When life gets busy, and everything else in your schedule is filled with activities, there are still some things you can do at home to keep yourself active and healthy. Exercising, yoga, dancing, or even playing with your children can improve or maintain your fitness level.
It may be helpful for you: Free 7-Day Home Workout Plan (Download PDF)
5 simple and Effective ways to stay active at home
1. EXERCISING
Working out in the morning is a great way to stay active throughout the day. It helps you get the heart rate up, which in turn burns more calories and keeps your metabolism revved up.
Exercise also builds muscle mass, which increases your strength and endurance as well as helps to prevent bone loss.
The most important thing to remember about exercise is that it should be enjoyable! You should find something you enjoy doing so that you will continue to do it even when life gets busy or when there are other things competing for your time.
You can do one of the following exercises to stay active at home.
- LISS
- HIIT
- PILATES
- RESISTANCE EXERCISES
Low-intensity Steady State (LISS)
LISS is a form of low-impact aerobic exercise. It is easy on your body and can be done for long periods of time. You can do exercises at your own pace, depending on your fitness level.
Studies have shown that it helps improve cardiovascular health, muscle strength, endurance, bone density, and flexibility.
It is suitable for people of all ages. Whether you’re starting out or have been working out for a while, you can start your day with 10 to 30 minutes of low-intensity cardio to keep yourself active throughout the day.
Check out the examples of LISS workouts: 10-minute, 20-minute and 30-minute
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is a form of exercise involving short bursts of intense activity followed by a short rest period. In other words, it requires you to alternate between periods of very intense exercise and recovery.
The goal is to push yourself as hard as possible for a set period of time, then take a break and repeat the process.
Research shows that HIIT workouts can improve your cardiovascular health and increase fat-burning capacity when compared to steady-state cardio. HIIT workouts also improve your body’s ability to burn fat.
You can do this 30-minute total body HIIT workout at home.
PILATES
Pilates is a form of exercise that focuses on the control and coordination of the body’s major muscle groups. This workout aims to develop strength in the core muscles (abdominals) while toning the entire body from head to toe. In addition, it helps improve posture and increases balance and coordination.
Here’s an example of 20 minutes Pilate workout:
RESISTANCE EXERCISES
You can do resistance strength training with multiple pieces of equipment, such as dumbbells and elasticity bands.
Resistance exercises are incredible for increasing strength and growing muscles while improving your cardiovascular fitness.
You can use one of the following workout routines to scale up your fitness level and improve your physique.
2. YOGA
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that helps you to connect with your body. It helps improve your flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination, as well as relieve stress and anxiety by calming down the mind.1Woodyard C. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase the quality of life. Int J Yoga. 2011;4(2):49-54. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.85485 – International Journal of Yoga
It also helps reduce back pain by stretching out muscles that have been overused or strained due to prolonged sitting or standing positions at work or while commuting on public transport etc.
It is the best thing you can do in the morning at home. There are myriad yoga poses you can do depending on your fitness level.
Examples of Yoga moves are:
- Dolphin Pose
- Extended Side Angle Pose
- Four-Limbed Staff Pose
- Upward Bow (Wheel) Pose
- Upward-Facing Dog Pose
- Revolved Triangle Pose
- You can check more Yoga forms Here
3. MEDITATION
Brain exercise is as important as physical exercise. Doing meditation in the early morning is the best way to boost your brain health.
Meditation is a method for relaxing the mind and attaining a state of sub-consciousness which is totally different from worldly life.
The simple method for practicing meditation is controlling your mind from thinking materialistic things and instead focusing on the inner soul.
Here are the simple steps you can follow to practice meditation:
- Sit on the floor with your legs bent and place your hands on your lap or at your sides.
- Keep your back straight, your head up, and your eyes closed.
- And now, start breathing as deeply as you can and focusing mentally on each muscle group one by one, starting from the top of your head to your toes.
- As you focus on a different part of the body, notice which parts feel relaxed or tense, light or heavy, comfortable or uncomfortable.
- Repeat this process again and again and observe how your body feels right now, in the present moment.
The duration of the mediation depends on your ability to focus. It could be 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and more. If you’re a beginner, start with short-duration yoga, such as five to ten minutes.
The meditation benefits include:
- Reduce Stress
- Decrease negative thoughts.
- Improve the ability to think positively.
- Increase self-confidence.
- Improve focus and
- Maintain an active lifestyle.
There are also different types of mediation; you should do most of them and then do what suits you the most.
4. DANCING
Dancing is a form of exercise that uses the whole body to move in time with the music. It can be done by people of all ages and abilities, from beginners to experienced.
Dancing helps improve your strength, flexibility, and balance, as well as enhance your posture, balance, and coordination. It also strengthens your bones, muscles, and ligaments and heightens cardiovascular fitness – all important for good health.
Research shows any dance form is equally and occasionally more effective than other types of exercise for improving a range of health outcomes, and you can substitute it with other workouts.2 Fong Yan A, Cobley S, Chan C, Pappas E, Nicholson LL, Ward RE, Murdoch RE, Gu Y, Trevor BL, Vassallo AJ, Wewege MA, Hiller CE. The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Physical Health Outcomes Compared to Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2018 Apr;48(4):933-951. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0853-5. PMID: 29270864 – Journal of Sports Medicine
Here are the different dance forms, and you can do one of them that suits you the most.
5. RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Different household activities like cleaning, sweeping, gardening, playing with children or pets, and cooking are also some of the best ways to stay active at home.
The Takeaway
Regular exercise will help boost your productivity, improve longevity, and help protects you from many diseases. But exercise is not the only thing that keeps you fit. You can do any type of physical activity that raises your heart rate, burn calories, and build strength and mobility. Yoga, meditation, dancing, and recreational activities are some of the best ways to stay active at home other than cardio or resistance training.
References
- 1Woodyard C. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase the quality of life. Int J Yoga. 2011;4(2):49-54. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.85485 – International Journal of Yoga
- 2Fong Yan A, Cobley S, Chan C, Pappas E, Nicholson LL, Ward RE, Murdoch RE, Gu Y, Trevor BL, Vassallo AJ, Wewege MA, Hiller CE. The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Physical Health Outcomes Compared to Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2018 Apr;48(4):933-951. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0853-5. PMID: 29270864 – Journal of Sports Medicine
