Home exercises to do while under self-quarantine

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown effective from Thursday, 26 March, at midnight. 

WATCH LIVE: President Cyril Ramaphosa's update on #COVID19

This means that no one will be allowed to leave their homes, except for when they go to buy essentials such as food and medication or to visit the hospital.

If you are worried about putting on weight because you won't be able to go to the gym and exercise, don't fret. 

READ: Get moving! Four in five adolescents don't exercise enough: WHO

These exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home. 

Running around your yard

Although you can't run around your neighbourhood, you can still exercise in your own yard. Run and walk around your yard. 

Running and walking have great benefits such as strengthening the muscles, improving cardiovascular fitness, and helping to burn kilojoules.

READ: A guide to walking, the Spring Walk way

Skipping 

This is a great outdoor exercise for the whole family. It is a fun way of exercising and can be done both in-house or in the yard. 

Sit-ups

Sit-ups are said to help with losing tummy fat and toning the ab area. You can do them in your living room or in the comfort of your bedroom. 

Squats

Squats are known to help build muscles and tone the body. They are also another easy form of exercise that can be done indoors. 

Siyasanga Mfenyana, media personality and co-founder of Girls With Gains, spoke to Urban Espresso about more home workouts for all fitness types.

Jogging with ankle weights

"I learnt this trick from my ballet teacher when I was young. She would make us wear them for half the class then take them off. We would feel stronger and so much lighter once we took them off. That’s exactly how I feel after a 30-minute jog (outdoors or on the spot at home) with them on."

Using resistance bands

"The name speaks for itself. Anything is a little bit harder with resistance. If you’re doing cardio, this helps tone and build muscle instead of just losing weight. When using resistance bands during a workout you tend to feel more muscle activation than if you were doing an exercise without them."

Pilates

"The full body workout and core strengthening from pilates is insane! Pilates is also a great way to focus on and understand how to breathe better during workouts. Joining a pilates class with an instructor is great, but, it’s really easy to find great pilates instruction videos on Youtube that you can then work from in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a bit of space and an exercise mat. You can of course head out (after lockdown, of course) and get all the bells and whistles (such as gliders, pilates ring and more) to take your pilates session to the next level."

Moving push-ups

"I promise this isn’t just for soldiers in the army! This exercise begins by getting yourself into the plank position, and from here moving your weight slowly from the left shoulder to the right, and repeating. This is a great way to strengthen your upper body and develop gorgeous and defined shoulders."

Keeping your peach tight with glute kickbacks

"Glute kickbacks are one of my favourite exercises to keep your booty in great shape. They’re really easy to do from home.

1. Get onto all fours, with a straight spine, and contract your core muscles.

2. Extend your right leg back and up until your thigh is parallel with the ground. The sole of your right foot should be facing the ceiling.

3. Contract your glute at the top of the move and hold for a beat.

4. Return to your starting position without touching your knee to the ground and repeat.

5. Do 12 to 20 repetitions, then switch sides.

Add a weight or ankle weights to take this exercise to the next level.

Most importantly, when doing any kind of workout at home (or anywhere, for that matter) be sure to always stay hydrated."

Check out more exercises you can do at home from the Scott Redding:

Check out more exercises you can do at home from the Scott Redding:

Image courtesy of iStock/ gorodenkoff

Press release of www.urbanespresso.co.za.