Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Californians are recommended to stay home to prevent the spread of the invisible virus which can be lethal for some patients. So, we’re all home and not able to attend to our normal exercise routines. Or, perhaps we previously had no time to exercise due to over an hour commute to work each way, and now we actually do have time to exercise…but we’re stuck at home.
Exercising (at home) is important to:
- Maintain cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness
- Boost immunity
- Improve circulation
- Stabilize and improve mood
- Improve energy
There are a lot of ways to exercise at home, especially given the myriad of free or fee-based online on-demand exercise programs. When you choose your weekly exercise routines, you do want to make sure you involve all the major parts of your body. Each dynamic exercise will use multiple body parts, with some muscles more dominant. Here is a basic list of exercises to strengthen and stretch your muscles.
| Body Part | Strengthen | Stretch |
| Shoulder | Overhead press, Front raise, Side raise | Shoulder circles, cross body |
| Bicep | Bicep curl, Hammer curl | Arms out wide thumbs down |
| Tricep | Push-ups, Tricep dips | Bend elbow and lift up |
| Buttocks | Walking lunges; Getting up from a chair | Hold knee close to chest |
| Quads | Wall sits, Squats, Knee lifts | Hold foot close to buttock |
| Hamstrings | Donkey kicks, Glute bridges | Bend over and touch toes |
| Calves | Heel raises, Walk on tippy toes | Drop heel over edge of curb |
| Abdominals | Ab crunches, Plank, Side Plank | Cobra Pose |
For those of you who prefer a leader to guide your exercise regimen, there are countless choices online and via smart phone apps. In order to avoid injury, I recommend starting with an exercise program that feels relatively easy and fun, and then build up to a more intense, sweaty, muscle-building program. I have compiled a list of some very good options:
Online:
- Beach Body On Demand: Beachbodyondemand.com
- Les Mills Cardio, Strength Training, Martial Arts, HIIT, and Yoga Fusion: LesMillsOnDemand.com
- Daily Burn at Home (also an app): dailyburn.com
- Yoga Glo Online Yoga, Meditation, and Pilates classes: glo.com
- YogaWorks Online Yoga Classes: yogaworks.com/classes/online
- Strong by Zumba 30-minute dance class on Youtube.com
Apps
- 7 Minute Workout
- Down Dog (Yoga, HIIT, Barre, 7 Minute)
- Daily Workouts Fitness Trainer
- Daily Burn
Only exercise within your ability level to avoid injury. If you have a significant medical history, I recommend you get clearance from your physician before starting an intense exercise regimen. We can all come out of this quarantine stronger and more limber if we put some effort in to it!
Dr. Bren Boston is a medical doctor at the Akasha Center who specializes in Integrative Pain Management, Sports Medicine and Women’s Care. You can schedule an appointment with her by calling 310-451-8880 or emailing us at info@akashacenter.com.
