6 unusual ways to keep fit indoors

Like millions of others at New Year, you may have committed yourself to getting fit. However, with many of us confined to our homes due to COVID-19 and a national lockdown preventing us from visiting the gym, we may be struggling to get active. We spoke to the experts at Shakti Himalaya who outline 7 ways to keep fit when you’re stuck indoors. Their tips go beyond standard home workout ideas and expand on daily activities you may already be doing to get fit.

1. Voga

Mixing yoga with vogue. Voga is a power posing workout inspired by contemporary dance, yoga and fashion. With multiple online classes to choose from, Voga will improve your confidence, posture and help keep you healthy throughout lockdown. Each class is highly stylised and expressive, set to an 80’s house music beat and designed to empower. A combination of Ibiza’s club culture and the iconic Vogue magazine, they describe themselves as ‘the haste couture of fitness’.

2. Use your smart speaker as a personal trainer

A smart speaker is a voice command device integrated with a virtual assistant that can play your favourite music, answer your questions and control parts of your home. The two most popular options include Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa. However, there are plenty of smart speaker options available with fitness related integrations. Alongside guided workouts, you can use your smart speaker to set timers for reps, reminders to work-out daily and use voice commands to control the music playing during your workout.

3. Break a sweat with a virtual reality headset

As our real-world environment is hindered due to COVID-19, why not try virtual reality (VR)? This technology lets you explore and interact with virtual worlds just by wearing a headset. VR can be a surprisingly physical activity, and many have even heralded virtual reality games as ‘exercising by accident’. Whether it be a supernatural, action experience or physical boxing, VR is fantastic for relieving lockdown boredom and getting your sweat on. 

4. Housework

Clutter free homes lead to clutter free minds, which is why it is so important to stay on top of housework. But did you know that you can burn some serious calories by keeping up with your regular chores?  In particular, polishing, vacuuming, dusting, mopping and sweeping are great for keeping arms shapely, whilst doing the laundry can improve your flexibility. Research shows that planting in your garden for just half an hour can burn 243 calories and mowing the lawn can burn approximately 209 calories. So next time you are feeling stressed and de-energised, push the vacuum cleaner around every room and take out your garden tools.

5. Invest in a walking desk

Sitting all day raises the risk of major health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. As many of us are working from home, the daily commute has been eradicated from our lives and we are sitting all day more than ever before. If you spend more than a few hours per day sitting at a desk at home, an active workstation may be helpful, especially if you find it hard to take breaks. Consider investing in a walking desk – a treadmill and desk combined to get you moving whilst you’re working. Alternatively, walk around the room as you talk on the phone and take regular breaks every 30 minutes to stretch.

6. Make your own fitness videos

When we think of home workouts, many of us think to watch fitness videos by popular vloggers. But why not film your very own home workout? Even if it is for your eyes only, recording your workout will help you examine your posture and position better during exercise. Once you have the correct form, you can teach others and demonstrate the best ways to stretch, build core strength and prevent muscle strains. You never know, this hobby may become an active revenue stream if you upload the videos on YouTube, or simply remain as a fun way to improve on your existing workout skills.

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