Amid the novel coronavirus  outbreak, people have been asked to self-quarantine themselves in order to stop the virus from spreading any further. The very first step taken by the government was to shut down all the gyms, theatres, schools, malls and all the other public places where people could gather in large numbers. Itâs already been more than two weeks that people are locked in their homes with no physical contact from the outside world. Now, PM Narendra Modi has also announced a 21-day lockdown which means we have been restricted to our homes for a longer duration now. Well, people are also working from home and with gyms being shut, their movements are also restricted. So, the only thing to keep your body active is to either work out or burn off calories in doing the household chores.

People on social media platforms are complaining that they are lacking the motivation or are finding it difficult to figure out a few easy and handy exercises that can be done at home.

In order to address their problems, I got in touch with Shah Rukh Khan and Varun Dhawanâs personal trainer Prashant Sawant and asked him to share some of the easy exercises that can be done by anyone at home.  

He told us, âI have built my career on the basis of repetitions so I advise you should start with a minimum of 20 reps in one set. Let me tell you that anyone can do exercises at home without weights.â  Here are 5 exercises you can do as advised  by Prashant :

â1. Surya Namaskars 

When I started, I used to do like 100 in one go. But, I would suggest starting with 10 as a beginner. 

2. Squats 

You can totally do squats as they will help you burn those extra calories quickly.

3. Pull-Ups

You can have something to hang on to, and easily incorporate pull-ups in your daily regime. 

4. Planks and Whole Abs Workout

This is the time you can focus on strengthening your core muscles. You can do planks and crunches staying at home. 

5. Cleaning and Focusing On Household Chores 

I have been taking care of my kid and playing with him and also cleaning the house and this is helping in burn calories. I would suggest to keep yourself busy with something.â

Furthermore into the conversation, I told him that people who werenât actively involved with working out earlier at the gyms have now become even more lethargic given the current situation. So, I asked him for his suggestion for the people who are completely inactive during this lockdown.

On this, he told me, âFor all the people who are not active, they should start taking small steps. They can start with a 20-minute workout regime. They can do a bit of warm-up and they can start with 10 reps (repetitions) and then keep increasing their stamina. I would suggest a very basic workout regime as nowadays, all the movements have been restricted and the body is going into a lethargic mode. As people are working from home, they are sitting in one place and no one knew that they would be restricted for this long. It's better to start moving a bit as this can only help in keeping your body active.â

I also wanted to understand why are people getting demotivated and are not willing to continue with their workout regime at home. Explaining his stance on the same, he told me, âPeople, maybe, are getting demotivated by seeing workout videos on Instagram. One reason could be that they are not able to cope with what other people are doing and the kind of exercises they are doing. I would suggest following a tutorial that has stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3.â He also went on to add, âDo not lose hope and be consistent with working out, you will eventually see the impact. Build on your stamina step by step. I wouldn't suggest sweating out hard in the first three days and then, you lose the grip so keep it slow and gradual progress will help you attain your goals.â

Prashant is not only just a trainer but he also owns a chain of gyms which are shut due to the outbreak. I asked him how is he taking of all as the business is surely getting impacted. On this, he said, âI am taking it positively and for the gym owners, they will have to be patient and  stay calm because of this outbreak. Well, it's time to be with your family. I would advise keeping yourself busy with whatever you like, be it reading, cooking or playing with your kids. This will help in keeping your mind healthy.â

As we are about to end the conversation, I take up the chance to ask him the golden question about how is SRK working out at home. 

, âI have been training Shah Rukh sir for good 22 years and the rapport we share now is quite strong. I have already given him the workout and he is doing it twice a day at his home. Right now, he is focusing more on strengthening his legs.â He explained. âI would suggest keeping working out at home as it will keep your mind sane,â he said and signed off.

Well, MensXP hopes that you will take Prashantâs suggestions seriously and incorporate them into your lives.

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