While many of us commit to visiting the gym regularly, there are some who prefer sticking to an old-school routine inside their living rooms. Such people look for home-based exercises to help them attain overall fitness, keeping them away from the onslaught of obesity.
Fitness enthusiasts believe that visiting the gym regularly is the key to achieving maximum-impact results. This is a common misconception. The truth is, there are a variety of home-based exercises that are promising enough to get you profound health benefits, including controlled weight, strong bones, improved balance and coordination, improved bladder control and memory retention.
Regardless of your age and your fitness level, you can incorporate these exercises into your daily routine for maximum results.
You can stay fit and look good in everything you wear with these 9 home-based exercises:
Walking
The simple act of walking is beneficial to your heart, lungs and full body muscles. Regular walks help ward off fat from your waist and maintain cholesterol levels. It also helps reduce the risk of strokes, diabetes and heart attacks. Additionally, there are many researches that back the idea that walking helps ward off age-related memory loss.
To engage in this meaningful activity, all you have to do is invest in a good pair of shoes. Begin with taking a stroll for 10-15 minutes every day. Over a period of time, you will develop enough stamina to walk 30-60 minutes. Daily walks for one hour can bring your health many benefits.
Swimming
If you are looking for a complete workout without having to head out of your home, consider taking a swim in your pool. Swimming helps the body relieve pain from the joints, thus bringing your mind at peace. To add variety to your water workout, you can consider performing water aerobics, which will help you torch fat and keep your weight under check.
Strength Training
If you have been considering strength training as a strenuous, gut-crunching exercise, you’re on the right track. Lifting light weights will not only keep your muscles active and strong, but also help keep the scale under control.
Before you begin with a weightlifting regime, focus on your form. Learn to maintain good posture throughout your regime, and begin by lifting light weights up to 2 pounds. Perform 10 reps for 2-3 weeks. Notch the weights up to 2 pounds. Feel free to add more weight as long as you are comfortable lifting with full range of motion.
Tai Chi
Consider investing your evening in this Chinese martial art to relax your mind and get you a healthier body. Tai Chi is often referred to as “meditation in motion” as it is full of graceful movements that are known to heal the mind and the body. The exercise can be performed by people with varying fitness levels and age groups.
Shadow Boxing
Are you fond of boxing? Well you don’t need to take your passion inside a ring. Strengthen your legs, core and arms by shadow boxing. Achieve a perfectly tailored at-home cardio workout by taking it slow, upping the speed or alternating between the two.
Kegel Exercises
Looking to get health benefits that go beyond your looks in the mirror? Kegel is an extremely important exercise to keep your pelvic floor muscles strong, which helps you stay away from incontinence. Though many consider it as an exercise primarily for women, it is equally important for men too.
Men who perform 5 sets of Kegel exercises daily report improvements in their back pain, prostate inflammation and erectile function.
Raking The Yard
Have you been ignoring your backyard? Now is the time to rake your yard and engage your muscles in a healthy activity. Raking involves your arms, torso and upper body muscles which makes it a good upper body workout. Since you bend to pick up leaves, your lower body gets a good shake to keep muscles active.
Skipping Rope
Air Squats
Air squats can help you build leg strength. The exercise targets all parts of the leg such as thighs, glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings. Moreover, air squats provide balance and strength to your lower body and give your body a leaner appearance.
In short, there are a number of home-based exercises that you can turn to in order to stay trim and active.
