Work(out) from home
Short on time and equipment? This one’s for you
Weight gain happens when your energy intake (what you eat) exceeds your energy expenditure (what you burn off when you exercise). The opposite occurs when you burn off more energy working out than you do when you eat, meaning you lose weight.
“You must work out at a high intensity for long enough to burn off a significant amount of kilojoules,” explains Grace Pholi, a biokineticist at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA). “Aerobic activities using large muscle groups you can do at home include: using an exercise bike or treadmill, resistance training using dumbbells or your body weight, and participating in online classes such as via ssisa.co.za, POPSUGAR Fitness, Yoga with Adriene or Fitness Blender.”
So if you go for a gentle walk followed by a slice of cheesecake, then, honey, you’re in what’s known as a kilojoule surplus, meaning you won’t lose weight.
Working out at home is safe, convenient and private. There are, however, as Grace points out, potential disadvantages. She advises carving out time each day when you won’t be distracted by family members or chores.
The workout
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests the following, which you should perform three to five times a week (150-300 minutes in total):
warm-up
Duration: 5–10 minutes What: Light to moderate intensity cardiorespiratory
and muscular endurance activities such as jogging.
Why? Facilitates your transition from rest to exercise, stretches postural muscles, raises body temperature, makes more oxygen readily available for your muscles, and increases energy levels to allow your body to function during endurance training.
Conditioning
Duration: 20-60 minutes (Bouts of 10 minutes acceptable if you accumulate 20-60 minutes daily.)
What: Aerobic, resistance and/or sports activities such as running on a treadmill or participating in an online fitness class.
Why? The best way to lose weight is to exercise at a high enough intensity for long enough to torch a significant amount of kilojoules. If you’re a newbie, start at four to six out of ten effort (should feel light to moderate), aiming to increase the duration and speed of your workouts, then gradually progress to higher intensities (five to seven out of ten effort, which should feel moderate to vigorous).
Cool down
Duration: 5-10 minutes What: Light to moderate intensity cardiorespiratory and muscular endurance activities such as jogging.
Why? Exercising at a lighter intensity than during the conditioning phase allows your body to gradually recover. Your heart rate and blood pressure returns to near-resting values, and blood flows back to your heart, reducing your risk for low blood pressure, dizziness and loss of body heat.
rest
If you’re doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT, maximum effort, which you can only hold for a few seconds), the primary energy system your body uses is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It provides a large amount of energy for a short time, so you must rest in between sets to allow it to replenish, or you’ll be too tired to perform the same exercise again. Resting between workouts is also crucial to allow your central nervous system, hormones, hydration and energy levels, and muscles to recover.
we’ve all experienced a shift in how we live and relate to each other, but have you taken a moment to reflect on the type of relationship you have with yourself? Joburg-based life coach Sharon Piel affirms that if there was ever a time to be kinder to yourself, it’s now. “The past year has been particularly challenging. Now, more than ever, we need to practice self-care and self-compassion. Self-compassion is one of the best and kindest things you can do for yourself,” she says. We indeed tend to be our worst critics, and Sharon notes that striving for unrealistic ideals means holding ourselves up to ridiculously high standards and berating ourselves when we don’t achieve them.
“Maybe you didn’t achieve your goals last year due to Covid-19. Instead of beating yourself up about it, adjust your timeline. You can still achieve your goal, but it may take a bit longer to get there,” she affirms.
If you’re used to engaging in negative self-talk, it might feel counterintuitive to show yourself kindness and compassion. Below, Sharon offers her insight to help you keep your scorecard at bay and choose to be kind instead.
Reframe negative thoughts into more positive, empowering ones
Be aware of your inner voice, that inner critic. Our negative self-talk can sabotage us into believing we’re not enough – good enough, clever enough, pretty enough or thin enough. Try to be aware of these negative, toxic thoughts. When you catch yourself saying something negative, ask yourself: would my best friend say this about me? Most probably not, so don’t say it to yourself.
Be intentional about self-care
Self-care is about taking care of ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. Self-care and self-compassion shouldn’t be something we occasionally do, such as going for a massage or facial, but it should be something we practice daily. With many people working from home, it can be difficult to maintain a worklife balance. Try to start and end your workday at the same time, as if you were going to the office.
Be present to your needs
Self-care means practising meditation, doing exercise, eating healthily, drinking enough water and getting adequate sleep. Ask yourself: what do I really need right now? Maybe you need to take a break, so go for a walk, play with your kids or pets, have a cup of tea away from your computer or phone. If you live alone, reach out to someone, a friend or a family member. Think about what your needs are and what you can do to take better care of yourself today.