4 Tips to Stay Active and Exercise at Home

Founder of Mercola.com, osteopathic physician, and best-selling author, Dr. Joseph Mercola suggests four simple and easy ways to exercise at home. Just a little bit of exercise each day can lower heart disease risk, boost immunity, and improve mental health! Focus on moving throughout the day with these tips.

Activity Snacks

• Break up prolonged sitting patterns with “activity snacks” such as, a short walk or climbing up a flight of stairs. Small movements can have a big impact!
• Try to take a walk in the morning and another walk in the afternoon or evening.
• Bonus points if you can walk outdoors and boost your vitamin D production!

Non-exercise Movement

• Try to stand up from your chair to stretch and move for 1 – 2 minutes at least every 30 minutes.
• If standing and moving every 30 minutes is not possible during your workday, try sitting on a Swiss Ball instead of your desk chair. Sitting on a Swiss Ball can promote movement and strengthen core muscles.

Strengthening

• You do not need a gym, fancy equipment, or even leave your home to strengthen your muscles!
• Bodyweight exercises such as, pushups, squats, lunges, and planks are all effective ways to strength train at home without equipment.
• If you are seeking to make a small investment in at-home strength training equipment, TRX Whole Body Suspension, resistance bands/tubing, and a Swiss Ball and/or BOSU are all effective, versatile gear and budget-friendly.

Indoor Exercise

• Aerobic exercise at home is not as challenging as you might expect!
• A favorite aerobic workout video on YouTube or a mobile app., climbing up a flight of stairs, walking or jogging outdoors, or investing in a stationary bike are options to consider.

Reference

Mercola, J. (2021,  January 13-19). Vigorous exercise brings additional health benefits. Los Angeles Times.