Maintaining good health can be time-consuming, especially for older adults, and considering we are all at home. At a time where we are prioritising our health over other aspects of our lives, we sometimes overlook how we treat our bodies and what we do to them.
Joint and muscle problems are becoming the new normal, and body stiffness has become something that we have to manage. However, this time is not going to last forever and we must keep our bodies in good health. As many European countries are beginning to ease lockdown restrictions, we must get back our bodies!
But isn’t it difficult to get into good health?
With social media and television frequently showing six-pack abs, and toned muscles, many people gain the misconception that we all have to buy expensive gym memberships to stay healthy. Completely ignoring the possibility of Home Workouts or even Seated Home Workouts.
The truth is that with a good workout routine, and a nutritious diet, you are already ahead of the majority of people. Whilst many choose to ignore these basic requirements, often looking for an easy way to get fit quickly, they fail to understand the simplicity of keeping healthy - and that it can be done whilst seated!
Regarding health, dieting is already a struggle of a task and is understandably hard to adjust to. However, the two go hand-in-hand. Working out as well as managing your nutrition can provide numerous benefits to your body.
From heart disease to diabetes, exercising can prevent many common diseases, as well as improve the strength of your immune system. A weak immune system can increase the chances of you suffering from infectious diseases such as COVID-19, so we must keep it in good condition.
Some may argue that working out isn’t worth the benefits due to the effort required, and that your general well-being and happiness is more important. Whilst exercising, your brain releases endorphins - a hormone that increases your mood. This means that when you’re working out, you are subliminally making yourself happy. If you have never been interested in fitness, or you haven’t exercised in a long time, then you may surprise yourself as to how much you will enjoy yourself.
But as well as happiness, what else can working-out do for my mental health?
Recent studies have suggested that keeping in shape can actually improve cognitive function and brain activity. This is down to the sleep benefits that exercise can provide, further enhancing your health.
Now, these are all great reasons to get started exercising. The real question is how?
As we get older, we face health problems that exercise can’t solve with conditions such as Arthritis affecting many. That being said, Seated Home Workouts can provide many of the same benefits without the high intensity that many exercise programs now offer. Seated Home Workouts are ideal for people with joint and stiffness problems, slowly bringing back their flexibility.
With Seated Home Workouts becoming more and more popular, there are a range of different exercises that you can do to keep in good physical condition whilst at home. It is best to exercise at your own pace to avoid injury, and to stay comfortable.
We all know jumping jacks, but how can you do them seated?
Simply keep your posture up whilst sitting down, then extend your arms above your head and straighten your legs to point them out. Doing this for a certain amount of reps (20-30 is a good starting point) will speed up your heart rate and burn calories, making it an easy exercise with massive benefits.
Standing up from sitting down can become a problem as we get older, which is why keeping flexible can benefit you tremendously.
Sit-and-Stands consist of standing up and sitting back down, without using your arms, putting pressure on the core. This exercise can improve your leg strength, balance and control - furthering the health benefits.
This exercise works preferably with a chair that you adjust to lean back. It also involves the core and legs. Sit back on your chair and raise your legs. Remember to keep your core tight and your back straight. Grip onto one of your legs with your hands and slowly bend your knee and bring it up to the core. Straighten it and repeat again with the opposite leg. Both legs should be counted at 1 rep.
Core strength is important for your muscles and without optimal core strength, this could then later lead to muscle tension and stiffness.
Having a stiff neck can become a massive problem, affecting day-to-day life. Avoid this by stretching your neck - strengthening it in the process.
Sit back on your chair with your back straight. Slowly turn your neck one way (about 15-20 seconds) until you feel a slight stretch in your neck. Slowly turn your head back and repeat again with the opposite side.
Here at Essential Wellness, we provide many different guides and blogs on staying healthy and keeping fit. Seated Home Workouts are beneficial, but not the only way you can keep in good physical condition.
We also offer many different products that can help with recovery and getting your body back to shape.
Click Here to Check Out our other guides on staying healthy and keeping fit during the lockdown.