How to Stay Fit and Healthy at Home
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The coronavirus pandemic has impacted on the lives of people across all corners of the world. The impact of life in lockdown has had far-reaching effects, and your everyday routine has probably altered beyond recognition. One of the most significant changes has been the increase in the amount of time that everyone has spent at home. Being at home for such long periods has likely meant that it has been impossible to continue with your usual fitness regime.
Being unable to complete your usual workout routine can be tough, especially if you have been out of the habit of doing it for a while. However, you mustn’t forego all physical activity entirely. While we cannot control the virus, the pandemic has taught us how precious good health is, so staying healthy should be a priority. While your usual gym-going habits may be on hold, it is crucial to find new ways to keep active and keep yourself healthy.
Start Off Slowly
If you have been away from the gym for months, the chances are that you are keen to get straight back to your usual routine as soon as you are able. You must make allowances for the amount of time that you have spent away from the gym. Heading straight back to the gym and pushing yourself hard to make up for the lost time is likely to be a recipe for disaster. It is a wise idea to start slowly; otherwise, you could end up with an injury and find yourself out of action for even longer.
A New Routine
Going from spending the last three months sitting on the sofa to suddenly attempting to complete an intense workout should be avoided. To overcome this, why not mix things up a bit, and introduce some new elements to your fitness routine?
Trying out different forms of exercise is always an excellent way to make your workouts more enjoyable. Adding extra elements to your fitness routine will help to keep you feeling enthusiastic about your workout and make it much easier to stay motivated.
When you start to introduce new exercises to your workout, you must ensure that you are performing them correctly. Performing moves incorrectly can prevent you from enjoying the benefits of the activity, and can also lead to injuries.
If you want to tone up, giving yourself an ab workout with crunches is an excellent choice, and will help you to get your stomach back to looking at its best without needing to head to the gym.
Don’t forget to get advice from a medical professional before starting a new exercise routine.
It could be wise to try new forms of exercise that don’t involve going to the gym for your workout. These exercises will then complement your usual gym routine, and if gyms were to shut once again in the future temporarily, your regime wouldn’t be impacted as heavily.
Nourish Your Body
While exercising is a crucial part of feeling fit and healthy, to enjoy the most significant benefits, you also need to nourish your body with the right foods. Eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated is vital for your health, and coupled with exercise, provides a winning combination.
If you have overindulged during the lockdown, it can be hard to get back to eating a healthier diet. Even if you have spent the past few months eating ice cream and pizza, all is not lost. The sooner that you begin to implement some healthier choices in your diet, the faster you will feel the benefits. Start by making healthier choices, rather than opting for an all or nothing approach, as this is more sustainable for you to maintain in the long term.
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Healthy Habits
When your usual schedule has been disrupted, it is all too easy to slip into unhealthy habits without even realising. If you have been off work, you may find that you have had no need to set your alarm clock, so you have been able to go to bed and wake up at whatever time you please. While waking up without the sound of your alarm going off is probably a welcome change, it can lead to you getting stuck in some unhealthier habits such as staying up at night watching TV and playing video games until you fall asleep on the sofa. Or, perhaps, a lack of structure to your day has been making it hard for you to drop off to sleep, and you have spent most of the night awake and then feel tired throughout the day.
Re-establishing healthy habits can take a while, but it can help you to feel so much better when you do. Getting back into the pattern of going to bed and waking up at a regular time will make it so much easier for your transition back into normality.
If you are finding it hard to sleep, you may want to try sleep hygiene methods to help you get back into a healthy sleeping pattern. Sleep hygiene involves creating a bedroom environment that is conducive to sleep, such as a room that is at the ideal temperature, reducing noise, and ensuring that the room is dark. The sleep hygiene method also recommends that you reduce screen time a few hours before you plan to go to bed and avoid caffeinated drinks later in the day.
Getting enough good-quality sleep has a profoundly positive effect on your wellbeing, so it is well worth getting back into a regular sleep pattern and enjoying the benefits of increased energy.
Take a Holistic Approach
Introducing a holistic approach to your health and wellbeing is the key to staying fit and healthy both at home and when life gets back to normal. Now is the perfect opportunity to focus on your health and fitness. Re-establishing a regular sleep pattern, eating well, and getting back into a fitness routine is an excellent way to return to your ordinary life feeling refreshed, energised, and better than ever.
