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Ready to workout at home? These exercises are meant for you.
Washing hands, maintaining good personal hygiene and social distancing seem to be some of the ways we can combat COVID-19.
Besides that a good diet and regular exercise is also crucial to boost your immune system.
Here are some simple exercises you can add to your daily routine.
At home cardio exercises
Cardio exercises are really important to keep your heart pumping and improve stamina.
However, during a lockdown people need to stay at home, hence running, walking, jogging or going to the gym is not an option.
To boost your immune system, turn to at home cardio exercises like burpees, jump ropes, jumping jacks, dancing and zumba.
These exercises increase your blood circulation, sweat out the toxins from the body and improve your gut health too.
Squats
Squats are a great exercise to improve your core strength and immune system.
Focus your balancing skills and weight on the thighs, and try doing squats at least 30 times a day.
It opens up your hip muscles, improves flexibility, as well as gives a major boost to your lower abdominal, thighs and hip muscles to optimise the body functioning, thereby aiding the immune system.
Planks
Get into the plank pose and engage your core.
With your body almost parallel to the ground and the weight balanced between the forearms, elbows and toes, the plank pose is a full-body workout enhancing your core strength, stamina and immune system.
It engages all the muscles of the body and strengthens the body's ability to endure, defend and heal from within.
Sukhasana and Pranayama
When it comes to your immune system, the simplest of exercises can have a significant impact.
Sukhasana is the traditional meditation pose known to be the simplest asana to channel your inner energies, relax the body, breathe optimally and improve body functioning.
When combined with breathing techniques or Pranayama, the body goes into a state of detox, reduces stress hormones, aids heart rate and brain functioning too.
Sit in a cross-legged position with your back straight and hands on your knees.
In Sukhasana, practice Pranayama techniques like deep breathing, Kapalbhati, Nadi Sodhana, Viloma Pranayama, etc.
These have a positive effect on the immune system.
Legs to the wall
Called the ultimate stress buster yoga pose, this is also a great immunity booster.
Counted as the easiest ways to counter anxiety and anxiousness as you recline on your bed and pull up your legs to the wall, Viparita Krani helps you relax and unwind.
It boosts the functioning of the nervous system and reduces the pressure on the body -- improving the body's ability to fight against diseases.
Cobra Pose
It is one of the few yogic poses that works extensively on the digestive system, lower abdomen, gut health and immune system.
Lie on the yoga mat facing the ground. As you relax the body, press your palms just near the chest and raise the upper body to form a curve, like a snake.
Working on your core strength, this pose boosts immunity while curing digestive issues, belly fat, etc.
Forward Fold
Forward Fold is just a comfortable version of a handstand. Inversions work beautifully on the body's immune system, thereby relaxing, healing and de-stressing the body.
If you aren't fit enough to pull off a handstand, just stand straight, and bend forward with your upper body hugging the lower body.
As you fold forward and let your head relax inversely. It helps stimulate the nervous system and relax the heart.
It helps the body boost its ability to fight infections.
Malasana or the Yogi's Squat
In hatha yoga and other modern forms of yoga, Malasana is recognised as the ultimate Yogi's Squat.
As you do this pose, the groin stretches and weight of the body is distributed evenly, aiding strength in the legs and back -- this exercise boosts metabolism, fosters calmness, relaxes the body and strengthens immunity. Practicing the pose helps improve the body's balance and your mental well-being.
Nikhil Kapur is the founder director of Atmantan Wellness Centre.
Lead image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: Courtesy Sweaty Swetha/Instagram
