I'm sure I don’t need to lecture you on how important it is to stay active. The experts suggest 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a day to keep that heart and brain happy! So here are eight easy exercises you can do in your own room or in any small space. COVID-19 UPDATE: Dal's department of athletics and recreation has added some at-home exercises to its website.
1. High knees
Standing, raise one knee to 90 degrees, as that knee goes down raise the other knee. Once you have the hang of it, increase your speed. Make sure you're using those arms! You can do this in reps (10–15) and sets (3) or you can do it for time (2–5 minutes). Make sure you break a sweat and you get your heart rate up! To increase the intensity, increase your speed!
2. Standing mountain climbers
This is similar to high knees expect you're going to work your arms at the same time. Doing mountain climbers standing up really helps if you're in a limited space. As you're standing, raise one knee and raise the opposite arm in the air. Then switch knees and arms and increase your speed. It's just like doing high knees while punching the air with your opposite arm. Again, you can do this in reps (15–20) and sets (3) or for a time (2–5 minutes). You can increase your intensity by increasing your speed.
3. Jump squats
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward. Sit back into a squat (keep your back straight and make sure you can see your big toe) and then jump up as high as you can and repeat going back into a squat. I'm not going to lie: these are a little rough for me, but the pain means it's good, right? Even a few of these and you'll feel your quads working and your heart pounding! You can do reps (5–10) and sets (3) or time it (1–3 minutes).
4. T push-ups
This is just a simple push-up with a twist. Go down into your push-up (keep your back straight) and then as you come all the way up, shift your weight to the right side and lift your left arm and twist by reaching your left arm up and make a ‘T’. Repeat with opposite arm. You can do this with reps (3–5) with sets (3) or time it (1–3 minutes).
5. Leg lifts
Laying on your back with your legs together and your arms down by your side, slowly lift your legs at your hips (really try to keep your legs straight and engage your core) to 90 degrees. Then slowly come back down without your feet touching the floor. You can do this in reps (3–5) with sets (3) or time it (1–3 minutes). Really make sure you're engaging your core!
6. Plank
This is a great exercise! Who doesn’t like plank? Get on your hands and knees with your forearms out in front of you, shoulder-width apart. Extend your legs so you're balanced on your toes. The key to this is to really engage your core and make sure your back is straight. If you're having trouble, try putting a bottle of water on your back so that if you slump or hump, the water bottle will fall. You can do this for as long as you like as long as your form is good, but we recommend 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Tip: to make this harder try lifting the opposite arm and leg to really work your core.
7. Bird dog
Get on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. You're then going to lift your right arm and your left leg at the same time, and then switch arms and legs. You can do this for a time (1–3 minutes) or reps (5–10) and sets (3).
8. Corpse (savasana)
Lie on your back with your legs extended in front of you and have your arms palms up at your side. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Today you exercised. Good job! Take this time to be proud of yourself and relax your heart rate.
And always remember to do some stretches! Touch your toes, sit down and extend one leg and reach for your foot, go into a lunge, put your toes up against a wall to stretch your calf muscles.
You can do any of these as workouts: pick a few or do them as a circuit. The reps, sets, and timing are just suggestions. Do what you can. You know your body the best. As long as you got your heart pumping and tried to push yourself a little bit, you did a good thing!