Earlier, in many blogs, we explained how exercising can help you ditch vitiligo-led stress and make you look beyond the chronic skin disorder. But, how many vitiligo fighters pay absolute attention to their health and fitness regime. Not many. If you feel a lack of time, no gym membership or not knowing how to use weight machines correctly are coming your way to strength training, here’s an idea: do bodyweight exercises instead.
Bodyweight exercising (a kind of strength training) helps rebuild muscle wear and tear that develops as we age. It cannot be emphasized enough that apart from losing weight, building lean muscle mass is also great for your heart, blood vessels, lungs, hormone production, and even brain activity. Using your own weight to build strength is easier and totally customizable. You can start with below mentioned exercises that require no equipment or gym membership, and take less than 30 minutes. All you need is a small space, as small as 8×8’, a yoga mat, and your own body!
1. Jumping Jacks – Simple yet a good exercise to start your workout routine with. To perform the exercise, simply jump outwards to let your arms and legs swing outwards. Beginners can do this exercise using legs only.
2. High Knees – It is like jumping on the spot by raising your knees uptil your chest, one after the other. Remember, if you are simply raising your legs and not adding the movement to the routine, you might not be doing justice to your weight loss aspirations.
3. Burpees – One exercise you may love as well as hate at times. It is one exercise that involves the entire body for your workout. To do burpees, begin in a standing position, drop into a squat position with your hands on the ground. Subsequently, kick your feet back into a plank position, while keeping your arms extended. Immediately return your feet to the squat position. As the final move, stand up from the squat position.
4. Plank – Keep elbows shoulder level apart and toes joined together. Now, raise your body up parallel to the floor so that you activate your core muscles against the gravity. You can modify your plank into several variations as per your fitness levels.
5. Mountain Climber – One simple exercise that starts with a Plank position followed by bringing knees to your chest one at a time. The faster you do it the more quickly you burn.
6. Crunches – This is another bodyweight exercise to work up your abdominals. To perform the exercise, lie down on your back with knees bent 45 degrees. Now, crunch upwards and reach up with an exhalation. You can start from a simple crunch and progress to a sit-up.
7. Russian Twist – Progress from a sit-up to twist sit-up. This exercise is easy as it goes, tough as it flows.
8. Push-ups – The best ‘at home’, chest workout you could ask for. To perform the exercise, keep your arms shoulder width apart. This creates the space for the chest to reach the floor with a bent elbow. Remember to exhale while you come up.
9. Triceps Dips – You can do this exercise on a bench or a staircase with your hands on the bench and knees bent on the floor. Dip down to bend your elbows and lift up, using your triceps strength altogether.
10. Squats – Keep your hands straight, out in front of you and parallel to each other. Tighten your core muscle tight and thigh placed shoulder width apart. Now, sit back and down like you are sitting into an imaginary chair. Hold for a while and come back to the starting position. This exercise your easiest tool to build killer quads.
11. Lunges – It is also known as a split squat. To perform the exercise, keep your upper body straight, keeping your shoulders and back relaxed. Now, step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 900 angle. Engage your core throughout this process.
Make the most of these exercises
Combine these exercises and make a maximum of 30 minutes of workout where each exercise can be done in 30 reps or 30 sec hold. 5 exercises back to back, followed by a rest duration of 30 seconds and you are good to go.