The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift to work from home (WFH) to keep businesses and economies running. Because of this, a person’s home has become an extension of his/her workplace, blurring the boundaries between work and one’s personal life.
Because when one is in WFH, it seems easier to make the excuse to skip a healthy routine. After all, earning a living, being able to make bill payments, and providing for the family needs especially during these difficult times are more important.
However, WFH actually opens opportunities to switch to and maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can eat healthier – you can cook healthy foods right in your own kitchen so no more high calorie fast foods or junk foods – and you can fit an exercise routine easily in a flexible schedule.
Why You Need To Exercise with WFH
Because the home has, by extension, become an individual’s workplace, it only allows for the perpetuation of a sedentary lifestyle.
A type of living with zero to minimal physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle predisposes a person to a host of health problems, such as neck and back aches, posture problems, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, osteoporosis, depression, anxiety, lipid disorders, and increased risk for colon cancer and other causes of mortality.
It is because of your greater risk of developing these serious illnesses and more that you should make the switch to a healthy lifestyle while WFH.
10 Exercises For WFH
Here are 10 exercises that you need to try and incorporate into your WFH fitness routine:
1) Push Ups
One of the most basic exercises, push ups are effective in building total body strength.
Place both palms on the floor with hands shoulder-width apart. Extend both legs behind you. Bend your elbows so that you lower your chest to the floor. Push back up to the first position. Do three sets and as many repetitions as you can until you can no longer do the exercise.
2) Tricep Dips
This exercise helps to strengthen and burn off fat in the arms.
Sit down at the edge of a sturdy chair. Lay your palms on the chair’s edge just beside your hips. Keep both feet flat on the floor. Push down on your hands so that your arms lift your upper body up off the chair.
As you go down, don’t let your butt touch the chair’s edge. Then push your upper body up again. Do this for three sets with 10 to 15 reps.
3) Plank Hold
Plank holds help improve balance, strengthen core muscles, and build those sexy six- or eight-pack abs.
Get down in the push up position, but with both forearms on the ground instead of your palms. With your neck and spine in neutral position, tighten your abdominal muscles and squeeze your butt muscles.
Hold your body in a straight line for as long as you can. Repeat three times.
4) Get Up Squats
If you want to get a good burn and maintain tension in your butt and leg muscles, get up squats are the exercise for you. They also help to get out the kinks from sitting on your chair all day.
Go down in a squat. Maintain this position throughout the exercise. Drop your knees one at a time to the ground so that you are in a kneeling position.
Step your feet back one at a time while maintaining the squat. Do three exercises as quickly and as many times as you can while maintaining proper form.
5) Deep Squats
Squats are your all-time muscle and strength builders, not mention affective fat burners.
Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart and toes pointed a bit outwards. Raise your arms straight in front of you with chest upright. Slowly go down until your hamstrings touch the calves of your legs. Go up slowly. Do three sets with 20 to 30 reps.
6) V-Ups
V-Ups are deceptively simple bodyweight exercises that give your abs a challenging workout.
Lie down on the floor with your arms extended above your head and your legs stretched out as well. Slowly lift your arms and legs so that your hands touch your feet. Go back to the lying down position. Do three sets with 10 to 20 reps.
7) Burpees
Burpees are an intense exercise that will give your entire body a total workout.
Stand up straight with feet shoulder-width apart. Go down to a squat with hands touching the floor. Quickly, kick and extend both legs backwards. Let your chest drop down and touch the floor, while keeping your palms flat on the floor.
With your arms, push your body up to a squat and then jump, sweeping both arms high above your head. Do two sets consisting of 8 to 10 burpees.
8) Dead Bug
Dead bugs are effective in giving your deep core muscles that much needed burn.
Lie down on the floor with both arms raised in front of you. Raise your legs with both knees slightly bent. Extend your right leg while at the same time raising your left arm above your head. Return to your initial position.
Then, switch by extending the left leg and raising the right arm. While doing this exercise, keep your back flat on the ground. Do three sets with 10 to 20 reps.
9) Jumping Lunges
Jumping lunges are among the group of jumping exercises known as plyometrics. It helps in building up your quads, hamstrings, core, and butt muscles.
To do a jumping lunge, step your right foot forward, bending down on your left knee. Don’t let your knee touch ground or go into a full kneeling position.
As you jump upward, switch by stepping your left foot forward and bending down on your right knee. Make your moves fast and snappy. Do three sets with 10 to 20 reps.
10) Stair Climbing or Brisk Walking
Cap off your WFH workout routine by climbing stairs for 10 to 15 minutes, especially if you live in a building. In the absence of stairs, do some brisk walking for 15 to 20 minutes. This will help in further strengthening your cardiovascular system.
Let these exercises give you a jumpstart into your new healthy lifestyle as you work from home!
If you’re looking for other resources on working from home, be sure to check out our Complete Guide To Working From Home to get you started!
