Best Home Workout Ideas To Stay Fit While Stuck At Home

Why and how to stay fit while stuck at home?  Are you worried about overeating and weight gain while stuck at home? Here’re are the best exercises to do at home and stay fit.

It is but a known fact that stress and anxiety affect not just our mental health but has long term effects on our physical health too.

And in troubling times, especially during a lockout, or self-isolation, when you have minimum movements, you might just end up binge-watching television and snacking all the time.

Related: 5 Things You Can Do To Beat Anxiety

How anxiety increases the risk of unhealthy eating during a lockdown?

According to a study published in the Journal of Health Psychology, people with anxiety tend to eat more often without realizing it. Just like drugs, it is a way of coping with stress, nervousness, and worries.

Well, not just people with this eating disorder, but anxiety also drives normal people to eat more than their body needs. This is called emotional overeating caused by emotional triggers including anxiety.

Recently, quarantine has triggered fear of food scarcity and people started stockpiling or hoarding food. More the food in front of your eyes more will be the craving.   A 2015 study found that people eat more out of boredom, a kind of motivation to escape monotony.

If you don’t know how to fight boredom, read on 16 Fun Things To Do To Fight Boredom During Lockdown and Self Isolation

Quarantine mandates closure of gyms, yoga centers, and fitness clubs. As a result, people staying at home due to enforced self-isolation and social distancing are highly likely to put on weight by eating more due to anxiety or boredom and going sedentary.  A bulk of scientific evidence supports the fact that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of anxiety, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, depression and many more.

#1 way to stay fit while stuck at home

Be physically active!

According to the World Health Organisation, lack of physical activity is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Since you are unable to go to the gym due to self-isolation and social distancing, exercises at home can make a big difference. It’s the best way to curb extra calories and stay physically and mentally fit at home during the lockdown.

“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health. – Hippocrates

Read on to know some exercises that will not only burn your calories fast but relieve stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Performing them daily can boost your overall strength, stability, and improve body shape. Plus they are easy to do at home and don’t have much space and equipment.

7 best home workout exercises to stay fit 

1. Squats

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees, moving your hip back as if to sit in a chair.
• Your knees and lower leg should form a 90-degree angle
• Raise your hands in front of you so that it’s parallel to the floor
• Pause when your thighs are parallel to the floor
• Push up through your heels back to the starting position
• Do 10 reps, three sets, two to three times a week.

Benefits:

1. Burn your calories fast
2. Improve flexibility, mobility, and balance
3. Maintain and improve joints
4. Improve posture and appearance
5. Boost circulation and digestion
6. Increase speed and ability to jump

2. Pushups

• Start with your hands shoulder-width apart or little more and your palms on the floor.
• Bend your elbows and lower towards the ground bringing your chest towards the floor.
• Your elbows and body should form a 45-degree angle
• Keep your back straight and head and neck in alignment with your back.
• Make sure your fingers are splayed, with your middle fingers pointing toward 12 o’clock.
• Push against the floor and straighten your arms, returning to the starting position.
• Do 10 reps, three sets, two to three times a week.

Benefits:

1. Strengthen the lower back and core
2. Improve your posture
3. Increase in bone density
4. Enhance cardiovascular health
5. Attractive appearance

3. Pull-ups

• Finding something in your home similar to a bar in the gym, such as a door or any ledge
• Start with your palms on the bar, hands shoulder-width apart or little more.
• Engage your shoulders and back muscles.
• Keep your posture straight, your legs and feet  together
• Pull yourself up so that your sternum comes in contact with the bar
• Slowly lower yourself down keeping your arms straight
• Do not let your feet touch the floor
• Start with five reps, two sets, two to three times a week, increase slowly.

Benefits:

1. Strengthen arms, shoulders, and back muscles
2. Improve cardiovascular health
3. Increase overall strength and fitness level.
4. Decrease anxiety and depressive symptoms

Related: 8 Foot Exercises That Can Cure Back Pain in minutes

4. Lunges

• Keep your body straight with your chin up and shoulders back and relaxed
• Activate your core
• Step forward with one leg and keep another leg hip-distance apart, and in a split stance.
• The heel of the back leg should be up.
• Keep your front knee above your ankle and other knee shouldn’t touch the floor.
• Bend your knees so that your front leg and the back leg make 90-degree angles.
• Rise up and start again.
• Do 10 reps, three sets, two to three times a week.

Benefits: 

1. Weight loss
2. Shapely, toned legs, and backside
3. Improve balance and stability
4. Increase body symmetry and everyday function
5. Improve spinal health
6. Gain tighter butt
7. Boost mood and self-confidence

5. Rotation

• Start by standing tall with good alignment.
• Hold a medicine ball or a weight that is not too heavy, in front you with arms straight.
• Rotate the ball from side to side, as much as your range of motion allows.
• Maintain a good posture.

Watch out the video on how to do basic rotations correctly:



Benefits:

1. Strengthen your lower back
2. Increase hip mobility
3. Improve performance in sports

6. Bridges

• Lie on the floor and bend your knees
• Place your arms by the sides
• Keep your feet flat on the floor hip-width apart
• Raise the buttocks off the ground
• Hold the posture so that your body forms a straight line from the shoulders to the knees.
• Squeeze the buttocks with the shoulders remaining on the floor.
• Lower the buttocks to the ground and rest for a few seconds.
• Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Benefits: 

1. Reduce the lower back problems and boost flexibility
2. Strengthen your core and abs
3. Look better in jeans
4. Improve posture and balance
5. Relieve stress and reduce anxiety
6. Stimulate lungs, thyroid and abdominal organs

7. Lying Lateral Leg lifts

• Start with lying on one side on the ground with the legs together
• Keep the lower leg slightly bent.
• Activate the core muscles by drawing the belly button into the spine
• Raise the top leg about 18 inches and hold for 2 seconds
• keep it straight and extended.
• Turn onto the other side of the body and repeat, lifting the other leg.
• Repeat 3 sets of 10 times on each side

Benefits: 

1. Strengthen hip muscles
2. Reduce strain on the back
3. Improve balance and mobility
4. Boost flexibility
5. Enhances posture, balance and limb speed

Wrap Up

These simple, cheap exercises can benefit your physical and mental health in various ways because they engage all the major muscle groups in our body. If you’re a beginner, make sure to watch online videos to do it correctly and avoid injuries.

Also read: 13 Tips To Motivate Yourself To Exercise After Work

Stay safe and fit!

What other simple home workouts are you doing to stay fit during lockdown? Share in comments.