When you work from home, getting enough physical activity can be challenging, especially if you’re used to visiting a gym. The good news is that you don’t have to leave home or set aside a lot of time to get regular exercise. Use the following fitness ideas at home to improve your health and wellness on a routine basis.
Getting your lungs and heart pumping is an effective way to boost your heart health. Aim to do cardio exercises that raise your heart rate, such as jumping rope, using a treadmill, or even dancing in your living room. You can also go for a brisk walk around the inside of your home a few times a day or go up and down your stairs for a good cardio workout.
Keeping your joints and muscles flexible can help reduce your risk of injuries, such as muscle or tendon tears. Simple stretches are all you need in order to keep different parts of your body as flexible as possible. Keep in mind that you should be doing stretches to warm up before doing any kind of workout.
Doing exercise that improves your coordination and balance is also part of maintaining your health and wellness. For example, try walking in a straight line while putting the back of one heel right in front of the toes on your other foot. You can also work on your balance and coordination by standing on one leg and slowly raising your other leg in the air. (Read “Tips on Restarting a Fitness Routine — or Starting a New One!”)
Having strong muscles helps lower your risk of injuries. You can build up muscle strength with weightlifting exercises, such as lifting free weights or doing bench presses. Free weights offer a simple way to do weightlifting if you don’t have room for a weight bench.
Yoga provides a great way to improve your range of motion while also calming your mind. Doing yoga on a regular basis can help you stay fit and flexible, especially when you work your way up to doing more challenging poses. Yoga also involves focusing on breathing and doing other exercises that can help improve your mental well-being and reduce stress.
To work out your lower body muscles, consider doing squats and lunges. These exercises target muscles and joints in the lower part of your body, such as your knees, hips, calf muscles, and thigh muscles.
Push-ups are a good way to give your upper body muscles a workout. These kinds of exercises target muscles and joints in your upper body, such as your shoulders, arms, and upper abdomen.
If you want to start an exercise routine, talk to one of our healthcare providers. Download the Carbon Health app or visit carbonhealth.com to make a virtual or in-person appointment.
