Social distancing? Quarantined? Locked-down? Self-isolated? Whatever your situation is, if you are stuck at home because of Coronavirus, it can be frustrating.

If you find yourself itching to do some physical activity, need to give yourself a mental health boost or find that your regular gym schedule is disrupted, then doing some exercise at home will help. Below we look at a few different ways you can get your blood pumping and those all-important feel-good hormones coursing through your body.

Yoga

Yoga is an obvious one and probably one of the easiest as you can do it in any room! Yoga is a full body exercise that helps to strengthen and tone every muscle in the body. You can find full body workouts as well as poses that work specific parts of the body, should you want to focus on any one area.

It’s also really easy to find and create a workout. Not only are there tons of books on yoga which you can pick up from your local library or order online, but just a quick Google search will reveal pages of options from workouts depending on what you want to achieve, to exercises depending on how you want to feel afterwards.

Yoga is also known to help with physical aliments so if there’s something bothering you, look for exercises specifically for that symptom. The NHS website has some great videos for beginners and pre and post-natal mothers: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/yoga-with-lj/ If you are more of an intermediate however then check the Instagram account, howtopracticeyoga (https://www.instagram.com/howtopracticeyoga/) for practical pictures and tips on getting the pose correct so you can get the most out of it.

Weights

A daily session with weights is a great way to maintain core strength whilst building and toning muscle and elevating your heart rate. For women, just 15 minutes a day with 7-15Kg dumbbells (depends upon how much you can lift), will do wonders and within just a few months you will see a difference in your arms, legs (if you do squats with them) and abs (if you do core exercises with them). And, just one set of dumbbells is needed.

If you don’t already have any at home, then you can purchase relatively inexpensive ones online. YouTube has created a channel called Stay Home and Exercise which should pop up on your YouTube home page, from where you can find lots of different options from coaches with different styles so pick what suits you best.

Running

Depending on how well you’re feeling (if you genuinely have Covid-19, don’t do this), running can be a great form of exercise that gets you out of the house at least once a day and doesn’t involve exposing yourself to other people, and therefore the virus. Just 15 minutes to half an hour a day of this cardio, is a full body workout that will leave you feeling refreshed and well-exercised. Pounding your feet down the street is also a great way to work out any frustration you may have from being stuck at home.

If you want help getting started, try the NHS’s couch to 5K easy step-by-step guide here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/ They even have weekly podcasts to listen to as your run to help keep you going. To mix up your route so it doesn’t become monotonous, Google running routes near you and switch it up! If you can, try and find routes with more greenery so the air is fresher and the scenery will help clear your mind. If you’re worried about the rain, look into waterproof running gear, which you can again, purchase online. Also, although there are no shortage of running playlists on all streaming services, making your own can be a fun and fulfilling activity.

Cycling

Another full-body workout, cycling will not only provide you cardio and do wonders for building and toning muscle, it can also help sharpen your mind. You will become more aware of your body, your senses will sharpen and heighten as they become more alert to your surroundings to keep you safe and you will work the balancing mechanism in your body.

You can also it outdoors or in your home. Peloton is a great indoor-cycle fitness company that has created indoor exercise bikes that have an inbuilt screen through which you can partake in a virtual exercise class and watch and follow the instructor, who can talk to you and encourage you. However it is very expensive, so if it’s not for you, there a number of much more budget-friendly options that you can order online.

If you have an outdoor bike, then cycling outside can really boost your mood. Again, Google cycle routes near you and try and pick those with more greenery. Joining a cycling group for a day can be a great way to engage with others whilst also ensuring social distancing. Always remember to wear your helmet though.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-doing-yoga-pose-on-pink-yoga-mat-374589/

Gym floor exercises

Exercises like stretches, push-ups and pull-ups, although amongst the most hated, are the most necessary. They keep the body flexible and nimble, preventing your muscles from becoming stiff and getting pulled, which is always a risk when you are stressed and subconsciously hold the body tightly. In addition, they can be done anywhere and so are a great at-home exercise.

You can find exercises online, like on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/10-minute-workouts/ Each is 10 minutes long and focuses on a different area of the body and together, provide cardio and tone and strengthen the whole body. Alternatively, signing up for a taught course like with Kayla Fitness (https://www.kaylaitsines.com) can be a great way to create targets and achieve them with the help of an instructor and no need to leave your home!

https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-owoud

Pilates

Pilates is designed to strengthen the body with particular emphasis on core strength to improve general fitness and wellbeing. It can improve posture, muscle tone, balance and joint mobility, as well as relieve stress and tension. Like yoga, it can be done in any room but unlike yoga it is meant to be a more continuous movement rather than individual poses held for a certain period of time.

There are around 500 different exercises in Pilates of which 34 require only a mat. The rest need specific Pilates equipment like the Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, Spine Corrector and Ladder Barrel, all of which you can purchase relatively inexpensively online. Pilates is a great full-body workout that will leave you feeling refreshed and healthy. The NHS website has a range of Pilates workouts from ones for beginners through to specific ones for different problems like scoliosis, arthritis and back and knee pain: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/pilates-for-beginners/?tabname=pilates-and-yoga

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Exercises you can do at home during a global pandemic