Stuck at Home? Best Practices to Stay Active While on Lockdown

Posted by Mark Miceli on

As the COVID-19 pandemic puts a halt on daily exercise routines with limited access to gyms and public parks it has become increasingly difficult to stay active and keep it interesting. Simply adding some techniques and a little bit of planning can greatly improve the effectiveness and consistency of physical activity during this pandemic!

 

Exercise is one of the best ways to increase and maintain our physical and mental health and even small amounts can have profound positive impacts (Weber, 2020). The problems arise with limited accessibility to exercise equipment and limited time for exercise.

Benefits of Exercise

  • Relieves Stress and Anxiety
  • Helps lower high Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
  • Relieve symptoms of depression
  • Improve Mood and Strengthen Immune System 

For Newcomers

Safety is priority number one when it comes to exercising and you should consult a physician with any concerns on underlying conditions and what your body can handle. Start with the right equipment and make sure to have good shoes. Lastly, do not overextend yourself so start slow when changing exercise routines and always STOP when an exercise is painful.

Plan out Exercise

Stay positive with time management! Time is a major constraint when it comes to staying active and with financial and social struggles during this time it is important to plan when working out will work best for YOU!

  • Write down a scheduled time to work out around your daily obligations and activities.
    • Write things down in a schedule and think of it like an appointment and you will be less inclined to “skip” the appointment. 
  • Choose the best time.
    • Some people prefer to work out first thing in the morning to get you energized and ready for the day.
    • Others may prefer to schedule a workout in a break from work and other obligations to blow off some steam and energize yourself for the rest of the day. 
  • Set specific goals
    • Make simple and small goals such as going for 30-minute bike ride three days a week help keep you focused and motivated.
  • Reward yourself
    • If you worked out, you should be proud of yourself and reinforcing good practices with rewards such as 15 more minutes of TV time can help solidify healthy habits. (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020)

If Motivation is Tough…

         The same old workout routine is going to get boring and to stay motivated trying new things and techniques can help keep working out fun and interesting.

  • Try something new
    • There is a multitude of different ways to workout and trying something new can activate different muscles and maybe even help you find a new passion
    • Explore the internet it is a great tool to find videos and routines for different exercises. To spice things up you can try following a yoga video, dance workouts, Pilates, or even boxing.
  • Listen to something new
    • To keep your mind off the task at hand you can start listening to a new podcast that interests you or new music.
    • Talk to someone on the phone while walking can keep things interesting.
  • Walk differently
    • Be conscious of your surroundings and take in new things you may not have noticed on your first run through.
    • Try different techniques like walking with poles or resistance bands.
    • Meditate while walking, focus on your breathing
    • Try interval walking where small intervals during the walk are a briskly paced walk then double the time of that interval to recover then repeat

(Harvard Health Publishing, 2020)

  • Get outside
    • The sun and fresh air can greatly boost your mood and mental health and help to motivate you to workout and help you enjoy working out. (Do your best to follow social distancing and stay at home guidelines.)

Helpful Tools        

Below are resources and tools to help get you started and maintain your fitness goals!

Application

Link

My Fitness Pal

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Nike Run Club

https://www.nike.com/nrc-app

Livestrong MyPlate

https://www.livestrong.com/myplate/

Runkeeper

https://runkeeper.com/cms/

Strava

https://www.strava.com/

MyZone

https://www.myzone.org/

 

References

Harvard Health Publishing. (2020, October). Reinvent your walking regimen. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/reinvent-your-walking-regimen

Weber, M. (2020, September). Exercise during coronavirus: tips for staying active. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/exercise-during-coronavirus.htm