Because of the current COVID-19 crisis. fitness studios are closed and many instructors moved the training sessions online, using closed Facebook groups or another conference call application. Exercising using only your body weight is great, but sometimes we need dumbbells and other fitness accessories and equipment, so the gym session is more effective.
If you exercise at home, you need some workout accessories, so you can do that properly. Here are some of them:
Yoga mat
Yoga mats are also useful for extension exercises and Pilates workout. Choose the thickness according to the activity you perform. If you do exercises that are painful for your bones and joints, consider buying a thick mat. For yoga sessions, you need a standard mat, but for more demanding exercises, you have to buy a mat that is at least 6mm thick.
Pilates ball
This is an effective exercising tool because it can help you stabilize your body while making Pilates poses at home. You can also find it under the names yoga ball or exercise ball. It’s a soft and elastic ball that you can use as a support to your pelvic area while doing some complicated exercises at home.
Stepper
Aerobic exercises are great if you want to burn a lot of calories during one session and you can increase the effectiveness of the session using a stepper, which is portable fitness equipment. Step aerobics is popular because it helps you to burn calories and to lose weight. These exercises will also help you to strengthen and shape the leg muscles, especially the quadriceps, gluteus, and calves. If you want more resistance, you can use 1kg dumbbells in every hand while performing the exercises. The stepper is portable and lightweight, so you can use it at home too.
Sneakers
You need good sneakers for some type of exercise, including aerobics. But, you can also perform the exercises barefoot or just wearing fitness socks. Choose the sneakers that have elastic, but solid soil.
Special socks with arch support
Exercising can be very hard if you are not comfortable. Many people suffer from feet pain because of the wrong support. The good fitness sneakers are important, but sometimes you need to exercise barefoot, and that won’t provide the necessary support your feet need. Buy a few pairs of fitness socks and you will forget how much your arch and heels hurt before.
Ankle weight straps
If you perform leg exercises, ankle straps can add resistance to your workout and get better results. The ankle weights are easy to use and you can adjust them to your ankle size.
Water bottle
You should always have a bottle full of water when you exercise. Sport bottles are made of special materials that keep the water cool, and that is eco-friendly. Stay hydrated during the whole exercising process, but avoid drinking too much water during the break, so you won’t get sick.
Exercise elastic band
You can find a lot of exercises that can be performed with a resistance band. They provide an external resistance to your muscles, so when you push against them, you need to fight against greater tension. But, you should be careful how you use it because those who don’t use the elastic band properly can hurt themselves. If you are not sure, avoid resistance band exercises at home.
Handy weights
You don’t have to use tons of weight at home, but some handy dumbbells can help you increase the effectiveness of your exercises. You can find a lot of recommendations about what weights to choose following the lists on websites like tenbestproduct.com and similar listing sites.
Balance ball
The balance ball looks like a Pilates ball cut in half, that you can use to strengthen your body and to improve the stability and the balance. These balls have hand bands that can help you improve your fitness performance and stretch the whole body at home.
Jump rope
The jumping ropes provide great cardio training that will help you burn a lot of calories and lose weight. You can burn 300-400 calories in 30 minutes, which is great. But, if you live in an apartment, you should be polite with the neighbors who live below you and avoid strong jumps at home.
Sliders
The sliders are great for body-weight exercises because they can help you glide smoothly across the room, performing lunges, pikes and mountain climbers at home. You can buy two-sided sliders that will help you move over both the carpets and hardwood floors.
Sportswear
Depending on what you are exercising, you will need a good sports bra, that will provide great support during the session. You also need tights or shots, leggings, good T-shirt or tank top, or crop top, if you want to see how your stomach muscles work during the exercising. But also, you can use every type of clothes that are comfortable enough for you and won’t stop you from performing even the most complicated exercises at home.
Smart fitness tracker
You can wear a smartwatch or fitness band that has an option to track your fitness activity and you can follow your performance. These gadgets help you to count how many calories you burnt, how many steps you take during the day and how active are you generally. You just need to download an app that will sync the band with your smartphone and to store all your fitness and health data in one place. These bands can also help you to track how well you sleep and to count the calorie intake during the day.
Home workouts are great to keep your shape during the coronavirus situation when you need to stay home longer than usual. If you weren’t a fitness enthusiast before the isolation, you also should do some easy exercise during the day. Find some YouTube instruction videos or join the online classes the studios around you have. You will see the benefit of exercising and you will want to join the classes when the crisis ends.