Don't Let the Lockdown Affect Your Physical and Mental Health. Check out the 10 Best Exercises at Home for Men That will Help You Stay Fit and Healthy in 2020

Don't Let the Lockdown Affect Your Physical and Mental Health. Check out the 10 Best Exercises at Home for Men That will Help You Stay Fit and Healthy in 2020

Facing an unprecedented pandemic and being confined to your home is not an easy situation. However, you can make the best of it by trying to live your life as normally as possible. If going to the gym is not an option now, you can do exercises at home itself to stay fit and healthy. This BP Guide will take you through the top 10 exercises which you can do at home daily with little or no fitness equipment needed.

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Why Exercise at All?

It'll Boost Your Mental Health

Having a bad day? Need to be lifted emotionally? Need to relieve the stress of everything around you? A Workout offers an amalgamation of various chemicals in your brain that will make you feel much more relaxed and less stressful.

Did you ever feel like your mind is working better after a good workout? Your brain gets more oxygen and hence more energy after a workout. Studies prove that regular exercise can help you learn promptly, and it also boosts your memory. However, it is also true that you should not have any kind of intensive workout right before a big exam because it can leave you tired.

A moderate amount of workout daily can also boost your confidence as your appearance improves and you feel physically fit with a fresh mind. Exercise also helps you to enhance your social life by enabling you to find friends who have a similar interest as yours. In this way, it improves your mood and mental health. Sometimes you do not get to see the immediate results of your workout, but it helps you in many other ways, and you have to be more consistent to see the results in your body.

You'll Sleep Better

Sleep is vital for your immune system to function correctly. It also lowers the risk of a heart disease. It is also essential to prevent cognitive impairment and diabetes. Regular workout helps you sleep better at night. Experts suggest that you should work out a little before you go to bed; nevertheless, day time workout also helps you sleep better at night. The circadian rhythm of your body stays in tune if you keep engaging yourself in physical activities daily. Just keep in mind that working out just before going to bed isn’t a good idea; it leaves you energetic and hence delays your sleep.

During a workout, the energy depletes from your body because the physical activities stimulate the recuperative process, which is very helpful for your sleep. Other than that, your body temperature also rises after a moderate workout, which benefits sleep quality by letting it drop during the night. Regular exercise allows you to fall asleep faster and has enhanced the quality of sleep as you get tired after the workout. Therefore, it deepens your sleep.

It'll Increase the Fun in Your Life

If you are a novice, you have to start by finding the type of exercise that relates to your motivational needs and suits your personality. Some people are comfortable working out in a group because they enjoy the social perks of it. On the other hand, some may find it more stress-relieving to workout alone, away from the hassles of the world. Everyone has a different style; regardless of your style, you just need to get into the routine and be consistent for the first few days as you would not want to stop it once you start seeing the perks. A cherry on the top is that people who work out regularly love this natural “high” that results from exercise and would never give it up. Once you reach that point, regular exercise enriches the standards of your life. You have a lot of options to choose from – take a dance class online or start following workout apps.

10 Best Exercises at Home for Men

Press Up

  • How to do it: Get down into a pull-up position, and the region between your hands should be shoulder-width apart with a flat back to make your heels and head aligned in a straight line via the glutes. Then, lower down your body till you are one inch away from the ground and push the field in a way that your body drives up with your arms fully extended. That’s one rep, keep repeating the process and count.

  • Why: Press up uses several muscles in your body for the maximum strength and growth of your shoulder joints, along with an effect on your chest as well. It can quickly be done at home, and it is one of the most basic exercises for beginners as it is considered to be for multiple muscles of your body. It prepares you for the energy you require for more intense shoulder and chest workouts, like the incline bench press.

Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press

  • How to do it: Stand straight with your palms facing forward, chest out, and back flat. Hold two dumbbells with an overhand grip at about shoulder height. You have to be sure that your elbows are aligned with the dumbbells. Push the dumbbells up above your head till your arms are in full extension. Return to the start position in a prolonged and stable manner.

  • Why: This exercise is recommended for beginners just as much as it is recommended for experts; this is because it reduces the risk of shoulder-sculptor compared to another shoulder exercise such as lifting from behind the neck. You should also keep in mind not to lock the joints and keep the strain off your joints. All steps should be carried out in a precise manner to protect yourself against any shoulder injury. Warming up before the exercise can help you perform better.

Skipping

  • How to do it: Grab both the handles at the end of your skipping rope. With the help of your wrist, flick it around the body, then engage the core movement with the strength of your legs to jump to clear the rope as it touches the ground. You can also bring variation to your skipping workout with double-under in which you allow the rope to pass around you twice at each jump.

  • Why: Skipping is considered to be one of the most straightforward workouts with several benefits. It is known as a no-nonsense workout and is the most efficient form of cardio. This is because skipping involves the movement of your whole body. It has been scientifically proven that skipping a rope 10 minutes per day is equivalent to that of running for 30 minutes.

Plank

  • How to do it: You will need a mat for this to comfortably perform the plank. Start by merely laying down with your palms and shins flat on the mat. Step back your feet to stabilise on the heels of your feet to align your heels with the top of the head. Comfortable gaze should be around your hands. Stretch your shoulder blades on the back with a tight core, glutes, and quads, and stay in that position for around a minute before continuing the next exercise.

  • Why: A few set of crunches or sit-ups exert a lot of pressure on your spine until you have a muscular build. When you perform these exercises with even a little discomfort, they can shape your abs in an undesirable way like widened and distended abs. However, planks are perfect for shaping and strengthening your core in a safe way without having to worry about any injuries.

Side Plank

  • How to do it: Lay on the right side with the left leg on top of the right leg, heels and toes aligned, right forearm on the mat, palm flat, and elbow under the shoulder with fingers widespread and left forearm on your hip. With the use of tilt, lift hips till your head is aligned with your heels in a straight line. Redo the process on the other side to keep the balance of both sides.

  • Why: A strong core is a foundation of a healthy body, and side plank is one of the most effective exercises for your core. Concentrate on the connection between your mind and muscles to stabilise the movement as much as you can. The more stable the plank is, the more effective it is. Once you become comfortable with it, you can increase the level of intensity by raising your arm along with the upper leg to challenge your core strength in other ways.

Crunch

  • How to do it: Lay down comfortably on the mat with bent knees at about a 90° angle. Put your hands on the sides of your head. Make sure your back doesn’t move through this movement when you push your back into the floor to lift your shoulders several inches off the floor. The core should be very tight at the top point of the exercise; after that, return to the start position in a stable movement. Keep your back straight throughout this exercise. Redo for more effectiveness.

  • Why: This is one of the elementary exercises for those who want to get abs. It shapes the upper abs and strengthens the core in a very efficient way. To take it to the next level, you can lift your legs as well to make it even more challenging for your core.

Dumbbell Floor Press

  • How to do it: Grasp a dumbbell in both your hands and lie down on the floor with your back in full contact with the floor. Bend your elbows and keep hold of the weights above you. Push the dumbbells up and stretch your arms to the point they can extend before pausing at the top spot above your head. After the pause, slowly bring the dumbbells to the initial position.

  • Why: In this workout, you restrict the range of your motion, which assists in focusing the weight totally on the chest muscles. It also reduces the effect of any shoulder injury due to overstretching of your arms. This is considered to be a stepping stone for those who want to be a bench pro in the gym as well as want a safe workout.

Sit-Ups

  • How to do it: Lay down on the ground in a comfortable position with your feet flat, knees bent, and hands around your neck. Your feet should be kept stable on the ground and start by rolling up your head, engaging your stomach muscles throughout. Don’t strain your spine during the movement. When your chest touches your legs, start backing down in a very stable motion with a strong core. Repeat a few sets of several reps, for example about three sets of 15 reps for a beginner would be enough.

  • Why: Sit-ups do have a bad reputation for being too simple and unnecessary; however, bear in mind that it is one of the most efficient and prompt ways to target your core and abs. It is not recommended in cases you have lower back issues. Then you should stick with exercises such as crunches, planks, side planks, etc.

Bench Dips

  • How to do it: Stand in the way that your face is in the opposite direction to the bench. Grab the bench with your hands at about shoulder-width, and stretch your legs out aligned in front of you. Slowly and in a very stable motion, lower your body by bending the elbows till your arm creates a 90° angle with your forearm. Next, you involve your triceps to help you lift yourself back to the initial position.

  • Why: This workout is effortless to perform with a stair, chair, bedside, or anything at a little height with an excellent grip place. It involves an essential workout of your chest, shoulders and arms. However, it mainly affects your triceps and chest. For sure, people will start noticing your physique if you start doing bench dips regularly.

Shadow Boxing

  • How to do it: Stand straight with your fighting gloves on or use anything else like tape to protect your hand from any injuries. Get into the fighting stance and jump on your toes as you start shadow boxing. Dip and weave to your heart’s content. Engage your arms and legs throughout the exercise. Ensure that you perform shadow boxing in an isolated spot. Also, clear out any items on the floor before beginning.

  • Why: This is an exercise that is as challenging as it is fun. Shadow boxing is, nevertheless, not for the beginners who just want a moderate amount of workout to keep their body in shape. However, it is beneficial if you learn to do it consistently as it benefits the legs, core, arms, and cardio strength of your body.

3 Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

Replace Saturated Fat with Unsaturated Fat

The intake of fats is necessary for proper functioning and good health of the body. However, if you take an excess of fats, it can affect your cardiovascular health and weight in a negative way. There are a variety of fats, and all of these have different effects from each other. A few of these tips could help you to keep the right balance: limit the consumption of saturated and total fats, and don't worry about the intake of trans fats; read the labels to identify what you eat.

If you’re a fish lover, then you do not have to worry. Eating fish a few (2-3) times every weak gives you the right intake of unsaturated fats. However, oily fishes are preferred if the aim is to increase the intake of unsaturated fats, and also baking or steaming the fish with vegetable oils is better than frying, as frying affects the content of fat negatively.

Control the Portion Size

Intake of the right amount of food with a variety of different foods is the ideal formula for a healthy diet. Breakfast is a vital part of the diet, and skipping it in the long-run can lead to out-of-control hunger, which often results in overeating. Munching between essential meals of the day controls the appetite, but it should not be considered as a regular meal. For munching, we recommend having a handful of dry or fresh fruits or vegetables, yogurt, and perhaps a jam sandwich. Keep reminding yourself that a proper meal can affect your health in the long-run.

Paying careful attention to the portion-size can prevent you from consuming too many calories and also allows you to have all kinds of food you enjoy, without having to say no to any one of them.

Have Plenty of Fluids

Keep yourself hydrated! The intake of large amounts of water and other fluids is vital for your health. You can get dehydrated after an intense workout. Dehydration then leads to muscular cramps and so much more. Therefore, these water losses should be prevented at all costs. You can also get dehydrated due to irregular intake of food or drinks. Furthermore, intake of water assists in keeping your nose, mouth, and throat hydrated.

Adults have to drink about 1.5 litres of fluid daily! Or even more, if the fluid is physically active or very hot. Water is the best kind of fluid that is readily available at the taps. Milk and fruit juices are also very healthy and should be consumed from time to time.

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From our editorial team

Don't Let the Flab Creep into Your Home

Being confined to your home does not mean that you cannot exercise and maintain your fitness. We hope the exercise options mentioned above will help you choose the right one for yourself which you can do daily at home and keep the door closed, not only on the virus but also on flab and lethargy. Stay connected with us for more such engaging content.