5 home workouts to stay sane, healthy and fit

How important is exercise? Exercise is beneficial for a number of reasons – it strengthens your heart, It increases energy levels, it lowers blood pressure, it improves body composition and muscle strength, and it improves bone density and strength.

And that’s just in “normal” times. Today, in the world we live in, where everything is uncertain and unknown, exercise is more imperative than ever. It helps release a chemical called endorphins – a feel good chemical that triggers a positive feeling in the body and can uplift your mood as well as provide a sense of achievement. It’s been a little over a couple of months since the lockdown, and in our current, unclear scenario, it is so important to keep your mind and body active in order to feed your soul. The human body is your very own temple and it’s a pretty good idea to keep it healthy during these trying times!

There are various forms of exercises that help you stay active – cycling, yoga, housework, going for a jog or even gardening – but today we are going to focus on 5 resistance strength training exercises that can be done at home, with practically no equipment.

1. Squat with a backpack
   Props needed – 1 backpack filled with books or bottles of water
   
   Benefits – This movement strengthens the glutes and quadricep muscles. It is one of the most important movements when it comes to lower body exercises.
2. Glute Bridge
   Equipment needed – a yoga mat
   
   Benefits – This movement strengthens the glute and hamstring (back thigh) muscles. Strengthening these muscles help reduce the stress and load one places on the lower back.
3. Plank pull with a book
   Equipment needed – a heavy-ish book
   
   Benefits – A great core movement that helps in core and shoulder stability working the oblique muscles as well as the shoulder muscles. Core strength is extremely important as a strong core protects the spine and combines the lower and upper extremities into a powerful force.
4. Book Halo
   Equipment needed – a heavy-ish book
   
   Benefits – A movement used to strengthen the entire shoulder blade along with the upper and mid back. A strong upper and mid back would aid in reducing or preventing the rounding posture so many of us see in today’s lifestyle.
5. Wall Sit + Bicep Curl
   Equipment needed – 2 1L or 2L water bottles
   
   Benefits – A lower body movement combined with an upper body movement strengthening the glutes, quadricep (front thigh) and bicep muscles. You can increase difficulty by getting on your toes to work your calf muscles as well for a duration of 30 seconds. This one causes quite a burn but is extremely beneficial without tiring you out too much.

It’s not necessary that you workout all 7 days of the week. If you’re a beginner, you can start with 3 days a week and then gradually increase the number of days depending on how easy or difficult it feels to you! All you need to take is the first step, and the second, and the third and before you know it, you’re well on your way to a healthier, fitter, stronger YOU!

By Mehak Kapoor