The Covid-19 pandemic has brought this fast moving world to a standstill. The consequences of this pandemic is massive and further leads to lockdown of the whole wide world. It results in the shutdown of business activities, public places including fitness and activity centres. It has resulted in various psychological issues, fitness and health concerns. All of us are aware of the fact that ‘health is wealth’ and thus, we need to stay healthy and fit during this period to protect ourselves from the virus. The regular fitness and home workout routine has helped us to overcome psychological issues and fitness concerns too.
By Victor Naorem
As new covid-19 cases continue to emerge, many healthy individuals who trained regularly are being requested to stay at home in self quarantine, as this is one of the most important means to take control of the fatal virus. Staying at home for prolonged periods of time can pose a significant challenge for remaining physically active and have negative effects on our physical well-being. It can also cause additional stress and challenge the mental health of the people. And hence, physical activity and relaxation techniques can be valuable tools to help us remain calm and continue to protect our health during this time of danger.
According to WHO, 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or a combination of both is recommended. These recommendations can still be achieved at home with no special equipment and with limited space.
The following are some of the tips to stay active and reduce stress while at home.
- Follow some online exercise classes which are easily available on youtube and one thing to remember is to be cautious and know our limitations.
- Walk even in small spaces, or walk around instead of sitting idle.
- Relax deeply with meditation and deep breaths which can help us in reducing stress
Here are a few examples of some home based exercises which can be easily done and which are the key things to remain physically and mentally fit.
- Knee to elbow
-touch one knee with the opposite elbow, alternate sides. Try to perform this for1-2 minutes and repeat upto five times with 30 second rest
- Plank
-support your forearms firmly on the ground, with the elbows under the shoulder. Keep the hips at the level of the head and hold for 20-30 seconds.
- Squats
–place your feet at the hip distance with the toes pointing slightly outwards. Bend the knees as much as we feel comfortable keeping the heels on the ground and the knees over. Bend and stretch the legs. Perform this for 10-15 times.
- Chair deeps
-hold onto the seat of a chair, with your feet about half a meter away from the chair. Bend your arms as you lower your hips. Perform this exercise for 10-15 times with 30-60 seconds rest.
- Legs up the wall
-bring your hips close (5-10cm) to the wall and let your legs rest. Close your eyes and relax your body and deepen your breathing. Rest in this position for 5 minutes.
These are some simple home workouts which can be done easily done during the self-isolation at homes. Since the covid -19 is a global health pandemic we need to keep ours body and mind fit to keep ourselves away from the deadly virus and building a healthy body and life is quite important not only for the pandemic but also for the rest pf out lives.
(The writer is a student of MA Mass Communication, Manipur University)