The past year might have made some people complacent and indifferent about their physical well-being because of the events that transpired. According to a study, more people reported being inactive and sleeping more. Isolation and quarantine have kept individuals away from the gym and stuck at home to lay in bed all day. At the same time, gyms from all over the globe have temporarily closed to participate in self-distancing and reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. Time has passed, and even though the pandemic isn’t over yet, people have slowly begun adapting to the new normal when it comes to fitness and staying active. Now that 2021 has already begun, it’s time to pick up where you left off and start thinking of ways to improve your overall fitness and health for the new year.
Why you should stay more active
Apparently, 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Staying active has always been known to improve your overall health and well-being. Being physically fit can give you a wide range of benefits. For starters, it helps you stay healthy and can lessen the risk of acquiring illnesses and diseases, which means you won’t need to spend more money on medications and doctor appointments. Regular exercise can build healthier bones and muscles in the body. Also, it allows you to maintain your stamina, strength, and abilities that can help you function every day. You won’t have to worry about gaining an excessive amount of weight throughout quarantine since exercising can keep your weight under control.
Also, it can contribute to the improvement of your emotional and mental state. Exercising and other physical activities can actually be an effective way to cope with anxiety and depression. It is proven that exercises that can significantly increase our heart rate are more effective in reducing symptoms of depression. An example of these exercises is aerobic activities. Furthermore, improvements in self-esteem and sleeping habits are also possible. Overall, the stress that individuals can experience because of the pandemic can potentially lead to negative situations that can affect their family and friends as well. Using physical activities as a way to manage and get through such a troubling time is essential.
What should you do about it
Even if you’re not a fan of working out or exercising, trying your best to incorporate more movement into your daily routines can already be helpful.
The easiest thing you can do to stay active during this pandemic is to walk. Walking is actually the most basic and simple exercise that anyone can do. Despite the minimal effort exerted for walking, it can still provide several benefits such as burning calories, decreasing heart disease risk, boosting your immune system, improving your mood, and the list goes on.
Household chores, such as cleaning and gardening, can also be a great way to stay active at home. Planning activities with your family members can be effective as well. May it be playing with the little ones at home or fun sports in your own backyard. Physical activities at home are convenient, easy, and fun to do, especially when you’re with your families.
Options online are available as well. You can easily enroll in virtual exercise classes or just watch cardio tutorial videos on YouTube. The internet is filled with endless resources that can guide you through working out and staying active at home.
How to overcome headaches and body pain through physical activities
Another interesting fact is that physical inactivity can more likely cause you to experience headaches and body pain. A lack of exercise can lead to the deterioration and weakening of muscles and bones in your body. The breaking down of your muscles is a process that is called muscle atrophy. As a result, performing everyday tasks will be more difficult for the individual. Moreover, physical inactivity is also known to generate headache disorders. Headaches and migraines are inconvenient and comfortable, which affects how you function every day as well.
With that in mind, several physical activities can help you overcome these challenges. Walking, running, swimming, and biking are some activities you can do during quarantine to reduce the severity of headaches and migraines. Other than that, meditation exercises and practicing deep breathing and relaxation techniques can help you relax and lessen the pain. Yoga is also a great and effective way to decrease muscle tension and tightness by stretching. Similarly, yoga can also help relieve stress that can result in headaches. Combining these exercises with usage of the Zōk Relief Device and TENSIONre has been proven to be beneficial if you do start to experience head and body pain. You’ll be able to relieve your stress as well as tension and pressure.
To conclude, exercising and staying active at home during quarantine is incredibly important for your overall health and well-being. With just a little determination, you can find a lot of different options and alternatives for exercising and keeping your body fit online or in your own home. The possibilities will be endless only if you’re willing to cooperate and be creative with the current resources available to you!