(Without any equipment or supplements)
The world has made a huge shift since the emergence of the novel virus Covid-19. One of the shifts that are most obvious to us is the new norm of working from home or remote working. Before this, these 3 letters WFH were commonly used only in large corporations or remote companies but today, almost everyone has seen or even experienced working from home.
But what about working out from home? It is still something pretty unexplored although not new. From the days of Tae-bo and Jane Fonda, sweating in your own home has been getting a makeover as the fitness industry was forced to cater their services virtually due to the lockdowns.
In this article, we take a look at the feasibility of achieving great health & fitness results while staying at home. Disclaimer: if you are a gym freak or you hate exercising at home, this is not for you. But if you are still being careful about your whereabouts, read on.
Definition of fit and healthy
Before going into the details of this topic, we feel that you need to be very clear with what fit and healthy means to you because it is a personal definition. Some people like to have their abs showing around whereas some prefer to have iron lungs where they can run non-stop. For others, it might just mean living pain-free or playing with their kids with energy that can be matched.
According to the World Health Organization [1], HEALTH means “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.”. And according to these groups of scientists, FITNESS means a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations and daily activities which is generally achieved through proper nutrition,[2] moderate-vigorous physical exercise,[3] and sufficient rest.[4]
But, when it comes to definition, it’s not about memorizing textbook definitions but rather your own understanding and worldview of it and in this case, the question you should ask yourself is, “ What does fit and healthy mean to me?”
No idea? Don’t worry, to give you some starting point of your own idea, here’s what fit and healthy means to some of our clients:
- Fitting into my old clothes again
- Being able to walk my dog every morning without any joint pain
- Look fit and good in clothes and dresses (important days like weddings, interviews, photoshoots)
- Having a lean and toned body
- Going to the beach wearing beachwear with confidence
- Able to finish a 42km marathon
- Living a life where I don’t have to rely on medication
- Having slim legs and “mermaid lines”
- Able to eat, sleep and work without issues
- ..and many more!
Good News: All of the above can be achieved without any gym, equipment or supplements. As you can see, it is really up to you to define what it means to be fit and healthy because it is different for everyone. This is why we believe personal training is the best way to go about someone’s health and fitness. It should be personal to you!
Bad News: If you want to build a lot of muscle mass, improve performance in sporting events or want very defined and detailed muscles, you might need more than your basic necessities.
Do you really need equipment/Is a home gym necessary?
The first thing that most people think about when planning their workout routine is, “What equipment should I get?” or they go ask around for the best treadmill just to “motivate” themselves into maintaining their fitness regime. If you are reading this with a treadmill lying at home, how is that working out for you?
If you bought this “hanger”, don’t worry, it might still work! (if you like running on a treadmill)
To see how effective this actually is, we investigated the likelihood of a person exercising more after purchasing their home exercise equipment. The verdict from this observational study [5] with a group of almost 200 men and women showed that the more equipment you have at home, the higher the physical activity. This is because there are more “triggers” at home to prompt you to use them for exercise.
But there’s a catch, this only works if you purchase equipment that you really like to use and is suitable for your fitness level. So in short, NO, equipment is not necessary but it does help you by giving your mind a little “cue” when you see it lying around.
We’ve talked about this before for those who are serious about getting fit from home but if you are new here, let us give you a simple list of equipment to get you started. Don’t get us wrong, treadmills are great if you want to improve your running but if you just want to get healthy, a treadmill is unnecessary. Here are some cheaper alternatives that can give you amazing results:
- Resistant bands (our favourite)
- Dumbbells
- Yoga Mats
- Yoga Blocks
- Glute loops (Hip resistant bands)
- Skipping ropes
- Kettlebells
The list above are items that you can get below RM100 if you know where to search and they are all useful for their own benefits and reasons. So just pick one and start exercising!
Food intake and supplements
This is already a given. No matter our mode of exercising (indoors or outdoors); at home or at the gym. The eating still happens at home. So there you have it, see you in the next article. Bye.
.
.
.
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Just kidding, of course, it is not as simple as that or else everyone would be walking around with their dream body and ideal health.
What about eating out?
What if you don’t know how to prepare meals?
What ifs will always be the problems (and solutions) to our life’s biggest questions.
But to give you a glimpse of what is in the recent studies in the confusing world of nutrition, we bring you two studies that might change your mind (or habits) when it comes to food intake.
The first one is a magical skill known as cooking. Not only does it win the hearts of your partners, but it also improves the health of everyone at home! This is what Julia and Sara found when they published their study to the Cambridge University Press [6]. Amazingly, this one simple change of habit, cooking dinner frequently at home is associated with consumption of a healthier diet whether or not one is trying to lose weight. If you need help with some easy at-home recipes below 15 minutes, follow our IG and save them as we post one simple recipe with directions every week!
The second study is for those of you who are always looking for that magic pill or secret supplement.
Let’s take a look at this research by a group of physicians from Harvard Medical School [7]. If you are sceptical of these methods then it shouldn’t bother you but it is shocking for us to see these companies thriving and booming offering solutions that are as simple as drinking a tasty chocolate beverage.
So these doctors asked their overweight patients about their use of weight-loss supplements and tried understanding the evidence for the efficacy, safety, and quality of these supplements. After looking at 175 different weight loss supplements available in the market, they concluded that none of them met the criteria for safety recommendations.
In fact, none of them provided enough evidence to show they worked at all and long term health concerns are present in many of them. Only caffeine-based supplements showed modest (not even a lot) weight lost but even so, the adverse effects are way too dangerous and have led them to be banned in the USA. So long story short, weight loss supplements do not work. You don’t need them.
BONUS!!
(Because you are awesome, how do we know? People who read our blogs are automatically awesome)
Here are 3 (practical) things you can do tomorrow to get started if you want to improve your health and fitness while working from home:
1. Get a piece of fitness equipment you really like or if you don’t have a watch, buy one with a fitness tracker and go crazy with the reminders and alerts!
Well, on that note, if you are looking for the best home workout equipment, KD Trainer has recently partnered up with Malaysia’s largest home equipment brand, Fitness Concept, to bring you the equipment a beginner would need the most and they are paying for a 2-week membership in our virtual coaching program if you get any of the equipment sets. Go here if you are interested.
2. Clean up your fridge and cabinets from high-calorie snacks and prepare a grocery list the next time you shop. Also, go after your stomach is full, it helps you buy less. So if your home doesn’t have junk food, you won’t have the chance to eat them. Easy.
3. Join our free live talk this Wednesday on Zoom at 2.00 pm where we dive in deeper for those who are looking to lose weight while working from home. Register here: 4 Step Guide To Lose Weight From Home. No boring lectures or webinars where people sell you stuff at the end, we are organizing a web-party with activities and prizes to be won! Did we mention it’s free to attend?
So there you have it, folks, there’s one more excuse out the window for you to skip your next workout. You CAN get fit and healthy even if you are a hermit. All you have to do is take the first step.
A wise man once said (it’s actually Fit From Home by KD Trainer), “Getting fit doesn’t begin with a dumbbell set, it begins with your mindset.”
REFERENCE
1. World Health Organization. (2006). Constitution of the World Health Organization – Basic Documents, Forty-fifth edition, Supplement, October 2006.
2. Tremblay MS, Colley RC, Saunders TJ, Healy GN, Owen N (December 2010). “Physiological and health implications of a sedentary lifestyle”. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 35 (6): 725–40. doi:10.1139/H10-079. PMID 21164543.
3. de Groot GC, Fagerström L (June 2011). “Older adults’ motivating factors and barriers to exercise to prevent falls”. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 18 (2): 153–60. doi:10.3109/11038128.2010.487113. PMID 20545467. S2CID 41105819.
4. Malina R (2010). Physical activity and health of youth. Constanta: Ovidius University Annals, Series Physical Education and Sport/Science, Movement and Health.
5. Jakicic JM, Wing RR, Butler BA, Jeffery RW. The Relationship between Presence of Exercise Equipment in the Home and Physical Activity Level. American Journal of Health Promotion. 1997;11(5):363-365. doi:10.4278/0890-1171-11.5.363
6. Wolfson, J., & Bleich, S. (2015). Is cooking at home associated with better diet quality or weight-loss intention? Public Health Nutrition, 18(8), 1397-1406. doi:10.1017/S1368980014001943
7. Saper, R. B., Eisenberg, D. M., & Phillips, R. S. (2004). Common dietary supplements for weight loss. American family physician, 70(9), 1731-1738.