Introduction

There is a fitness revolution happening all around the world today. Look around, and you can see new gyms coming up in every neighbourhood in town. Open any social media channel and you see fitness videos or ads about supplements. More and more people are shedding their inhibitions or sedentary lifestyle. Dressed in exercise clothes, they are walking outside home, or hitting the gym. Gym memberships are becoming more and more cost-effective. Gyms are getting modern and sport the latest equipment. So, is everyone hitting the gym?

Well, not really. Gymnasiums are the best thing to happen to the fit and health-conscious folks. However, gyms come with their own drawbacks.

• A good gym may not be closer home, so one must drive down or cycle there.
• The gym is popular and hence crowded most of the time. Off-peak hours may not be convenient for everybody, especially working folks.
• The gym reeks of sweat and body-odour in spite of fans and ACs.
• Handles of gym equipment are sweaty and touched by dozens of customers, so hygiene is definitely a concern.
• The gym does not offer training free of cost. Personal trainers always come with a price.
• Most customers at the gym are male, so some female customers feel conscious.

And so on…

So, how does one build a fitness regime, beyond the morning walk, without having to go to a gym? The answer is simple! One can comfortably exercise from the comfort of their home, with minimal to no gear required. If one is not aspiring to be a body-builder and one has the discipline to sustain a fitness routine at home, home workouts are the best thing to happen, after the internet. Don’t believe us? Just open YouTube. The number of fitness influencers showing home-workouts, is mind-boggling. So, stop fretting and join the millions of Indians who are working out at home. From corporate executives to housewives, students to retired seniors, aspiring actors to entrepreneurs, everyone is into home-workouts today!

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Get the Basics right

There are various aspects to building a Home-workout routine and if one is serious about it, all these aspects must be taken care of.

Goals: The first aspect is to be clear is what are your fitness goals? You are generally fit and want to keep it up, but have no time to go to the gym? You are an aspiring actor/model and you want to look fit and good as it important for your career? Do you have ache, pain or weakness in some part of the body and want to overcome that through exercise? Are you overweight and want to lose some weight and maintain that weight? Are you a senior who wants to stay fit and healthy well into old age? Depending on what your fitness goals are exactly, your fitness routine should be tailored to that.

Guidance: Next, what is the source of information about the exercises? Are you already aware? Are you being guided by a friend? Do you have a fitness trainer who will come to your home? Or will you just watch YouTube videos like most people do? All these options are fine. Just ensure you are following the right influencers or trainers on YouTube. This will ensure the information is accurate and there is no risk of injury due to exercising wrongly. In this article, we will not cover what exercises to do, as there is enough information for this, online.

General Health: Are you an arthritic senior who wants to start a home-workout now? You may have to consult your doctor first. There may be some stretching exercises which may strain your joints, so the doctor may prohibit them. Are you middle-aged or overweight, and having issues with bending and stretching due to low flexibility? Are you a fit person who wants to take it to the next level? Answering this question will decide what exercises feature in your routine, and what do not.

Gear: The advantage of a home-workout is that one does not need equipment like those available at a gym. However, its good to have 2 pairs of dumb-bells of different weights. This will help in resistance training. Same with resistance bands, etc. Other than these, you may require a chair, a bench if one is available, and a yoga mat. These are adequate for a good workout routine.

Location: This above point also implies that you must choose the location inside the home with care. There should be enough space, with no dangerous obstructions around that can injure you. Adequate light and ventilation are good to have as these will keep you motivated. The choice to play music or not, while exercising, is a personal one. But in general, one must avoid all distractions while working out. Keep the phone on silent and tell your family members at home to not disturb you in this time.

Frequency: As most influencers will tell you, 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is good enough, which translates into 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week. However, if you are very fit and are capable of doing high intensity workouts, 75 minutes of intense training per week, or 15 minutes per day, 5 days a week is good enough. This will decide the choice of exercises, and number of repetitions. When it comes to repetitions (reps), 2 sets of 12 reps each for every exercise is optimum.

Supplements: Both online influencers and acquaintances will bombard you with information about supplements and how necessary they are. However, please note, if you are having a healthy and balanced diet most of the time, that is good enough and supplements are not a must. If you still want to use them, or if you are consuming a low-protein diet, then a whey protein powder from a popular brand is good to have. Beyond this, all other supplements that are advertised are only for heavy exercisers with higher fitness goals. Such people would anyway hit a gym and not workout at home. So, such supplements are not for you.

Diet/Dietician: A balanced diet with a healthy mix of proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, fresh fruits and vegetables, dry fruits and low-fat dairy are required for anybody including those pursuing a home-workout. However, if you are not sure that your diet is balanced, or if you are overweight and need to rework your diet, it is important to consult a dietician/nutritionist at a reputed hospital. Such people will give you the right guidance, and the fact that you are spending money on the same will keep you motivated to follow their tips. In contrast, too much of dietary information available online can be confusing, or even ignored since they are free!

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Some dos and don’ts

• Target all parts of the body: It is important to target all the parts of the body, each on different days of the week. That is, back and shoulder on one day, hands on the 2nd, legs on the 3rd, abdomen exercises on the 4th, and chest on the 5th. Such a balanced routine is important to minimize injury from over-exercising a single part of the body, and also ensure all parts of the body receive the benefit of exercising.
• Attire: One must wear loose-fitting and comfortable clothes, of preferably cotton (and not synthetic material). Have exclusive clothes for working out and do not use them for other purposes.
• Warm-up: It’s important to warm up before starting your routine for the day. Rather, warm-up should be the first item in your routine. This could be light aerobic exercises for a minimum of 10 minutes. Not warming-up can increase the risk of injuries, as the body is stiffer and less flexible before warm-up than after warm-up.
• Hydration: Its important to stay hydrated all through your day and even while exercising. Take few sips of water from a bottle every 10 minutes.
• Eating/not eating: As some influencers will tell you, in order to maximize the benefits of exercise, its best to exercise on an empty stomach. However, one can choose to have a light meal that is rich in carbohydrates, an hour or 2 hours before working out. And immediately after work-out, one must consume protein sources. These could be a protein shake, eggs, glass of milk, lassi etc.
• Cooling down: It’s important to cool your body down for 5-10 minutes after working out and not rush into heavy work immediately. This keeps the body temperature at optimum levels. It also acts as a welcome break before you get into the next part of your day.
• Collaboration: There are thousands of people working out from home today. You can join such online groups and attend live-streaming classes (workout sessions). Such sessions will keep you motivated. These classes are run by fitness coaches, so you will get useful advice, then and there, during your workout.

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Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai (Alwarpet & Vadapalani), Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

Chennai Alwarpet – 044 4000 6000 •  Chennai Vadapalani – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801

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