How to stay active and healthy in self-isolation? WHO recommendations

Quarantine is no reason to lie on the couch. Today, when gyms and fitness centers are closed, and if possible it is better not to go outdoors at all, our physical activity has noticeably decreased. Even if you weren’t exercising before the outbreak, you were still working, walking, and spending time outside. It’s no wonder that now many people are exhausted from sitting in four walls and the inability to lead the same lifestyle. After all, the total home regime can have a detrimental effect on health, mood and become an additional source of stress. The World Health Organization has released a list of simple recommendations that will help not to lose shape in the limited space of the apartment.

Make time for physical activity

WHO recommends devoting at least 150 minutes a week to physical activity, that is, about 20 minutes a day. This will be enough for those who are not used to doing sports. But for those who even before self-isolation devoted time to sports, World Class trainer Alexander Karpov advises to approach the recommended norm a little differently.

Alexander: 20 minutes a day – it’s about charging or warming up before training. If a person did not do any physical activity before the quarantine, he will certainly benefit from this amount of training time. If you used to exercise three times a week for an hour and a half, then 20 minutes will not be enough. But if you split those 150 minutes into three workouts a week, that’s a different conversation. In general, the optimal amount of time depends on your exercise experience, fitness level, goals, and health.

To stay in shape at home, basic exercises that engage as many muscle groups as possible are fine. WHO recommends that mini-sessions include plank, bridge, boat, squats, classic and reverse push-ups and stretching. Still, every homebody should take into account a number of individual factors when creating a training plan.

Alexander: It all depends on training experience, sports equipment, fitness level and health condition. But if we don’t take into account sports fans and fitness maniacs, I recommend combining exercises for all major muscle groups in one training session. For example, in one include exercises for the muscles of the legs and buttocks, bark, chest and upper back. And in another – exercises for the muscles of the legs, shoulders, arms and bark.

People far from fitness can find other useful activities to do at home. For example, playing with children or dancing. Special attention should now be paid to maintaining cleanliness in the apartment. It seems to be the right time to take up a broom, eliminate the dust behind the sofa and disperse the blood to the muscles. Of course, cleaning can not replace a workout, but at least make you move.

Breathe and relax

To protect yourself from stress and relieve emotional tension, you need to learn how to relax properly. The easiest way is breathing practices. Sit down, close your eyes and start breathing deeply and evenly.

Alexander: The main purpose of breathing exercises is to lower blood pressure. In addition, breathing practices can reduce stress and anxiety.

Muscle relaxation exercises can be added to these practices. Maximize tension and then relax your fists, arms, hands, shoulders, neck, pectoral muscles, face, stomach and legs. This technique will help with anxiety.

Pay attention to what you eat

Nutrition is an important aspect in maintaining optimal health. It should be monitored at all times, not just during self-isolation. But now it has become especially important to follow healthy habits.

Alexander: First of all, during self-isolation the calorie intake will be reduced anyway. If you don’t adjust your diet, it can lead to excess weight gain. Secondly, all the recommendations existed before the quarantine. Just now, when the level of mobility of people has significantly decreased, they have become even more relevant. It is necessary to consume enough water, limit sugar-containing products, flour, fatty, salty. And also limit yourself as much as possible or give up fast food, alcohol and smoking.