At a time where the majority of the continent is staying home, your desired type of exercise may be no longer viable. That’s why you need to extend what other types of exercise you do when you’re at home.
Aerobic exercise has many health benefits for your body. It improves your cardiovascular system as well as your respiration and improves your blood volume & distribution – which will help more blood get to your muscles for when you get back into the gym. Oregon Providence says that other benefits of regular aerobic exercise include decreasing anxiety & stress, reducing high blood pressure, using fat as energy, weight loss and decreasing heart rate. You should look to do aerobic exercise at least 5 days per week according to Healthline and aerobic activities should be conducted for at least 30 minutes per day.
Core exercises also have their benefits, they improve the transfer of power throughout the body and teach the muscles how to work together.
In this article, we’re going to be looking at what aerobic workout you can do with different types of equipment and how you can boost them to reach high-intensity and get your heart pumping.
Aerobic Exercises
WALKING
The most simple and convenient form of aerobic exercise is walking. It does not require any equipment other than a pair of trainers which you probably already have. It is also very easy to match the walking pace to your fitness level, from power walking to a light jog. Whilst running is popular, walking is a relaxing experience that is very good for people starting their exercise journey. If you’re looking to lose weight, walking is brilliant because it doesn’t put as much pressure on your joints or muscles as some of the exercises below do.
If you’re looking to add a little resistance to your walks and work those muscles harder, our 2kg wrist/ankle weights add that little bit of extra weight to your body to help you burn the calories and improve the cardiovascular system. It’s a noticeable bit of weight, but it should be enough where you can easily keep up the regular tempo and strengthen your body. They have adjustable straps and can be used on either your ankles or your wrists.
SKIPPING
When you skip, you are helping your body develop a better awareness of itself, whilst also improving your hand & foot co-coordination as well as your overall agility, champion boxers and athletes alike use skipping for these benefits. If you don’t have any skipping ropes, they’re generally a cheap piece of equipment to purchase and all you need is a small, clear space – clear of any obstacles to reduce the risk of injury (or breaking something).
You can choose to adjust the intensity to suit your needs, and even add some weight to wrist/ankles or body for extra resistance. If you need some skipping ropes, we have some Lonsdale Skipping Ropes or our own SSS Blue Nylon Skipping Rope.
Core-Building Exercises
PLANK
Planking is THE core-building exercise. It is perfect for beginners and it involves almost no movement but you need to put in the most effort. Add some music to the exercise to really get your heart-rate going and work those muscles. You plank by supporting your body on your forearms and toes whilst holding your body in a straight line from shoulders to ankles. You can also do dead-mans plank by resting on your hands then back down to your forearms.
Whilst you can do it in any room, purchasing an exercise mat gives you endless possibilities where to plank, with some added comfort and support. It means you can go in your back garden on a warm sunny day without getting grass stains all over your elbows.
EXERCISE BALL
Exercise balls are very versatile, you can conduct various exercises with one piece of equipment. Greatist made a list of the best exercise ball exercises which includes V-sits, ball jogs, handoffs & knee-tuck. If you’re not sure how to do these exercises, you can look at this video below.
If you look like you’re up to the challenge, why not purchase one of our exercise balls? Cheap, colourful and great for the exercises shown above.
SIT-UPS
Another great core-workout. Sit-ups are one of the most unforgiving exercises you can do if you have poor form. Sit-ups run the risk of injuries so you have to make sure that you do them properly.
PureGym has outlined how to do a proper sit-up. You need to keep your feet, hips & knees aligned with your knees which should be bent and your feet should be flat on the floor. Exhale on your way up and inhale when you go back down. It is important to not use your head to try and gain momentum as it could injure your neck.
If you need a piece of equipment to help you, we have our Ironman Sit-Up Bar. The Deluxe Sit Up Bar, thanks to an oversized, non-damaging screw-on clamp, it attaches to any door and is adjustable to your dimensions. It is also fitted with comfortable neoprene-padded footrests to make every sit-up safer, and it is lightweight and very supportive, offering fast release for portability so you can take it everywhere.
Why not take a look at our entire list of aerobic exercise equipment as well as our full range of fitness equipment.