Reducing inflammation is a popular topic and there is a good reason why this is the case. Some inflammation is natural – e.g., the body is responding by helping fight off foreign invaders or heal a skinned knee. On the other hand, chronic inflammation is not good for you because it can be problematic. It can be caused by lifestyle choices and contributes to many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Unwind gummies contain CBD which has been proven to aid the reduction of inflammation.
The good thing is research has shown that moderate exercise can help in lowering the inflammatory response of the body. Many of those exercises can be done from anywhere, you even don’t have to leave your home. The goal is to get moving. Below are some simple ways of exercising at home that are going to help in reducing inflammation.
Walking
One of the easiest ways to exercise without much hassle is going for a walk. A 20-minute walk is enough to lower inflammatory response according to a study on exercise and inflammation.
It is best to go for a walk outside because you get the chance of combining the benefits of exercise with that of being out in nature. If you don’t feel like leaving your home, then get the treadmill that you have been keeping in the basement and do a 20-minute walk on it as you watch your favorite shows or music.
Yoga
This is meditation in motion. When you combine deep breathing exercises and gentle movements, yoga is going to help in lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, and improving symptoms of depression. These are impressive benefits.
The good thing is you can do it anywhere. There are those who like the community built by going to yoga classes at the local studio. If you want to do it from your home, then you can go online and search for the many resources that you can find there. Most of these classes and tutorials will go a long way in helping you with your efforts. Check out YouTube because there are thousands of free videos you can choose from.
If you are getting started with yoga practice, then it is better to begin with gentle yoga.
Begin by sitting in a crossed-leg position on your floor then focus on your breathing. Use your nose to inhale and exhale; seal your lips to make this easy. Inhale for a count of four, hold it for 2 counts, then exhale for a count of 6. After you do this, move to a hands-and-knees posture on the mat. Continue to focus on your breath then start the Cat and Cow series.
After you do the Cat and Cow series a couple of times, you can move into Child’s Pose and make sure you are still focusing on your breathing. Do theChild’s pose for three cycles before you come on the hands and knees then move to the Downward dog. Do it for three breath cycles before walking your feet towards your hands. Let the arms hand in the Rag Doll Pose. Do this pose for three breath cycles and make sure you soften your knees and let your chest fall toward your thighs. Roll up and come to the Mountain Pose. You can do this easily from the comfort of your home.
Bodyweight exercises
These exercises are great because they give you the chance of building strength and not putting additional stress on your joints by loading weights. Research has shown that resistance training is effective in slowing down inflammatory responses in older adults.
If you are looking for a full-body workout using just bodyweight exercises, then consider the following exercise routine. If you are a beginner, make each of them just 30 seconds. Moderate exercisers can go for 45 seconds and advanced exercisers can aim for one minute. Repeat the exercises 2-3 times, depending on how your body is feeling.
Begin with doing jumping jacks in order to get your heart rate up. (You can modify the workout by doing side step with no jumping – step-tap-step-tap)
Working your lower body through bodyweight squats. (You can modify the workout by doing a wall sit or wall squat.)
Working your upper body using pushups. (You can modify this by doing pushups using a bench so the upper body is elevated, kneeling pushups, or doing pushups with feet on the floor and hands on the wall).
To work your lower body and core, use bridges. Make sure you have squeezed your glutes before the hips leave the ground (You can modify the workout by using a yoga block or foam roller under your tailbone, this helps because it takes off some weight from your legs.)
Plank (You can modify the workout by planking with the upper body elevated or kneeling plan. Place the forearms on the bench to elevate your upper body)
You should always look at your ability and then adjust your intensity relative to it when exercising. Try working at a level moderately difficult for you for the majority of your workout, and includes short intervals with high intensity. A good way of measuring how hard you are working is the talk test – if you can have a conversation, then the intensity is low to moderate; if it is hard to carry a conversation, you are at a high-intensity level.
Mobility Exercise
These include self-myofascial (SMR) releases which are exercises that use a foam roller. An easy to think about SMR is like a deep-tissue massage. When you use a foam roller, you have the chance of applying pressure on the muscle the same way a massage therapist does, but now you can do it at any time, whether at home or in the gym.
Research has shown an increased range of motion of the joints and improved muscle function after using SMR techniques.
Begin with the calves then go up the back of the legs – calves-hamstrings-glutes. Go to the front – muscles around the shins and then quads. Go to the back, rolling the shoulder blades and the arms crossed over the chest.
Lie on the foam roller (it should be lengthwise) vertically from the head to the tailbone. Your feet need to be on the floor and let the arms drop out to the sides and the palm face up. This stretch is going to open your chest and the body is going to get out of the C-curve posture that is a result of sitting on the desk or car for long periods.
Cycling
Riding a bike is one of those things that takes you back to feeling like a kid. You don’t have to go for high-intensity spin sessions before you start seeing the benefits. Whether you choose a stationary bike or go outside and ride a bike, research shows that it is effective when it comes to alleviating inflammation.
This is a great option for those suffering from arthritis and joint pain because it is low-impact. Cycling is good because it will promote the range of motion at both the knee and hip. There are some who have had ACL tears and knee replacements and were able to cycle. A stationary bike is used prior to surgery and during recovery to keep moving.
Give this format a try if you want to start cycling:
Start by doing a 5-minute warmup with low resistance and an easy pace. Make sure you are feeling like you are working to move the pedals, but you shouldn’t struggle to move them.
The next step is 20 minutes with moderate resistance and pace. Let’s say the intensity is on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most intense you can imagine and 1 being no exertion. Moderate is a resistance of 5-7.
Go back to the low resistance and easy pace for 5 minutes to cool down.
