The argument that sport is good for your health is hard to deny at this point.
But its forcefulness pales before the list of reasons that the average human being is capable of producing for not getting involved.
I don't have gyms nearby.
I have them, but I can't afford them.
I don't like to play sports with strangers.
I once went to one to sign up and only came back to unsubscribe.
I have a lot to do.
I don't like going for a run.
I'm getting bored.
I don't know how to ride a bike.
If we add the coronavirus to the cocktail, the siren songs of the sofa become deafening.
However, under the thick layer of excuses that separates us from incorporating healthier routines remains the truth: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 100 to 300 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity for all adults.
In this context, eliminating the need to leave home may weaken some of the arguments.
We review three alternatives that, with the mediation of a little technology, can help us defeat sedentary lifestyle.
With the mobile
"But I don't want to set up a gym at home," he will say, in a last desperate attempt to remain glued to the sofa as he would wear a velcro suit.
It doesn't need to be.
In applications like Adidas Training.
We find series of guided exercises with adjustable levels of difficulty and without putting a single item in the home.
And, if we stay with the free version, without paying a single euro (although our limbs will thank us for investing 20 euros in a mat that protects them from the ground).
Screenshot of Adidas Training
Having the ability to adjust the duration of training exactly to the time we have is an invaluable advantage in this model.
We do not have to count on transfers or worry about wearing our worst clothes.
It is enough to select the muscle groups that we want to work, set the time and start fulfilling the WHO's designs.
Over time, you start to miss some companionship or perhaps some interactive element in the application.
Also, sessions with this app can get a bit more monotonous.
But the catalog of more than 300 exercises gives room for the novelty to become a habit.
A
premium
version
with more training plans
is also available
for 50 euros per year (or, for the undecided, 10 per month).
With a piece of wood
"Okay, but I get bored and each series seems eternal."
A German startup has set out to solve its problem, at least when it comes to plates.
This exercise, consisting of supporting the entire weight of the body by supporting only the feet and the forearms or hands, as in a push-up, has a reputation as effective as it is insufferable.
But there is hope.
Plankpad in motion
If you have a mobile with an accelerometer –which in these times has the same merit as breathing–, you have a new universe of plates at your fingertips. Plankpad is literally a piece of wood that sways sideways or, in sports parlance, a balance board. On the one hand, instability forces the muscles to exert extra effort. On the other, a mobile application compatible with Android and iOS turns the exercise into part of minigames similar to Pong or Space Invaders in which the controls require leaning to one side or the other. Is it a junk? Yes, but an aesthetically pleasing one that fits under the sofa. It is expensive? Yes and no. It costs a not inconsiderable 99 euros, but it is much more affordable than other interactive balance boards and infinitely more entertaining than the analog alternative.
In addition to the mini-games, the app offers exercise tables of up to four minutes in which the planks are combined with different limb movements and Plankpad measures that we do not go overboard with the swing.
And for those who need to go little by little, there is a thirty-day challenge that progressively increases the duration of the exercises.
Guaranteed shoelaces.
With the console
"I need more than plates and pong."
It is understandable.
Despite the novelty of the Plankpad, the combination of exercises and games is currently quite limited.
Although the company claims to be working on new proposals and already includes balance exercises that require standing on the board, for now it is difficult to dedicate lengthening the sessions with Plankpad.
For those who enjoy the playful aspect and have a Nintendo Switch or are willing to invest the more than 300 euros that one costs, an investment of 75 euros more will give them access to the Ring Fit Adventure. This video game is accompanied by a ring and a strap in which the console controls are fitted so that it can follow our movements. What movements? All you can imagine. His avatar depends on the player's movement. Depending on your needs, you will have to run, raising your knees more or less, doing squats, sit-ups, exercises with your arms ... All with the guide of the game and perfectly integrated into an adventure that almost - miracles do not exist - is preferable to the sofa.
A user plays Ring Fit Adventure, Nintendo's active video game focused on physical exercise China News Service / China News Service via Getty Ima
The disadvantage of this modality is that the sessions take a little longer than what would require doing the same, for example, in Adidas Training.
For those days with little free time, Ring Fit Adventure also incorporates exercise tables that can be done outside of the central story of the game.
More efficiency, less entertainment.
Of course, there will still be excuses.
But the war against sedentary lifestyle is won in small battles.
“Every move counts, especially now that we are dealing with the limitations stemming from the covid-19 pandemic.
We must all move every day, safely and creatively, ”insisted Redros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director in a statement issued late last year.
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