On October 30, Belgium announced a six-week lockdown, which led to the closure of many establishments, including gyms. A complicated situation where doing sports is a real challenge. However, if staying at home becomes an obligation, there is no question of letting yourself go and abandoning your objectives. And why not take advantage of this free time to take even better care of yourself and your body and break your bad habits. It is important for our health to exercise and to take a moment of physical activity at home every day. But how to stay in shape, what gestures and what diet to adopt? We explain the programs and exercises to follow to be in top shape. Because staying fit while staying at home is possible!
Sports: an ally for your health
We will never stop repeating it, sports play a crucial role in physical and mental well-being and health. It is also and above all, a major ally for our immune system. It is therefore more than ever recommended to practice a physical activity on a regular basis, especially during periods of confinement to avoid the risk of muscle wasting. Indeed, confinement can have harmful effects on our body and our morale. By staying at home, we tend to snack and stay mobile. The result? Weight gain and low morale. But this time, no question of letting yourself down! So arm yourself with your best willpower and get into your gym clothes. This is your chance to lose those few pounds you gained during the first lockdown.
Sports at home: how do you prepare?
Don't have any sports equipment at your disposal? You live in an apartment or studio and you fear not having enough space to perform your training? Don't panic, different options are available to you for your home gym session. You don't need to have any sports equipment to get stronger and exercise. Many bodyweight exercises allow you to build muscle at home without the need for equipment or a large space. All you need is a little space to lay out a mat on the floor (if you don't have one, a thick towel or blanket will do), extend your arms and stretch your legs without difficulty. And there you have it! You are ready to reach your goals. Why work out in the gym when you can bring the gym home, right?
Best exercises to work out at home
Did you overdo the treats a bit and the appetizers repeated more than expected during your first lockdown? Have you been lazing around and enjoying the famous "Netflix and chill"? As a result, your scale shows the appearance of a few extra pounds. More motivated than ever, losing weight becomes your number 1 goal. But be careful not to rush into anything that could hurt you. It is therefore important to start your training gently. There is no need to go too fast and burn out the stages, go gradually and add a bit of difficulty each day. And it is slowly but surely that you will get there and that you will see, after a few weeks, the real changes drawn on your figure.
Here are some ideas and easy tips to do at home to lose weight.
Working on your cardio at home
First of all, before you get into the cardio exercises, don't forget to warm up well before any workout, hydrate and stretch well after the session. A few rotations and flexions later, you're finally ready to start your cardio session.fat burner and real ally of the immune system, cardio has many beneficial effects for our body and our body. But it is also and above all an excellent way to let off steam and de-stress. However, let's not forget our main goal, lose weight. To do this, focus on short 30-minute cardio sessions five times a week during confinement. Also alternate your cardio exercises so you don't get bored: jumping jacks, squats, fast jogging in place like a real boxer, burpees and front lunges. Start with a set of 10 and increase the number of reps when you feel comfortable. If, over time, you want to increase the difficulty of your program, use weights. Get a bag and fill it with heavy items such as books. This should make your session more complicated.
Strengthening to lose weight
Once you've finished your cardio session, it's time for the strength training exercises! If for many, weight training is seen as a simple technique to gain muscle and not as a way to lose weight, this is simply a false belief. In fact, in addition to shaping the figure, developing muscle mass increases the metabolism and thus allows you to naturally spend more calories and therefore lose fat in the long term.
One of the best bodybuilding exercises to facilitate weight loss is the gainage. Often hated, the sheathing allows for many benefits. Not only does it allow you to work several muscles at the same time such as the back and lumbar, but it also and especially strengthens the abdominal belt. The result? You will help maintain your spine, improve your upper and lower body strength and, most importantly, refine your figure. Abdominal plank, lateral gainage or hip lift, exercises accessible to all, beginners as well as confirmed sportsmen, it is the ideal ally to lose weight.
However, if these exercises are poorly performed, in addition to providing no effect on your body, it can, on the other hand, cause harmful effects to your back.
Therefore, make sure you are accompanied and have an external opinion on your good positioning. So, get a mat (or a towel) and let's go for a session of gainage! Lie on your stomach, lean on your elbows and the tips of your feet, keep your back straight so that your whole body is tense and aligned. All this while contracting your abs. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute and repeat the exercise 5 to 10 times. And with each new session, just like the cardio exercises, feel free to increase the duration of the sheathing by about 10 seconds, and alternate the exercises if the ease is felt.
Complementary nutrition
While physical activity is paramount, it is important to ensure that nutrition does not conflict with, or detract from, the efforts made during sports sessions. It is also essential to ensure that the body is supplied with sufficient energy.
While regular physical activity is a good way to stay slim and healthy, it must therefore be complemented by an appropriate diet. Contrary to popular belief, maintaining a beautiful figure does not inevitably require a drastic diet ... If there is a trap that must be avoided at all costs to lose weight, it is the diet. Indeed, slimming diets are known to be based on various dietary restrictions, in terms of quality and/or quantity of food.
Result, they are sold by a failure on the long term. So depriving yourself is not the right solution. The more you forbid yourself to eat certain foods, the more it can cause you a kind of food frustration much more caloric than any other food. The best way is to keep a balanced diet, which will allow you to maintain a healthier lifestyle. And if the urge comes to you to make a small gap, we have a healthier alternative such as protein bars. Low in sugar but high in calories, it's the perfect snack to accompany you in your weight loss efforts. It's the perfect partner for your workouts and your most fast-paced days. In fact, proteinsplay a major role in weight loss. Because of their satiety-inducing power, proteins are more satiating than any other supplement thus decreasing the feeling of hunger. In addition protein requires burning more calories to digest than other foods.
To reach your goals faster and more comfortably, add a protein powder supplement to your diet. Low in carbohydrates and fat, protein powder will keep you calm for a while and is great at the end of a session, as a lunch or as a snack. There are also plant-based proteins such as pea and rice, which are just as effective as animal proteins for weight loss, specifically for vegan or dairy-intolerant people.
Slimming down: simple and effective steps to take!
Combine physical activity with a healthy lifestyle and diet and you will reach your ultimate goal of weight loss. Also take advantage of the confinement to rest. Because yes it is proven, sleep helps with weight loss. Finally don't neglect the little things you do on a daily basis such as drinking enough water and moving more. You will see, with a little motivation and positivism, doing sports at home and losing weight has never been so conducive and easy. So ready to achieve your goal?