THE HOME WORKOUT

BY Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha

Spending time in a gym is an extremely popular activity among young professionals and businesspeople in modern Sri Lanka. In the past, between leaving school and establishing ourselves in a career, those of us from the older generations paid lip service to the importance of physical exercise.

Even if we were aware of the value of keeping our bodies in good shape, as well as maintaining stamina, strength and suppleness, we kept telling ourselves (and others who cared to listen) that we were too busy to exercise. It was as if being ‘too busy’ was a mark of excellence!

Consequently, we put on weight and our fitness suffered – and soon, we began developing the natural consequences of accumulated inactivity like
high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis.

But here’s some good news…

You don’t have to pay thousands of rupees to join an upscale gym or hire a personal trainer, or invest in an expensive treadmill or buy barbells and dumbbells. All you need is some space at home and willpower, and be smart enough to use the equipment that’s lying around the house.

When gym junkies talk about ‘cardio workouts,’ all it really means is that they’re engaging in some physical activity that has their hearts beating faster. Brisk walking (not strolling or ambling along) for half an hour a day is also fine with the aim being to walk fast enough so you’re breathless at the end.

Check your pulse before and after exercising. The increase in your pulse rate is an indication that your heart has been activated to beat faster.

So what if you don’t like walking in the open, outside your house early morning or in the evening after you return home? Well, you can walk inside your home! If your house is small or you live in an apartment, consider jogging in the same spot – slowly at first until you build up stamina, then gradually increasing your pace. For those who like a more fun route to aerobic activity, simply play some music and dance!

Of course, if you dance with earphones on, it’s possible that the rest of the household may think you’re weird if they see you gyrating on your own and in silence. What’s more, bopping and shaking to music is not only effective in getting your heart pumping; it can put you in a happy mood too!

While walking, jogging, dancing and skipping are great ways to improve your aerobic fitness, gaining strength and toning your muscles is most important. This too can be conveniently achieved at home. The largest muscles in your body are those in your legs – the quadriceps in the front of your thighs, the hamstrings at the back and calf muscles below the back of the knees.

You can strengthen those muscles by simply doing 10 squats at a time at home while brushing your teeth or watching TV or soon after you get out of bed in the morning.

There are several websites with useful information. Check this BBC article (on www.bbc.com/sport/get-inspired/32416767) or if you’re more ambitious, this video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbF_NQ1rVWg) covers high intensity workouts at home.

Good luck with your new in-house workout routine!