It is very important to be active regardless of our condition, but if we have diabetes, physical activity is even more important. Sport helps us be fitter, but it also relaxes us and helps release tension from day to day, and in the case of people with diabetes, it helps to improve their control.
We are aware that we do not always have enough time to go for a run or exercise after work, study, or take care of our daily tasks. For this reason, we wanted to prepare an article with 5 exercises that we can do perfectly at home.
But, before we dive in, it’s important to know why you should consider working out. For starters, fitness experts have scientifically proven that exercising improves your mental health. This has been a major topic of discussion now more than ever because of COVID-19. So, when you’re in a little bit of a rut, or you need to get yourself away from your desk at home, take these exercises and improve your mental health!
Pilates
Pilates is very similar to yoga, but not quite the same. There are many health benefits from Pilates workouts, which is why we put this at number one.
To do it, it is only necessary to have a little space on the floor to stretch, supporting the body with the elbows and with the legs straight.
As its name suggests, doing the plank is keeping our body straight and aligned to the ground, supporting it with the core’s strength for several seconds in a row. It’s a great alternative to classic abs exercises, with the benefit of working your lower back at the same time.
If we are beginners, we can start doing it by resting our knees on the ground and moving forward until we can hold on with our feet’ tips, as we see in the image.
Squats
Squats are one of the most common and recommended exercises due to many activated muscles when we do them. It is not a simple exercise, but once we have perfected the technique, it is undoubtedly one of the best. With the squat, we work the entire lower body and the lower back and abdominal area to maintain balance.
Standing upright, we do a movement similar to sitting in a chair until our thighs are more or less perpendicular to the floor. A good way to start is by doing the exercise with a chair behind if our balance is not the best, this will give us security and improve little by little.
The feet must be in contact with the ground all the time, without lifting the heels. The back must be straight, and the knees must not exceed the ankles’ line so that the movement is as natural as possible and the joints do not suffer excessively.
Glute bridges
With this exercise, we will specifically work the glutes, the butt muscles. As with the previous two, to do this exercise, we will only need a soft mat such as yoga to not be in contact with the ground and avoid hurting ourselves.
Stretched out on the floor as if we were doing sit-ups, we put our feet flat on the floor, and with our knees bent, we push our pelvis up. The back must be straight, and we must notice how the buttocks contract when being up.
It is a simple but effective exercise. Variations can be introduced later, such as doing it with one leg or with rubber balls or even adding weight.
Burpees, cardio exercises
To end the strength work routine, burpees, feared by many, are an ideal exercise, since, in addition to strength, resistance and coordination are increased, thus achieving complete training: they have involved both pecs, triceps, shoulders, abs, and glutes, and even calves.
Besides, being a type of cardio exercise, it allows you to finish the training routine to the fullest. It starts from a vertical position; the impulse is carried out with the hands and feet backward and returns to the starting position with a final jump.
Triceps Dips
To tone the arm’s back, where we find the triceps, we can perform triceps dips. For this, we will need a step or a curb that allows us to rise a little and flex them.
Sitting on the step and placing the hands next to the hips, we move the body forward, leaving the arms flexed with the elbows back. We lower our bodies until we almost touch the ground, just by bending our arms, and we go up.
The triceps are muscles that, if we do not work them specifically, it is difficult for them to intervene indirect actions as much as others that we can use more frequently, so it is normal that it costs us a little we have stiffness.
In some cases, we will need, at most, a mat so as not to hurt ourselves if we are on the ground, but nothing more.
Do not forget to consult a professional if you need advice or to develop a routine. We hope that these exercises will help you and that little by little, you will improve and encourage yourself with other activities.