5 Ways to Stay Active at Home

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CREDIT: Jonathan Borba via Unsplash

Getting active is vital to good health, and it's something we hope you’re already doing. Problem is, the circumstances of the present have got us spending a lot more time at home, where it's very tempting to just be a couch potato. Worse, things might be that way for the foreseeable future, and you can easily give in to the temptation of being sedentary. Alternatively, you could make it your goal to become active at home. If you resolve to become more active, here are 5 ways to do so:

1. Allot time for play

For those who don’t want to invest in a yoga mat or follow YouTube videos, The Conversation editor Misha Ketchell suggests playing with your children or pets. He notes that not only will you increase your bond with them, “you’ll increase the amount of exercise you get by allocating time to keep them busy”.

2. Tackle that to-do list

Want to kill two birds with one stone? Dr. Jeanette Gustat points out how tasks like mopping the floor and other home maintenance activities count as being active. By doing a little bit of housework every day you can easily achieve the recommended 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week, plus your home will be much cleaner. The best activities for raising your heartbeat are sweeping the floor, arranging furniture, and gardening.

3. Sign up for online fitness training

We recommended in ‘6 Tips To Help You Stay On Track During Nutrition Month’ that you should start exercising, as it improves your mood and bone health. Unfortunately, many of us are reluctant to workout on our own due to a lack of knowledge of exercise programs. Fortunately, many exercise coaches are now sharing their expertise through online fitness workouts. Having said that, we suggest you search for trainers with a formal education in exercise as they can properly guide you. Maryville University outlines how trainers with a bachelors degree in exercise science specialize in human movement and physical activity, tactical strength and conditioning, and nutrition. It is important that when seeking out an online fitness instructor you make sure you check their credentials. This way you’ll know that your program will be effective and safe. In recent years there has been a marked increase in fake Instagram fitness gurus – which focuses more on body aesthetics than health and wellness.

4. Dance!

Dancing gets you moving, and is good for your overall wellbeing. In fact, researchers from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki found that dancing helps fights off many health ailments, especially those closely associated with the elderly. Dancing was found to lower your risk of contracting diseases, improve functional abilities, and boost wellbeing and mental health. So, play some music, turn up the volume, and dance like nobody’s watching. Get that body moving and your heart racing as often as you can, and you’ll be better off moving forward.

5. Stretch and Netflix

While the goal is to stay active, it's actually okay to sit down for a while and just watch your favorite TV shows. Even so, you can turn this downtime into active time, too, by incorporating a few exercises every now and then. The best type of exercise to do while watching television is stretching, as you can easily incorporate different stretches while still concentrating on what is on the screen. Stretches like the Butterfly will lengthen your spine and make you more limber for any other exercise you do.

Staying active at home doesn’t need to be a chore. As this article shows there are many ways to stay active. We hope that if you are looking to get healthier while at home these tips have helped.

This blog post was written by Therese Porter for bloomplanners.com