The Best Way to Stay Active…At Home

by Dex Z

Writer for Maximal Being and Founder of The Pursuit of Healthy

Most community recreation centers and ­private gyms are closed these days as we try to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. You may be stuck at home, but by no means does that mean you should sacrifice your workouts. One of the best things you can do to benefit your immune system is working out!

Burn During and After

Don’t have a home gym? No worries. There are so many efficient workouts you can do using your body weight. My favorites take 15 minutes or less but will work the major muscle groups as well as the core. These high-intensity movements will give you the health benefits of longer aerobic sessions in a fraction of the time.

Also, your fat-burning will continue as you take advantage of EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). Hours after your HIIT workout, the body will continue to burn energy as it attempts to repair damaged cells, replenish muscle fuel storage, and rebalance hormones. You will work hard, and it should be a bit uncomfortable, but the efficiency is impressive.

QUICK HIIT…BACKED BY SCIENCE

This workout became popular over 5 years ago, and for good reason. Not only will the routine burn fat, but the overall health benefits are impressive and it can all be done right in your own home.

The Scientific 7-min. Workout (image by Ben Wiseman; Reynolds, Gretchen.”The Scientific 7-Minute Workout.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 May 2013.

You just need a small space, a chair, and a wall (and this one doesn’t even require weights).

The ‘Scientific 7- minute workout’ is a good one if you are new to HIIT. 30 seconds per exercise with a 10-second rest between. It’s both efficient and effective, targeting the large muscle groups and core in a specific sequence that allows for rest intervals. The 7-minute workout also helps you to train all the major muscle groups. With no equipment necessary, it is a great way to start a new workout habit

Next Level

For more of a challenge, double the time for, and rest between, each exercise. And if you want to use weights, replace the squats with a dumbbell squat-press and use a medicine ball for overhead presses during the lunge movement.

Good luck and stay well!