Daily Yoga provides more than 100 yoga classes and a slew of programs for yogis from all levels (Photo: Daily Yoga)
The government’s implementation of the Movement Control Order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is causing many of us to work from home. It comes as a relief for some, particularly those who spend hours commuting back and forth from the office, but others who thrive on social interaction may start to feel antsy and restless already.
Whether you belong to the former or latter, utilising the freed-up time to focus on your health, especially amidst the crisis, will do you good. Since gyms and studios are a no-go, break a sweat and release all your pent-up energy at home with these highly-rated health and fitness apps.
BODYWEIGHT TRAINING
Don’t have gym equipment to get you through your workouts? Not to worry, Freeletics’ routine revolves around exercises that use your own bodyweight only (or in some cases, a mat or a kind of bar to do chin-ups). Combining High Intensity Training (HIT) and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) methods, each training session only takes around 30 minutes, and you have more than 1,000 training variations to choose from. The app claims that you’ll see a body transformation in 12 to 15 weeks but then again, good results can only be achieved if you stay off the couch and put in the hard work.
Available on iOS and Android.
MEDITATION
Physical, mental and emotional health are equally important aspects to one’s fundamental well-being. Brought to you by some of the world’s best experts, Simple Habit’s meditation platform is designed to help busy people stress less and live better. Commit as little as five minutes a day with the On-the-Go feature and quickly calm your nerves when you need it. Explore the various series, which focuses on mindfulness, cultivating work-life balance, emotional management, relaxation, stress relief and more. There is also a tab for kids to help them ease anxiety and practice kindness.
Selected meditations are free. Subscription is needed for unlimited access to all meditations and other perks. Available on iOS and Andriod.
YOGA
If you’ve experienced stiff shoulders and lower back aches for a while now, whether it’s from years of enduring rush hour traffic or sitting in front of a computer all day, take this time to recalibrate your posture and loosen up those knots. Daily Yoga provides more than 100 yoga classes and a slew of programs for yogis from all levels, beginner to advanced. Some highlighted features include a handy music library to set the mood and a community page for questions and tips. The app also keeps record of all your practices so you can look back in a few weeks’ time to see what you have accomplished.
Selected yoga classes and features are free. Subscription is needed to unlock personalised classes feature, all yoga classes and remove ads. Available on iOs and Andriod.
FOR BUSY PARENTS AND THE KIDS
Sworkit has delivered more than 100 million workouts to people, all aided by science-backed guidelines set by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Suitable for everyone from beginners to athletes, the app — which can be synced to your Apple Health — gives you the workout you need in the time you have, be it a five-minute stretch exercise or a 45-minute strength workout. And if you’re home-bound with your children, get them to join you as the app is equipped with a unique library of kids’ workouts.
All kids content is free. Subscription is needed for unlimited access to Sworkit Fitness. Available on iOS and Android.
STRETCHING
Any good workout should always start with a warm up and end with a cool down. Stretching preps your muscles for training, prevents injuries and increases flexibility, but the wrong moves at the wrong time can and jeopardise your progress. Stretching Exercises encourages those who are active to stretch at least three times a week. Their huge collection of training plans is suitable for those who want to target different muscle groups for pain relief or posture correction. Users can also opt to customise their own plans with stretches that are more effective for their bodies and suitable for their workouts.
Subscription is needed to remove ads. Available on iOS and Andriod.
