3 exercise routines to do at home while waiting for gyms to open

While gyms and other fitness establishments have been closed due to the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), there are still exercise routines one can do at home, compiled below, as well as some expert advice on the home activity.

“Going to work as part of a routine could have already been a person’s lone source of exercise, and even that has been taken away,” said Dr. Patricia Paraso, a medical practitioner with a background in sports science, in a report in CNN Philippines.

Paraso also added that exercising can give one another benefit that's important today: Helping the body fight infection.

“Keeping the body physically healthy not only impacts the immune system, but also maintains its integrity against infection,” she said.

Even if one is working from home, they can make time for exercise—or should, because research showed it is highly crucial. 

“There is no set time during the day for when it is recommended for people to exercise, because different times and different schedules work for different people,” she said, adding that "the recommendation by the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for maintaining a healthy lifestyle is at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every day.”

Paraso also explained in the report that people should take to a routine gradually, considering their physical abilities, to ensure a safe exercise. This advice is also suggested by sports medicine doctor Dr. Rich Pasion in a 'Bull by the Horn' episode last July.

So, below, are indoor routines available online and designed with beginners in mind:

1. Walk at home

This is a 30-minute, two-mile (about 3 kilometers) walk that’s said to boost one’s mood and increase calorie burn without using a treadmill.

The routine goes like this: walking in place, taking small steps within your periphery, and doing additional arm and leg movements.

The workout is led by American group fitness instructor Leslie Sansone. Walk at Home can be found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvEJ5WFk2KE).

2. Yoga by the beach

This yoga practice by Boho Beautiful is set against the scenery of North Caicos island. Said to be made for yoga practitioners of all levels, this workout features poses that can be easily followed by a beginner, such as the downward dog and the sun salutation.

One will only need the following items: a yoga mat, a quiet setting, as well as appropriate yoga wear.

Each yoga posture claims to bring awareness to the breath, release tension, anxiety, negativity and stress with every exhalation, and to put one in a positive state of mind. Watch Boho Beautiful here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOQC8ETeTVM

3. Workout on the chair

This seated exercise from Fitness Blender, a channel run by husband-and-wife team Daniel and Kelli Segars, seems ideal for those glued on their chairs from WFH.

One will only need a sturdy chair. For 30 minutes, one would do seated leg extensions, overhead presses, seated side bends, Russian twists, seated swimmers, and other steps that will be repeated 12 times each.

Follow Fitness Blender here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AuLqYh4irI

Photo is a screengrab from Fitness Blender on YouTube.