Complete Guide to 'Home Training' for Homebodies and Stay-at-Homes [Lee Jin-kyung's Health Tips]

Types and Benefits of 'Home Training' You Can Easily Do at Home

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-kyung Lee] Due to the spread of COVID-19, outings have decreased and time spent at home has significantly increased. However, living a ‘homebound’ lifestyle naturally reduces physical activity, which negatively affects health. Immunity can decline, and chronic diseases may develop, so caution is necessary. In reality, it has become difficult to go outside to learn exercises or continue exercise groups as before. Therefore, many people are starting ‘home training’ by watching videos alone at home or using simple exercise equipment to work out. Is it okay to start home training without preparation? First, it is necessary to examine your body condition and lifestyle patterns. Since it is healthier to exercise consistently for even a few tens of minutes rather than exercising for several hours at once, why not explore exercise methods and equipment that can be done at home, review precautions accordingly, and create an exercise routine and habit that suits you?

● Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise helps prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. It is also effective in reducing body fat and improving cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary functions. Exercising for more than 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 times a week, is sufficient to see exercise benefits rather than exercising excessively for long hours. If it is difficult to walk briskly or jog in a quiet park or street, using a treadmill or indoor bicycle at home is also good. The exercise intensity should be enough to make you slightly out of breath and sweat. If you don’t have equipment, aerobic exercises like the burpee test that can be done with bodyweight are recommended. This is a high-intensity exercise that burns many calories, and if you learn the correct posture, it can greatly help with dieting and improving muscle strength and stamina.

● Stretching

If it is difficult to find time to exercise, consistently doing stretching alone is good for loosening muscles and improving flexibility. Especially, frequently stretching during work or study helps prevent the body from stiffening due to poor posture and body shape, and can prevent muscle pain and frozen shoulder. Stretching lightly in the morning after waking up by stretching your shoulders, arms, legs, and neck can loosen the body stiffened during sleep. Stretching before and after exercise can prevent injuries and enhance exercise effects. Stretching can be done anywhere, does not necessarily require sweating, and even a short but consistent routine can effectively prevent and correct pelvic asymmetry, forward head posture, and other issues, which is a great advantage.

● Strength Training

If you feel your stamina is declining and your body is sagging, it is good to do strength training along with stretching. Strength training, which builds muscle, is essential as you age. Muscles play an important role in maintaining body elasticity and supporting various organs, but they gradually deteriorate with aging. If muscles are not frequently used and trained, injuries occur easily and posture tends to become distorted. Also, people with insufficient muscle tend to gain weight faster even when eating the same amount of food. Even without equipment like dumbbells or weights, you can sufficiently build muscle in different areas at home. Exercises such as planks that develop overall strength and core muscles, squats and lunges that strengthen leg and hip muscles, and push-ups that train arm muscles, if done consistently, can greatly help improve stamina and build muscle. It is very important to follow the correct movements to gain exercise benefits, as incorrect movements and postures can lead to muscle pain and damage, harming health, so caution is needed.

● Yoga

Yoga is known as a good exercise for mental and physical health management by helping with mental stability, stress relief, stamina improvement, and dieting. Yoga can be done barefoot on a mat, making it easy for beginners to start with low-difficulty poses. Using various yoga props such as yoga rings and foam rollers allows for a wider variety of poses and stretching effects, making exercising at home less boring. Yoga has very diverse postures and varies in difficulty and effects, so gradually increasing difficulty can provide a sense of achievement. Knowing the effects of specific poses and practicing consistently can help resolve uncomfortable physical issues and relieve tight muscles and fatigue.

● Pilates

Pilates is said to help relax a tense body, correct posture and body shape, and improve flexibility. It is also known as an exercise that strengthens muscles and conditions the body through repetitive movements. It is good for enhancing cardiopulmonary capacity, reducing stress, and relieving tension. However, many people think Pilates must be done in a studio equipped with machines. Does that mean you cannot exercise alone at home? Not at all. In fact, Pilates can be effectively done at home without equipment if you accurately follow the movements with your bodyweight. It is good to exercise alone by watching videos or materials, but to gain proper exercise effects, it is important to carefully check whether you are performing the movements and postures correctly and follow along slowly. If unsure, placing a mirror nearby at first can help. Many people get muscle injuries by forcing themselves to follow difficult movements, so it is important to adjust the difficulty and learn the movements slowly and carefully.

● Exercising Through Household Chores

If you decide to exercise but quickly give up, increasing small physical activities in daily life to burn more calories is a good method. Household chores may seem trivial and simple, so you might think they have no exercise effect, but they actually boost metabolism and burn a considerable amount of calories, so increasing activity at home can help with weight management. For example, a 70kg adult burns about 110 calories by washing dishes for 30 minutes, and about 220 calories by vacuuming for 30 minutes. Other chores like washing the car, ironing, cleaning rooms, and mopping also help burn calories. If starting exercise feels burdensome, it is recommended to begin gradually by tackling postponed household chores and increasing activity step by step. Instead of lying down or sitting at home, standing while watching TV or videos or doing stretching intermittently helps burn calories and loosen tight muscles. Also, when doing household chores, avoid maintaining the same posture for a long time or working in a hunched position.

■ Precautions When Doing Aerobic Exercise at Home

Sometimes people exercise at home in pajamas, barefoot or just wearing socks because it’s bothersome, but this reduces exercise effectiveness and may cause injuries. It is advisable to wear appropriate exercise clothing and properly fitted sneakers. When using an indoor bicycle, it is important not to bend the knees excessively or keep the back too stiff. Check whether you are maintaining a correct posture while riding. Also, when watching videos while cycling or running on a treadmill, some adopt uncomfortable postures to watch the screen properly or fail to focus on exercise, so it is recommended to listen to music rather than watch videos.

■ Precautions When Doing Strength Training at Home

Is exercise equipment like dumbbells absolutely necessary for strength training? Not at all. Exercises like squats, lunges, planks, and push-ups can be done with bare hands without equipment, so you can easily do muscle training at home. However, when doing strength training at home, the important point is not to do as much as possible indiscriminately but to set target repetitions or time. When training alone, people tend to do only their favorite or comfortable exercises, which can cause muscle imbalance. Therefore, it is important to exercise all muscle groups evenly?arms, legs, and torso?to maintain muscle balance. Also, exercising within a range that does not cause pain or problems is most important.

■ Precautions When Exercising Alone While Watching Videos

You should select exercise videos that match your level, and if you are a beginner, start with videos labeled as basic or beginner. Having a full-length mirror to check your posture while following along is helpful. If you feel severe pain during exercise, stop immediately, and avoid forcing yourself to prevent muscle pain and injuries. Exercising incorrectly strains the body and can lead to injuries, worsening health. You must recognize that incorrect exercise methods and postures can be harmful. When exercising at home by watching home training videos, it is most important to carefully observe your body condition and follow the correct exercise methods slowly and accurately until you master them.

○ Yoga Band (Resistance Band)

If you want to adjust intensity more when stretching barehanded indoors, using a resistance band or yoga band is good. You can adjust the intensity according to your muscle strength and stamina, and perform flexible movements without injuring joints and muscles. When using the band, maintaining the correct posture and holding it for about 10 seconds is important to enhance exercise effects. It is compact and easy to carry, provides 2 to 3 times more exercise effect than barehanded stretching, and can be used for various poses and movements, allowing stretching of both upper and lower body.

○ Foam Roller

After exercise, lying on a cylindrical foam roller and applying body weight to massage tight and uncomfortable muscles helps with stretching and provides relief. Stretching for 10 minutes before and after exercise can reduce injury risk. There are various types depending on material and size; beginners are advised to choose softer materials rather than hard ones, and larger, thicker rollers rather than small ones. Hard foam rollers provide stronger stimulation to muscles, and if you want to focus on a specific area, using a bumpy acupressure type is good. Besides loosening muscles, foam rollers can also be used for specific area exercises, so trying various methods to incorporate them into workouts is recommended.

○ Yoga Ring

The yoga ring, known to be effective for relieving tight and stiff calves, has a unique curved shape making it a useful tool. If used well, it can effectively massage various areas such as the waist, thighs, pelvis, soles, and armpits like a foam roller. Recently, interest in yoga rings has increased, and many methods to use them for loosening the body and exercising are available, so it is recommended to refer to these and find your own way to loosen your body.

○ Balance Board

The balance board is an exercise tool used by standing on a curved board and maintaining balance. Standing on a balance board and balancing may look like playing on a seesaw and fun, but it is reportedly not easy. When first trying to balance, legs may tremble and it can be very tiring. However, standing and balancing for 20 minutes a day strengthens deep muscles and trains core muscles, making it a good exercise tool to start lightly.

○ Squat Machine

Squats are a good exercise to do with bodyweight. Consistent squats strengthen thigh muscles, lift the hips, and reduce belly fat, so many people challenge themselves with it. However, performing squats with correct posture is harder than expected, and continuing with incorrect posture can cause muscle pain and other side effects. Without an expert watching, many people don’t know if they are doing squats correctly. In such cases, using a squat machine is helpful. The squat machine supports the top of the foot and behind the knees to help maintain correct posture during squats. It can also be used for lunges, and when combined with bands, it allows simultaneous upper body exercise, making it a highly versatile exercise tool.

○ Gym Ball

The large ball-shaped gym ball is an exercise tool where sitting on it and maintaining balance and center itself works the muscles. Although it looks like a toy, sitting on the gym ball and moving the pelvis side to side or front to back, or alternately supporting one leg on the other, effectively balances the pelvis and strengthens back muscles. Additionally, there are many stretching movements that can be done leaning on the gym ball, providing various exercise benefits and making it a fun exercise tool to use at home.

○ Indoor Bike (Stationary Bicycle)

The bike is a well-known indoor exercise machine, as popular as treadmills, and many people enjoy using it while watching TV or videos. Unlike running machines, it does not contact the floor, so it does not impact the knee joints and does not cause noise complaints between floors, making it popular as an indoor exercise machine. If you have a spacious area, it is good to choose a magnetic type that is heavy and quiet or a bike that can be used both sitting and standing. For small spaces, a mini bike is also suitable for simple exercise, so choose according to your space.