In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, individuals are requested to stay at home and self-quarantine. All the fitness centers and other locations where generally people go and stay physically active are closed now. Many people have been left wondering, what they can do and can’t do. In such times, when staying at home is safe and you have to maintain good health. The best plan to incorporate any kind of physical activity right now is to go for solo- exercising, performing meditation and yoga at home, solo run in your own accommodation, or if space is not available then you may jog at home.
A sedentary lifestyle can have negative effects on the health, well-being, and quality of life of individuals. Self-quarantine can also cause additional stress and challenge the mental health of citizens. Physical activity and relaxation techniques are the only valuable tools to help you remain calm and continue to protect your health during this time.
WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or a combination of both. These recommendations can still be achieved even at home, with no special equipment and limited space. The following tips can be used to stay active and reduce sedentary behavior while at home in self-quarantine:
- Take short active breaks during the day
- Follow an online exercise course.
- Reduce sedentary time by standing up whenever possible.
- Regular meditation and deep breaths can help you remain calm.
- Walking around in small spaces can help you remain active.
Jogging at home for 30 minutes is a good exercise. One can do 10 -30 rounds of jogging for 5 minutes each and take a break of 1-2 minutes. Studies have shown that running for just 5to 10 minutes helps reduce the risk of death from heart attacks, strokes, and other common diseases. It is a low impact slow run exercise. Jogging has the following benefits:
- Improves Lung Health
- Improved Bone Strength
- Tone Muscles
- Lowers Depression and Stress
- Boost Stamina and Endurance
- Improves Flexibility of Spine
Effective Tips for Jogging:
- Start with a warm-up as warm-up is important to elevate body temperature, metabolic rate and oxygen uptake.
- Setting up a goal is very important as to how many rounds will be there and what will be the duration.
- Even when you are jogging at home, wear comfortable shoes only.
- Start slowly by just slow walking and increase up the pace after 30 seconds. By 60 seconds, you should be walking briskly. Start jogging at a slow pace.
- Take a deep breath before starting as it pumps enough oxygen in the lungs. Deep inhalation – exhalation maintains a continuous flow of breath.
- Jog in different poses to increase the intensity of jogging like a knee to elbow, side knee lift, step jogging etc.
- Set goals of taking rest like taking a rest after jogging for 30 steps.
- Perform Box- Jogging/ Jumping which is a lower-body plyometric exercise for strength building.
- Stretching after jogging is very essential to cool down muscles and give a relaxing effect to your entire body.
- Hydration and sleep are also important for regular joggers.
