Milind Soman and his family's recent videos on their terrace reminded us of how home-style exercises can be fun too. Experts tell us how to take the simple way to fitness
Dhara Vachharajani in a forward bend
If you haven’t been living under a rock and access social media regularly, it is likely that you have seen videos of Milind Soman skipping on his terrace and his wife Ankita Konwar and mother doing the old-fashioned one-leg hop run. These are but a few old-school methods of working out that remain forgotten amid the rush for gyms and new fitness classes. Now, under the lockdown, fitness experts suggest a few such simple exercises that you can try in the comfort of your home without weights and complex equipment. From wall stretches to the traditional uthak-baithak, and dand push-up, here’s how you can get started.
Wall exercises
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Rakhee Mehta
Legs up the wall: With hips touching the wall, lie down on your back. Extend the legs up on the wall. You can keep the knees slightly bent. Close your eyes and try to relax completely in this restorative posture.
Wall handstand: Place your palms on the floor four feet away from the wall. Press them firmly and climb onto the wall with your legs carefully. Come into a 90-degree angle with the body. Stay strong on your palms and feet.
Wall forward bend: Stand facing the wall. Stretch your hands and place your palms on the wall. Now walk your palms down and feet back until your spine comes into an angle where it is parallel to the floor. Try to keep the spine long and straight. Press the palms and feet evenly.
Rakhee Mehta, founder, Magicrise Wellness
Uthak-baithak (Air Squat)
. Stand tall (hip and knees in full extension) with your feet shoulder width apart and toes slightly outside at about 45-degrees.
. Lower your hip and squat slowly. Push your knees out to the sides to track your toes.
. Keep all your weight on the heels and descend till your hips go lower than knee level.
. Squat with your arms forward to main a straight back — your chest up and eyes forward.
. When you come back up, stand tall and straight — just like when you started.
Dand push-up
. Dive your head in first; keep your elbows close to your body and descend all the way down — almost touching the floor.
. Once you’ve fired up your triceps and the hip is down, go into the cobra pose by moving your chest upward.
. From here, extend (lock) your elbows completely, pull your hip up and back, finally moving into the reset position.
Dushyant Khilnani, founder, madwod.com
Mountain climbers
. Drop into a push-up position, supporting your weight on your hands and toes, with your arms straight and your legs extended.
. Keeping your core braced and your shoulders, hips and feet in a straight line throughout, bring one knee towards your chest, then bring it back to the starting position.
. Repeat the movement with your other leg, and then continue alternating legs throughout. You can do this at a fast or slow pace. Opting for the former will elevate your heart rate rapidly.
Daniel Vaz, head coach, Nike Run Club
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