Stay Home but Stay Active

Introduction:

While we all can appreciate the significance of keeping active for our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, this can be easier said than done. Fortunately, there are several ways to be physically active throughout the day, even if one has to sneak in movement whenever possible. World health organization (WHO) suggests 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of intense physical activity per week or a combination of both. These recommendations can still be accomplished at home, with no special equipment and limited space. Now let us read some tips on staying active and reducing sedentary behavior at home.

How Does Physical Inactivity Affect the Body?

Physical inactivity is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and other conditions:

• Less physically active and less fit individuals are more likely to develop high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease than active people.

• Physical inactivity may increase the odds of certain cancers.

• Lack of physical activity can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression, and sleeplessness.

• Neck pain and posture-related problems can be due to constantly looking down at phones or laptops.

• Spine problems and backaches can occur due to the wrong posture.

• Feeling lazy due to spending large amounts of time doing nothing.

• Weight gain due to a lack of physical activity.

• Weight gain due to binge eating and eating an excess of carbohydrates.

• Atrophy of muscles due to disuse.

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• Mood swings due to hormonal fluctuations on account of lack of physical activity.

• Depression and sleeplessness.

• Trigger of exacerbations of chronic illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

• Fragile musculoskeletal system.

What Are the Simple Ways to Stay Active While Stuck at Home?

Here are eight simple ways to indulge in more activity in a day.

• Yoga and Meditation: What better way to meditate than by doing yoga? It has the following benefits:

• Soothes the mind.

• Fills the mind with positive thoughts and energy.

• Helps you relax yet be spiritual.

• Helps appreciate yourself, the beauty of life, and the beauty of others around you.

• Helps you hear the inner voice and listen to it.

• Helps you to focus on the needs felt by your soul.

• Spend an hour daily doing yoga and meditation to see the difference.

• Regular Exercise: Choose a good workout routine that one can do at home. Schedule planned workouts. Even 10 minutes at a time, two to three times a day, adds up. Exercising regularly helps lower the risk of stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, various cancers, and obesity. Additionally, it has been shown to relieve anxiety and depression and reduce the chances of dementia. The following exercises can be included in the workout routine.

• Push-ups.

• Biceps and triceps curls.

• Contralateral limb raises.

• Bent knee push-ups.

• Crunches.

• Push up with single-leg raises.

• Planks.

• Reverse crunches.

• Cobra.

• Squats.

• Forward lunges.

• Glute lunges.

• Hip rotations.

• Single leg stand.

• Calf raises.

• Skipping rope.

• Running on the treadmill.

• Spot jogging.

• Neck exercises.

• Healthy Diet: Avoid excess carbohydrates, cholesterol, and oils. Try getting a hold of fresh fruits and fibrous vegetables. Drink enough water to keep oneself well-hydrated.

• Avoid eating fatty and fried foods. Get assistance from a dietician to get a diet plan based on health goals during difficult times. Limit or avoid alcoholic beverages for adults and strictly avoid these in young people, pregnant and breastfeeding women, or for other health reasons. Take adequate care while preparing the diet of the elderly by including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in their daily diet. Avoid tinned and canned items as much as possible unless there is no other option.

• Household Activities: Doing domestic chores such as cleaning, sweeping, scrubbing, and gardening is another means to stay active at home. A 150-pound person can easily burn 85 calories per half hour through light cleaning, while vigorous cleaning helps burn 102 calories in 30 minutes.

• TV Hours: Fix TV hours and take frequent breaks. Regularly check the posture while watching TV or working on the laptop. For example, stand up once in a while and stretch a few times every hour while watching TV.

• Dance and Music: Tune on your favorite track and let your body loose. Dance for a few minutes every couple of hours. Dancing is the big calorie burner, zapping more than 200 calories every half-hour on the floor.

• Walk: Walking is one of the easiest and most convenient activities for staying active without going to the gym. To burn calories, one must walk faster and dedicate more time to each walk. For example, stand or walk around the home while speaking instead of sitting down if attending a call. If going outside to walk or exercise, maintain at least a 1-meter distance from other people.

• Hobbies: Take up a new active hobby, such as jogging, cycling, or painting. Engaging in a hobby is the best way to while away time. It brings you immense peace of mind with calmness and positivity. Also, take benefit of the wealth of online classes. Many of these are free and can be easily found on the internet.

• Stand Up: Reduce sedentary behavior by standing up whenever possible. Avoid sitting and reclining time by standing every 30 minutes. Sitting for a longer period can cause back pain and poor posture. Standing can be a great way to combat these adverse effects. Researchers estimate that standing burns 50 % more calories than sitting, so a 155-pound individual can burn an extra 50 calories within an hour just by getting on their feet.

Conclusion:

The best thing one can do while at home is to keep moving. No gym or expensive equipment is required. Instead, there are easy ways to put more activity into a day. Physical activity and relaxation exercises can help reduce stress and anxiety, strengthen the immune system, and keep oneself strong and healthy. Activity can be a conventional exercise if one has the equipment, but any kind or amount of movement will be worthwhile.