The coronavirus pandemic has brought our lives to a standstill. Since we have been advised to go out only when absolutely necessary—like to buy food and medicines—cardio exercises like jogging, cycling, and swimming have become an absolute no-no. And with gyms and fitness centers closing their doors, getting our daily workouts and thus staying in shape have become next to impossible. But it needn’t be that way. Here we asked some fitness enthusiasts how they are making sure they stay in shape while being locked up at home.
MOHIT KARKI Nutritionist
My home workout includes a lot of bodyweight movements like squats, push-ups, pull-ups, and burpees. Along with all this, I also have a pair of dumbells to work out in a specific way, one that fits my needs. For cardio, I use a jump rope and try to perform bodyweight movements in a circuit fashion with a minimum amount of rest time. Nutrition-wise, I’m trying to take an adequate amount of protein, healthy fats, citrus fruits, and drink plenty of water. Moreover, I think it’s better to cut down on carbohydrates a little as our activity level is reduced these days. I also think it would be a good idea to add multivitamins and fish oil to our diets.
RIZA SHRESTHA Student
Fitness closest to you
My gym closed down a week ago. And since then I’ve been relying on online sources for workout videos. YouTube is a fantastic place to look for workout regimes. There are variations depending on which body part you want to work on and how long you want to work out for. Just a few days ago, a girl from my gym texted me asking for abs workout regime and I sent her a link to a video. Going out is extremely risky so I would definitely advise home workouts right now. Just find an open space you can move around in, preferably an empty room rather than the balcony or the rooftop as I think you can become a wee bit conscious here and do the exercises in a hurry. I have also been paying attention to my diet and I would recommend everyone trying to stay in shape to do the same.
AMSHU DALI Project manager
Now that all gyms and fitness centers have closed down, I watch and follow videos from fitness gurus online. Many fitness trainers who I follow on Instagram have posted their own home workout videos so I mainly follow those. I actually have a few fitness equipment like dumbbells, a jump rope, a resistance band and a yoga mat so I’m utilizing these things to the fullest these days. The one thing that I like about working out at home is how I can just get up and do it at any time during the day, and I also don’t have to waste time getting to and back from the gym. I would recommend HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts to everyone who wants to continue exercising during their self-isolation period. Even if you don’t have any equipment at home, you can do some body weight workouts like squats, lunges and burpees. These, trust me, are highly effective.
ADITYA SHRESTHA Personal trainer
The first thing I would say is to keep moving. Personally, I would advise a 30-minute home workout. All you need for it is some free space to perform the exercises. These are the basic bodyweight exercises that work most of your body parts—pushups, squat, burpees, walking lunges, situps and plank. You can do these for three rounds of 10 to 15 repetitions with 30 seconds to one minute rest in between depending on your personal endurance capacity. These exercises are going to help you stay active and burn some calories for the rest of the day. On the long run, exercising daily and eating healthy food are also going to build up your immune system which is going to improve your overall health.
RUPA GHISING Dancer
The biggest drawback of not being at a fitness center is that you’ll feel less motivated to do your regular workout. But circumstances are such that you don’t know when the gyms will reopen and you can’t run the risk of becoming unfit. There might not be proper equipment at home, but I think there are enough videos on YouTube and other internet sources have all the information you need to keep up with your cardio regimes. Aside from this, I also pay attention to what I’m consuming on a daily basis. Healthy food and drinks are a must when you’re trying to stay in shape. I believe working out from home isn’t that difficult if you put your mind to it. As long as you have some space and something to guide you, you’ll be just fine.
PRESHANEE BHATTARAI Student
In order to still keep ourselves fit during this time, we have set up a little home gym where we have a crossfit, a pair of dumbbells and a mat that we ordered online. I’m planning to pair up with my mother and work out for at least one and a half hours to two hours a day. Along with working out, I also will be taking care of what I eat. It’s no secret that staying fit is part exercise and part diet. So, during this time, I will try to avoid eating junk food and consume foods like buckwheat, vegetables, fruits, lentils, etc in order to set a habit. Also, some workouts that one can do without any equipment are cardio exercises like skipping, running, climbers and burpees.
