Confinement Activities: Staying Active at Home
While being at home, we can easily fall out of routines that we had established for ourselves before confinement started. It can especially be hard to stay active while we are confined to our homes and the gyms have closed their doors, but Lodgis has some tips for you on how to stay active from home!
Do yoga!
Whether you have a yoga mat or not, yoga is a way to keep active in a smaller space! These five yoga poses will help to stretch out your back and shoulders to counteract sitting at your WorkFromHome desk each day.
1. Start with the Easy Pose or Sukhasana. Sit comfortably on the floor or your yoga mat with your spine extended and your legs crossed. Take deep breaths, making sure to inhale into your chest first and then into your diaphragm.
2. Next, try Ruddy Goose Pose or Cakravakasana. Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders above your hands and your hips above your knees. While you inhale, lift your chest away from your belly, flatten your upper back, and draw your shoulder blades together. While you exhale, gently round your back, bring your hips toward your heels, bend your elbows, and bring your chest toward your knees.
3. Up next, try Thunderbolt Pose or Vajrasana. Come to a kneeling position with your arms extended above your head. While you exhale, tighten your core and round your lower back as you bend forward and sweep your arms behind your back. Rest your hands on your lower back and bring your chest to your thighs, resting your forehead on the floor, or your mat.
4. Next you should try the Easy Seated Twist or Qukhasana Parivrtti. Return to a seated position with your legs crossed and an erect spine. Place your left hand on your right knee and place your right hand on the ground behind you. While you exhale, twist your torso to the right and face behind you to stretch your shoulders and spine. Don’t forget to do the opposite to stretch to the left as well!
5. Lastly, try a Seated Forward Bend or Paschimottanasana. Sit with your legs forward and your back straight. As you exhale, slide your hands towards your feet and bend forward over your legs. While you inhale, keep a straight back and shoulders while you lift your chin and chest away from your thighs and return to your seated position with a straight back.
Work Out!
Keeping active is especially important during a pandemic, and it can be difficult to do it from home and without equipment, but here are 5 workouts that you can do at home to keep you feeling fit until the gyms open back up. Do each of these workouts 10 times before moving onto the next one.
1. Let’s start with squats. Stand facing forward and with your chest up and out. Spread your feet shoulder width apart, and extend your arms directly out in front of you at shoulder height to help keep your balance. Hinge your hips back and lower as if you were going to sit in a chair. Keep your chest up and your knees over your ankles, keeping your thighs as parralel to the floor as possible and pushing your weight back onto your heels. Keep your back straight and your chest up as you raise up and return to your starting position.
2. Next up are reverse lunges. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and put your hands on your hips. Take a large step back with your left foot, landing on the ball of your foot and your heel facing the ceiling. Lower your knee toward the floor until you create a 90° angle in your right leg. Push through the ball of your foot to raise your left leg and return to standing by bringing your left foot back next to your right. Repeat on the right side.
3. Up next are kneeling push-ups. Get onto the floor, on your hands and knees and your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Inhale and slowly bend your elbows to lower your chest and stomach to the floor. Make sure to keep your core muscles contracted during this motion. Pause, and then push yourself up from the ground while you exhale.
4. Next let’s do tricep dips. Place your palms with your fingers forward on a chair, table, or countertop. Walk your feet out to a 45° angle and press your toes into the floor and squeeze your glute and core muscles. Keep your knees soft, and slowly bend your knees while bending your elbows back. Return to starting position and repeat.
5. Finish with planks! Place your hands shoulder width apart on the floor as if you are going to do a push up. Push your toes into the floor, squeeze your glutes and keep your head in line with your back and your legs. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
Starting to work out again can be difficult after a long period away, but you’ll feel better at the end of each workout and staying active is extremely important especially during a pandemic. Don’t forget to stretch before and after each workout and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated! And if you’re looking for a new apartment to work out in, Lodgis has you covered!
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