Nothing about 2020 was particularly easy. From lockdown to lockdown, we each went about carving new routines without seeing our friends and loved ones. There was undoubtedly an impact on our collective mental health and general fitness. Home workouts can help to alleviate symptoms of low self-esteem or withdrawal.
Today, we’re going to look at ways you can fend off feelings of anxiety or depression with stay at home workouts that will improve your physical strength and help lift your mood.
Squat Stand
Let’s start with a versatile piece of equipment that won’t take up much room in your home and opens the door to multiple workout options (all from the comfort of your front room). We know that home-gyms can be messy affairs, with pulley systems, seats, and dangling bars getting in the way around your house (that’s why most home-gyms end up collecting dust in the garage). Instead, invest time and energy into a squat stand.
A squat stand is something you will see in other people’s homes and you may feel like it’s too professional for a beginner like you. You couldn’t be more wrong. A squat stand offers a tremendous variety of workouts and it’s compact enough to fit in any room (it even holds the weights for you when you’re done, so you don’t need extra space).
Make sure you set the bar height to just below your shoulder. When you stand up straight, you should be able to lift the bar without going onto your tip-toes. Use your equipment for a range of workouts, including (but not limited to) back and front squats, bench pressing, dips, knee raises, and overhead presses. With a squat stand, you will instantly become addicted to the fitness options ready and waiting for you. You will increase your muscle tone and see greater fat-burning results than you would ever be likely to achieve with more complicated equipment.
Cardio (ideas that you will stick to)
Cardio is boring. That’s the main problem with cardio. Treadmills, stair climbs, exercise bikes, rowing machines, jogging, jumping jacks … you name it. After almost a minute of staring into the middle distance and listening to yourself pant, you’re going to become impatient.
That’s completely natural, of course. Don’t feel bad. Humans are inquisitive, and when we’re told to repeat a task without any input or enjoyment, we won’t do it for long. What you need is a home cardio regime that works. What you need is something personal to you that you always wanted to try and never got round to.
What are some ideas? How about kickboxing. Or learning to dance. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn a new skill like juggling or football tricks or trampolining. Admittedly you may need a little garden space if you want to branch out into something more sporty, but for many people that is doable.
The point is that if you don’t choose something that interests you, the chances of keeping up with your home-made wall chart that says something like “Monday: 100 push-ups & 100 lunges” are slim. You could even set up a climbing wall if you have space.
