"Nurture your body to strengthen your soul"
Recall the moments of your life when your heart almost leaped out of your mouth after seeing a mesmerizing figure, a perfect personality according to you. How much attention you paid to each and every detail of their body and actions. That grace, that charm, that aura, that picture-perfect kind of look.
Yes, you are right I am talking about your ideal type, be it real or fictional. But whatever you thought just now is exactly what you want. No, not as your Mr. Perfect but as you yourself, that is what YOU want to be. You want to have that majestical figure. You think that's not possible, right? Yes, it is. The only difference between you and them is the decision of getting started. Reaching a goal is not the most difficult thing, getting started is.
This COVID-19 pandemic has given us all a time where we are done making excuses. This is actually that long time break from your hectic lives that you always wanted.
And if you still think fitness is not important then have a look at what fitness does:
Why You need to Have A Fitness Regime
Improves life expectancy
Studies have shown that regular moderate physical exercise such as brisk walking can increase life expectancy by several years. Normal people who exercise for 150 minutes or more weekly, lived about 4.7 years longer than the ones who didn't exercise, and so is the case with obese people depending on how obese they are.
There is so much more to see in this ever-surprising world and you wanna die early! Really?
Saves money
Staying in shape saves you a lot of money. And that too in so unique ways that you wouldn't have imagined. Physical fitness reduces your medication cost, transportation cost, and a lot more. You won't need sleeping pills or coffee when you'll have a healthy lifestyle. It will reduce the cost of your cosmetics for when you already have glowing skin you surely won't allow makeup to cover it up. On the other hand, mental fitness will save you a therapist cost, and most important of all, it will help you maintain concentration on work so you can make more money if that's what matters to you.
Saves time
Well, that's the most neglected as well as the most surprising benefit of staying fit. Most of us might think that in order to stay fit, we'll have to give a lot of our precious time. Well, think about the time and energy you'll have to waste on healing if you catch a disease. Spending long hours at the clinic, resting, therapy sessions, slow work progress due to lack of energy. When you stay fit, your metabolism works faster, and you have more natural energy to do work.
Can eat anything you want
This may sound crazy, but this is enough motivation for a foodie to get started. Remember being fit doesn't mean that you have to starve yourself, and eating healthy does not mean that you have to quit your favorite food or get complicated.
Enjoy life
When your body and mind are healthy, you are automatically filled with a lot of positivity. Your mood lifts up, and you feel so good like you are already on the ninth cloud. It is so because exercise releases endorphins, which is almost like a happy pill.
You may also read: Self-care 101: A Guide To Ensure Your Well-being
Easy fitness regimes to follow
Now if you think that you'll have to search the web and choose the most intense workout to gain fitness, then you are wrong. You can have a perfect fit and healthy body and mind just by doing some simple things at your home in this crisis time.
Dancing
This is something that most of us love to do. And let me tell you dancing comes with a lot of pros like reduced stress, improved condition of lungs and heart, increased muscular strength, endurance, aerobic fitness, weight management, and so much more. So play some music, get on the floor and tap your feet.
Gardening
If you have a garden at home, then this is the best time to make some friends in nature. A 2006 study shows gardening could lower the risk of dementia by 36%. It is an enjoyable exercise that boosts your mood as well.
Walking
Well if you still have a tight schedule then also you can at least do some walking or running. You can walk while you are on a call or while you are reading. Studies show 30 minutes of the brisk walk can burn 200 calories. Walking improves your sleeping patterns, reduces Alzheimer's risk, helps in losing weight, etc.
Some short exercise
If you are really very passionate about getting a perfect shape, then you can try out some least time-consuming exercises like skipping, planks, squats, push-ups, pull-ups, etc. Remember, something is better than nothing.
Listen to some music
This may sound nothing to you, but this can be the best therapy to relieve stress. Music has a direct connection with your hormones, and hence it can even help in curing insomnia and boost our immune system. It also helps in learning and recalling information more effectively. So you think music is just a hobby?
Meditation
It is the best way to improve your concentration power. Meditation helps you relax and calm down even when you are at the peak of anxiety. It helps you reach the epitome of energy.
Spend time on what you like
Yes, lockdown is not a productivity race, and you should know this. It's already a tough phase in our lives so just give some time to love yourselves. Write, draw, sing, paint, read, cook, do what you love, just chill and detox yourself a bit. Take some time away from social media and find out what you really love.
Yoga - The Ultimate Solution To All Your Problems
Yoga is defined as the union of body and soul. And indeed it is. Yoga is something that you definitely should practice, not only in vacations but on a regular basis. It comes with countless benefits, both physically and mentally. It has the power to cure long term diseases with minimum efforts and no side effects. It probably is the best way to stay fit both physically and mentally. There are numerous yoga postures with their own set of benefits.
And we'll have to accept that all of us have tried to start yoga after seeing its list of benefits whenever we come across them, but we don't know where to start and what is suitable to us. So here are common problems and their curing asanas.
Back pain
Most of us might be suffering from back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain these days. The reasons can be excessive use of phones, TVs and computers, inappropriate postures, lack of nutrients. Here are some asanas that you can do for curing these pains:
- Cat pose
- Child's pose
- Cow pose
- Extended triangle pose
- Sukhasana
- Standing forward bend
- Sphinx pose
- Downwards facing dog
- Reclined pigeon pose
Reduce fat
Almost all people start doing exercises to reduce fat, with a wish to have a perfect body. And not only that, obesity is a major problem in all countries. And this lockdown has given it a sudden rise. But there are some very simple yoga asanas that can help you overcome this major problem of everyone's life:
- Tadasana (Mountain pose)
- Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
- Padahastasana (Standing forward bend)
- Paschimottanasana (Seated forward bend)
- Pavanamuktasana (Wind Relieving Pose)
- Naukasana (Boat Pose)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
- Marjariasana (Cow cat pose or cat pose)
Eyesight
The increased usage of phones and computers in this electronic age has led to weak eyesight of even small children. This lockdown has elevated the problem even more by increasing the normal screen time. And eyes are a very important part of our body which we should never neglect. So here are some effective exercises for eyes:
- Eye-rotation up and down
- Eye-rotation sideways
- Eye-rotation clockwise and anticlockwise
- Palming
- Bhastrika Pranayam
- Kapalbhati Pranayam
- Bahya Pranayam
- Anulom-Viloma Pranayam
- Udgeeth Pranayam
- Shavasana
Mental Health
Mental Health has recently been widely discussed all over the world. Almost every other person is suffering from mental health issues. And this lockdown has severely elevated this problem. People end up getting lonely, locked down in their homes. And hence face mental health-related issues that are easily ignored. Here are some asanas that can help you avoid mental health issues:
- Anjaneyasana (Crescent pose)
- Garudasana (Eagle pose)
- Natarajasana (Dancer pose)
- Virabhadrasana (Warrior pose)
- Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand pose)
- Vajrasana (Adamantine pose)
- Padmasana (Lotus pose)
- Vriksasana (Tree pose)
- Chakrasana (Wheel pose)
Menstrual Health
Menstrual health for women is equally important for a fit body as much as other factors are. Here are some asanas that help regulate menstrual health cycle:
- Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
- Ustrasana (Camel pose)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
- Malasana (Garland pose)
- Baddha konasana (Butterfly pose)
Diabetes and blood pressure
These are the two most common diseases found in people these days. Even a newly born baby could be diabetic. These diseases are life long and cannot be cured by medicines. Here are some yoga asanas that can help you control these diseases:
- Shishuasana (Child pose)
- Vajrasana (diamond pose)
- Paschimottanasana (Forward bend pose)
- Shavasana (corpse pose)
- Sukhasana (easy pose)
- Halasana (plow pose)
- Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
- Pranayam
- Yoga nidra
- Setu bandhasana (Bridge pose)
Healthy Skin
If you think that yoga only helps in curing diseases, then you are wrong. Yoga not only gets you in shape but also helps you get glowing and healthy skin. You should practice some of these asanas to see the result yourself:
- Halasan (Plow pose)
- Utthanasana (Standing forward bend)
- Matsyasana (Fish pose)
- Trikonasana (Triangle pose)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
- Ustrasana (Camel pose)
Note: If you ever had any operation, or if you are presently suffering from any severe disease. First, consult your doctor before practicing any yoga asana. And before doing any yoga asana check its precautions carefully.
How to stick to your plan
Reason
For doing anything from studying to playing, you need a reason. And especially for something that needs consistency, you need a strong reason. Think of something that keeps you motivated. Ask yourself a reason to get started; and believe me, once you find it, there is no going back.
Note the difference
Once you start noticing the differences, you'll have a sense of accomplishment, and that is something that will keep you going. So do find the time and observe the changes.
Reward yourself
Reward yourself even on small accomplishments. It helps you get confidence and once you are rewarded for your hard work, you'll want more because that's human tendency. For getting more, you'll automatically work harder.
Do not let yourself get bored
Change some exercises or change your schedule. Try not to let yourself be bored with what you do because once you start getting bored, you feel like quitting and that's when you lose interest. Do not let that happen.
Eat healthy
Eating healthy will provide you with some extra energy for doing something extra, without letting you get tired. So even if you work out a bit, it won't hinder your daily routine.
Proper sleep
Getting proper sleep is as important as doing exercises to stay fit. So never skip your sleep if you want to have a healthy body and mind.
Edited by Annanya Chaturvedi
