It can be difficult to include exercise in our busy lives especially when we are in a condo living set-up, despite our good intentions, it’s often that we overlook our health above others. There are a lot of reasons people don't exercise and along with it, the misconceptions about exercises.
In this read, we will aim to dispel some common myths about doing exercises and know what is fact from fiction-to make your next “home-workout exercises” be worth your while.
#1 Myth: Abdominal Crunches will help you lose fat around your stomach
Fact: When it comes to burning fat, there’s no such thing as “spot” reducing. When losing fat, it comes off proportionately from your entire body. Sit-ups and other resistance exercises will, however, tone the muscles beneath the body fat.
What you can do: Do a modified Superman – a beginner-friendly workout that activates your core while providing a good stretch. Start by lying your stomach down firmly on the ground with your legs outstretched behind you. Point your toes toward a wall and relax your neck. Exhale while you squeeze your core muscles and reach both legs up a few inches off the floor. While your legs are lifting, float both arms a few inches off the floor as well. Hold for 20 seconds, then slowly release.
#2 Myth: It’s best to exercise in the morning
Fact: There is no best time to exercise. So long as your body is energized, you can do it any time of the day. When you exercise before bedtime, however, will make it more difficult for you to sleep.
What you can do: It’s pretty difficult to set a designated time for your workout or exercise especially when you are in a work or study-from-home set-up in addition to small spaces presented when you are living in a condo. It is best to schedule your active time before you start your day or when your calendar is not jampacked with meetings. Try to set a good one-hour session during your low time or try to squeeze in pockets of active time throughout your day to better manage your health. Sometimes a good stretch and cardio in pocket sessions are great for you especially when you are sitting for a very long time in front of the computer.
#3 Myth: Stretching before exercise is crucial
Fact: Warming up for at least 5 minutes (sometimes longer if you have special considerations is crucial, because it gets your blood flowing to your muscles and lets your heart rate adjust. But most of the time, stretching is best done after the physical activity, when muscles are warmest.
What you can do: Here are the following stretches you can do to start your day right.
- Spinal twist- Lying on your back, raise one of your knees, and gently roll it over to the opposite side. Make sure both of your shoulders stay in contact with the bed at all times. If it feels comfortable, stretch one arm out to the side, keeping it in line with your shoulders, and slowly turn your head to face your outstretched arm. You should feel the stretch on the sides of your upper body and your lower back. Breathe deeply and repeat on the opposite side.
- Upper back stretch - Sit on the edge of your bed, with your feet flat on the floor. Interlock your fingers and reach forward, bending from your middle back. Stretch with your hands forward at shoulder level. You should feel the stretch between your shoulder blades.
These comprehensive positions will greatly cover all parts of your body.
#4 Myth: Exercising on an Empty Stomach Yields Better Results
Fact: Doing strenuous work out with an empty stomach can often lead to more bad outcomes than good. A perfect example would be passing out during a workout as your body tries to cope with rapid imbalances of energy consumption. Although it is true that working out on an empty stomach can help you lose weight- you will need to have enough energy to power yourself up throughout your exercise.
What you can do: If you are trying to lose weight but aren’t able to get through your workout without a snack, try considering a protein shake before you hit that yoga mat! Here is a great protein shake recipe you can try at your condo.
- Vanilla Coffee Shake-Wake up and energize with vanilla and coffee! With just 3 ingredients, this shake practically makes itself. Just throw it in the blender and you're good to go! And at 66 grams of protein. Here are the ingredients: 2 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1½ cup milk, fat-free, ½ 1 cup low-fat, coffee-flavored ice-cream
#5 Myth: Exercise can make up for a bad diet
Fact: It doesn’t matter how much you exercise if you put garbage food into your body. In fact, it is likely that people who have a poor diet will overestimate how many calories they are burning and will eat more food than before. That's why diet is also an important consideration in fitness.
What you can do: Cut off a sedentary lifestyle and always only put the good stuff inside your body. In fact, research shows that cutting back on sedentary activities, such as television viewing or video games can make you move more and lose more weight. A 70 kilogram (154 lb) person who adds two (cumulative) hours per day of light movement as part of a regular routine can lose an extra 15 kilograms (33 lbs) of weight per year.
So, there you’ve got it! We hope that the following facts have dispelled any uncertainties and misconceptions that you have. Step up your exercises per day and boost your strength and agility. Together with a balanced diet and quality sleep, you are on your way to owning your health. Make most of your condo living in Manila and start living a balanced life amidst the lockdown.
Vista Residences is the condominium arm of the country’s largest homebuilder, Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc., which offers ready for occupancy and pre-selling condominium projects in Manila and Quezon City that are strategically located within inner-city areas, in close proximity to premium universities and developed business districts.
At Vista Residences, unit owners can take advantage of the property’s centrality. The properties of Vista Residences are strategically located near the country’s premium universities and CBDs, making them an attractive investment for both local and foreign investors.
Vista Residences has ready for occupancy condo projects in Manila such as Vista Taft, Vista Heights, Vista GL Taft, 878 Espana, and Crown Tower University Belt. It also has pre selling projects in the said area which include Vista Recto, Plumeria Heights, Tennyson Heights, Bradbury Heights, Sky Arts Manila, and Kizuna Heights.
Living in Vista Residences enables you to enjoy convenience, where everything is pretty much within walking distance or a few minutes away from the property; comfort because the project features and amenities are designed to deliver comfort at all times, which makes condo living a worthy investment; security that is 24/7 and CCTV monitoring, which makes the residents safe and secure within the property.
In line with Vista Residences’ thrust to offer convenience among its residents, it also features an AllDay Convenience Store and Coffee Project in all its projects.
For more information on Vista Residences, email [email protected], follow @VistaResidencesOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, or call the Marketing Office at 0999 886 4262 / 0917 582 5167.
