by Jennifer Cox Fitness Times have certainly changed and, while many of us turned to the gym to get our regular workout fix, this isn’t such an easy option anymore. Unfortunately, gyms have been one of the hardest-hit industries throughout the pandemic and social distancing which has, in turn, made it difficult for active seniors who use gyms as their main place for physical activity. However, you should be able to do almost all of your gym workouts at home. Exercise machines are basically made to mimic natural humanmovements: pushing, pulling, etc., only with a lever or pulley system. All you need are a few basics: free weights, a weight bench (if possible), resistance bands and a chair. With this combination of essentials, you should be able to complete a wide range of exercises that work your entire body, from your back, shoulders and arms to your leg muscles and more. First off, never start a new exercise regimen until you’ve consulted with your doctor. If you’re a newbie to working out, start everything sitting down in a chair. This will help keep you stabilized andminimize injury. Then work your way up to standing or lying down while doing certain exercises. Given the high demand for home gyms, weights might be hard to come by, but you can use everyday items that you have around the house in lieu of dumbbells, such as: • Soup cans (in different sizes and, hence, weights) • Cleaning jugs with handles (bleach bottles, for example) • Water jugs • Bags of rice and/or flour A tote bag with handles, or a suitcase, filled with cans or other heavier objects can be used for weight resistance exercises. Or, fill a large canvas bag with towels and hang it from a support beam as a makeshift punching bag – you can use this for doing small, fast jabs to get in a cardio workout, or move farther away from it to work out your arms and shoulders. To ensure that you protect your skin, you may want to wear thin gloves. Stress balls and hand exercisers are great to help build up arm strength, as well as improve circulation. They can also help you relieve some of that COVID frustration! Tabletop peddlers are ideal for those who have knee, hip or leg problems, or circulation issues. They are also great to get your heart rate up because they use smaller muscle groups in your arms to mimic the cycling motion, thereby getting your heart rate up quicker. If you’re more of a gym rat, you can get the next level of equipment, such as balance balls, BOSU balls and chin-up bars. These will certainly up the ante when it comes to your home workout. Experts say that you don’t even need the aforementioned “accessories” – straightforward exercises such as pushups, sit-ups and squats can all help tone various muscle groups and can be done completely solo. If there’s one exercise which everyone, young and old, should do on a regular basis, it’s planks, which help to strengthen your entire body, particularly your core. If you can’t do a plank balancing on your toes, do it on your knees instead. Planks require no movement, so risk of injury is extremely low and you can track your progress along the way, which can be super motivating! Don’t give up on being active just because your local gym is closed. There are lots of ways to get in a full-body workout at home. Integrate a few essentials to keep your regimen interesting and you’ll still be geared for health success. Can’t go to the gym? Try integrating these tools into your home gym… CSANews | SUMMER 2020 | 51
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzMzNzMx