The COVID-19 pandemic upended the entire globe, from the smallest communities to the largest. The virus itself was responsible for shutting down businesses across the world, as well as borders.
The onset of such a large pandemic also opened up numerous opportunities for those in the healthcare industry. As the need for more research on deadly viruses was critical to the development of vaccines, jobs for pathologists opened up around the world, and that trend is still continuing today as of 2021.
While most people stayed safe by wearing masks and social distancing, the focus on personal health and well-being also saw a rise. If you were stuck at home for any length of time, then you probably understand how easy it is to lose track of exercising and proper health habits.
Here, we’ll explore the importance of staying in shape at home, and how you can stay healthy while also staying safe.
Weight-Free Workouts
As we saw at the onset of the pandemic, gyms and health clubs around the country closed their doors. Depending on what state you lived in, these places stayed closed for as little as a month and some for the entirety of 2020. As a result of these shutdowns, home health equipment began flying off the shelves illustrating the need for individuals to have the means for staying in shape away from the gym.
While you might not have access to weights, you don’t need them in order to keep muscles toned. Several exercises can be performed without the use of weights that will keep you in shape and healthy. A few of these are as follows:
- Push-ups (great for arms and chest)
- Dips (triceps and shoulders)
- Jumping rope (calves and cardio)
- Burpees (intense ab workouts)
- Sit-ups (abs and core)
- Running (legs and cardio)
While some of the above are obvious, you don’t need more than 15 to 30 minutes a day, at best, to stay in shape while away from the gym.
Resistance Bands
Where weightlifting does help produce muscle mass, resistance bands can be used as a substitute. These stretchy bands not only provide several degrees of resistance (in some cases up to 250 pounds) they’re easier on the hands and joints.
Resistance bands come in many lengths and specific tensions, and they’re easily stored without taking up too much space in your home.
Another great feature of resistance bands is that they’re known for working out muscle groups in a much more complete fashion.
Where free weights allow only for certain motions, and often the weight’s momentum is used as a handicap when exercising, resistance bands require you to stabilize your body’s motion as you work out. This results in using better form and for more muscle fibers to be activated while you exercise resulting in the building of leaner muscle.
Whether you’re into building muscle mass or just staying toned, resistance bands provide a great alternative to using free weights.
Water Sports
Swimming is perhaps one of the most underrated forms of exercise out there, and it’s one of the best all-around workouts for the human body.
When you swim laps, you’re using your whole body to propel yourself through the water. With the pivoting motion of your head, neck, torso, and legs, each part of your body is being exercised while you swim.
Not only do you get a full-body workout when you’re swimming, but you also get a great cardiovascular workout as well. Essentially, swimming is like lifting light weights and doing aerobics all in the same motion.
While during the COVID-19 pandemic many pools across the country were closed down, many found that taking a swim in natural bodies of water was a great alternative to going to their local swimming pool. And this is also a trend that has continued into 2021.
We know that our bodies are highly susceptible to disease and infection. This is all regulated by our immune system. Studies have shown that proper exercise activates endorphins and chemicals in the body that have a natural boosting effect on our immune systems. Exercising is a great way to stay in shape, and keep healthy in a world still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic
