms
Inchworm is an HIIT workout, but you should perform this separately as it is a great closing exercise. It improves flexibility and strength. This exercise targets arms, deltoids, core, chest, and upper back, essentially affecting the entire muscular system.
Conclusion
The exercises mentioned above are helpful to stay active and improve physical and mental health during COVID-19. The notable benefit of these exercises is that you don’t need equipment to perform them. Include these best indoor workouts in your daily routine and live a healthy life.