Can’t Get to the Gym? Easy Ways to Work Out From Home

With most of the gyms closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we all need to figure out ways to exercise and stay fit from home. If some of your local gyms are opening up but you’ve become accustomed to staying at home or want to stay as safe as possible, have no fear. You can get and stay fit without the gym, no problem. There are so many different ways to work out and break a sweat, there’s something for everyone.

Being Stuck at Home Can Lead to Bad Habits

If you’ve been stuck at home for too long, you may have developed some bad habits. Stress eating, drinking, turning to junk foods out of boredom, not getting outside, etc. These are obstacles that you need to overcome if you want to maintain your health and fitness level while avoiding the germ-infested gym. Even if you do not have gym equipment at your house, there are cheap options such as bands, weighted balls, kettlebells, etc. You’ll need to focus on what is important here: your health and fitness.

Keep an Eye on Your Nutrition

We all know that nutrition plays an important role in weight loss, muscle gain and toning. There’s no denying it. Therefore, you need to watch what you’re eating. Being quarantined or stuck at home is no excuse to just eat whatever you want, whenever you want. In order to fuel your body for your (slightly modified) workouts, you need to feed it what it needs. Your body needs the right nutrition to feed your bones, tissues and muscles. The foods to focus on include:

• lean protein (chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, tofu)
• fresh fruits and vegetables
• beans and legumes (lentils)
• whole grains
• healthy fats, nuts and seeds

Basic, Cheap Equipment is the Way to Go

Variety is key when it comes to building muscle, sculpting and toning your body. You can’t just do the same exercise over and over again. Some basic, cheap equipment is an easy way to maintain varied exercise programs at home. Consider trying some of these, which were mentioned previously:

• Resistance bands – These usually come in packages that offer varying resistance and density in order to vary workouts and challenge yourself. They can replace a set up dumbbells and weight machines because you can use them for almost any of your muscles. Just peruse the Internet for ideas on how to use resistance bands for your different muscle groups.
• Weighted armbands – If you aren’t into weightlifting but are into pilates, cardio or yoga, weighted armbands add another level onto your routine. Weighted armbands can help you to tone and burn extra calories for weight loss.
• Medicine ball – Here is another piece of equipment that you can use for almost all of your muscle groups. You can tone both the upper and lower body and these are great for abs!
• Weight jump rope – A jump rope is easy to store and take anywhere, such as to a park if the weather is nice. Use this to burn extra calories and definitely break a sweat.
• Foam block – No matter what kind of exercise you do, stretching your muscles is a must. Foam blocks help you to stretch your muscles, including getting into some of the harder positions.

Body Weight Exercises Are Also Key

Some basic body weight exercises will also be important if you want to stay fit and toned. These include push-ups, squats, lunges, pull-ups, tricep dips, etc. Once you have mastered these with just your body weight, consider adding extra challenges such using resistance bands or weighted armbands. You can also modify the exercises to make them harder, such as elevating your feet while doing pushups or adding a small bar on your back while lunging around the living room. The possibilities are almost endless.

It’s also important to get outside as much as possible, especially in warm weather. You can do yoga outside, you can go for daily walks or even running/sprinting. Biking is another fun option. Add these fun cardio activities to what you are doing at home that moreso focuses on muscle toning and sculpting. A nice balance between muscle sculpting and cardio is key.

Reference

Eye on Annapolis

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