by Shameera Nair Lin

With the current closure of gyms and restricted movement, there are fewer opportunities to get in a dose of 10k steps, which is the recommended amount of walking in a given day for a reasonably healthy lifestyle. However, working from home also affords the opportunity for more flexibility in maintaining or improving your fitness. Here are a few suggestions!

1. Stretch the moment you wake up

The older we get, the more likely we are to feel odd pains in our limbs and joints. I say odd, because they tend to come out of nowhere — I remember waking up once, at the age of 23, with a back ache that lasted an entire day, only to vanish into nothingness the next day. Since that painful incident, I have come to appreciate the fragility of the human body. Want to minimise random aches throughout the work day? Get at least 10-15 minutes of stretching in. Here’s a video to start with! If this seems like too much of a commitment, remember those stretches we were all forced to do during school warm-ups? Do those, and start the day sufficiently warmed up before settling down in the office chair. (Extra tip: get a cushion for your office chair if it’s imperfect. I have learnt this the hard way, too.) 

2. Keep track of what you eat!

I know what you’re thinking: it’s quite annoying to have to observe everything you eat. You don’t have to do so wholeheartedly, unless you are aiming to lose weight religiously. However, looking at what you eat is a great way to understand how your body works. Doing so at home is easier; cooking allows you to look at how you can maintain sustainable habits. It’s been proven that 2000 calories of Coca-Cola and crisps per day isn’t the same as 2000 calories of vegetables and healthy nutrients, and will have an overall effect on your mood. That is not to say that you should discourage yourself from eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s for lunch, once in a while — it’s great! Snacking can be done healthily as well — nuts, yoghurt, vegetables, grains and the occasional packet of your favourite snack will not hurt you. I find it easier to spread my meals throughout the day; there’s little risk of being too sleepy from overeating. If you’re looking at losing weight, it’s all about calories in, calories out (CICO). To maintain a structured sense of how you’re doing, use myfitnesspal, which contains a database of Malaysian foods as well. 

3. Exercising for 15 minutes a day is better than no exercise at all. 

This goes out to anyone who doesn’t spend an hour a day in the gym. Do not worry, because different people have different aims. To get your heart racing momentarily and get the energy spike you might need for a good day at work, however, it only takes 10-15 minutes of moderate exercise for that massive improvement. Even if you’re doing mild aerobic exercise for a short period, you’re still moving! Try dance, maybe — this is a beginner-friendly 10-minute dance workout that will get you started, without too much impact on your joints. And if dancing doesn’t excite you, HIIT workouts are a fantastic way to get a short workout in! Here’s a no-jump HIIT workout video. 

4. Watch YouTube! 

Sorry for the clickbait title, I figured this was the point at which some of us might want to stop thinking about exercise. YouTube is a fantastic source for all sorts of workouts — videos are a surprisingly motivational way to sustain an entire workout, because you have someone else in your space without having them around literally, cheering you on and guiding you through the pain. YouTube also provides great workout ideas: spend less time contemplating what you’d like to do, and start doing instead! For dance/zumba, some great channels are dancefunfitness, 375 Dance Studio and Tara’s body. If you’re looking for strength training and no-equipment workouts, try Blogilates and Heather Robertson. And if you’re willing to fork out some money, ClassPass offers a solid array of workout videos and other one-on-one workout classes for RM39 per month. 

5. Get weights

It is easy to get a rigorous workout at home without committing to a physical gym, or in the current situation, when gyms are unavailable. Get a few dumbbells and free weights for your house, and look up muscle conditioning exercises. These will help strengthen your body and allow you to feel physically better about not having to use your physical body for day-to-day activities as frequently, If you’re looking to lose weight, weights are the best way to sustain fat-burning. For the best combination, do strength training alongside home cardio workouts. 

Let us know if you have questions or suggestions — we’d love to hear from you!