Why is sport important for health?
Our body works like precise machinery that, to stay in perfect condition and continue to function properly, must move and remain active. This means that the regular practice of exercise is essential for our health, on many levels: physical, psychological, and at all ages. Here you can read all the benefits of sport.
How does the body feel when you stop doing sports?
Therefore, it is very important to stay active on a day-to-day basis, but even more so during times when we spend more time at home or in situations of confinement, as has occurred during the wellbeing emergency due to Coronavirus.
In these weeks in which outings outside the home are limited, we cannot even benefit from the activity that is typical of daily life -going to the workplace, running errands, picking up the children from school, etc.-, going to the gym or playing sports in a group, which can especially affect those people who were already used to following a daily or weekly sports routine.
This forced sedentary lifestyle can lead to the worsening of chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension, as well as the loss of flexibility in the joints and the tone and/or strength of the muscles, which can also suffer from contractures. Also, our mood can worsen during the days of confinement, as well as the quality of our sleep.
Why is it healthy to play sports during confinement?
For all these reasons, in situations of confinement or longer stays at home, it is worth spending some time each day doing physical exercise, the frequency, and intensity of which will depend on our abilities, needs, and previous state of health. If we did not have the habit of practicing sports before confinement, the time has come to acquire it.
On the other hand, we must also take into account the need to prepare our body to face the threat of the covid-19 disease, since moderate physical exercise stimulates and strengthens the immune system and reduces the risk of infections of viral origin. in the respiratory tract. However, prolonged and high-intensity exercise could weaken the immune system, so it is not advisable.
Finally, it should be remembered that physical activity increases our daily energy expenditure, which is why it also helps us, during these days of confinement, to maintain as healthy a weight as possible.
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How has confinement affected the sports habits of Spaniards?
More than half of Spaniards (56%) exercised less during home confinement due to the covid-19 pandemic. These stats are according to a study carried out by the Spanish Obesity Society (SEEDO). This decrease in physical activity, coupled with a worse diet, resulted in 44% of the population.
Physical exercises to do at home
In situations of confinement, teleworking or longer stay at home, without going outside. It is advisable to activate and move the body with some physical exercises that can be done inside the house. Attempt to do some actual work consistently, contingent upon your degree of portability and individual circumstance. Stroll around the house, do some activity tables, go up and first floor, dance, and so forth. Age doesn’t need to be an obstruction, you essentially need to adjust the power of the action to your actual limit. Here we leave you several examples, but remember that if you have never done this type of exercise. Before it is better to consult your doctor or physical therapist.
Breaks to loosen the body during teleworking.
First of all, it is very important to take breaks of five or ten minutes for every fifty minutes of work in front of the computer to take care of your back, hands, and eyes and reduce mental fatigue. To this end, the following exercises can be practiced (more aimed at the young population):
Aerobic type exercise
This type of physical activity increases heart and lung capacity, in addition to stimulating the immune system and improving the health of bones and muscles. Among the different options that can be carried out within the home, are the following:
Walk inside the house for ten or fifteen minutes several times a day.
Go up and down flights of stairs inside the house, if possible.
Exercising by following a video, a tutorial, or a mobile application.
Strength training. This type of physical exercise helps increase basal metabolism and strength, as well as improve bone health and muscle tone. As a whole-body muscle training proposal, there are squats, push-ups, planks, pelvic lifts or lateral arm raises. These exercises should be adapted to the needs, age, and physical condition of each person.
Conclusion
In general, it is recommended to perform this routine three times a week. By repeating each exercise between fifteen and ten times and the complete circuit between two and four times. Before starting and after finishing, stretching and flexibility exercises can be performed.
If you are an older person and want to do strength or aerobic exercises adapted to your age. Then You can also consult the Active Aging Guide of the Higher Sports Council.
Strengthening exercises through breathing. You can also perform exercises to strengthen the muscles through breathing. By provided that in your specific circumstances they are not inadvisable.
If you have any questions, and whatever your age, you can also consult the documentation of the global recommendations on physical activity for the health of the WHO. In which a series of indications are given on the types of physical activity.