Five ways to stay active during isolation
Gyms are closed, seasons are delayed, but that doesn’t mean activity has to stop. It’s just as important as ever to exercise, for the sake of both mental and physical health. Here are 5 top tips for keeping fit and healthy during isolation:
1. Find something you enjoy
2. Make it social
3. Set a schedule
4. Do short bursts of activity
5. Use what you have around you
1. Find something you enjoy
Exercising can quickly turn into a chore if you’re doing something that you don’t like. If you can take a bit of time to think about the kinds of things you usually enjoy, and build your exercise around that, it will help a lot when it comes to sticking to it. If you love getting up early to practice Yoga or go for a run every morning, great! But if you like something a bit different, try going on a bear hunt, gardening, doing laps of the house during your phone conference, teaching yourself to break dance, learning how to juggle… the possibilities are endless. And if you find that the first thing you try isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty more for you to try out tomorrow!
2. Make it social
TikTok Dance Challenges, like the Hand-Washing Dance, teams catching up to train or socialise with Zoom, online pilates and yoga classes, virtual exercise challenges like running a marathon in an apartment… this isolation has really brought out how creative we can be when it comes to staying active and staying connected! The great thing about being connected to friends, family or followers while you’re working out is that it keeps you accountable, and encourages other people to follow suit, and have fun with their workouts!
It’s also so important to stay connected during this period of isolation. What better excuse than a friendly competition among friends, or learning a new dance routine together?
3. Set a schedule
Between 5pm and 6pm every day, no matter what else I’m doing, I lace up my runners and I head outside. Scheduling exercise into your day turns it into a habit, and makes it much easier to stick to.
With so many people now working from home, there’s a period at the beginning and the end of every day that used to be for commuting. Try using that time to go for a walk or run!
4. Do short bursts of activity
Short bursts of exercise can be a great way to start exercise, or to break up your day. If you can go for a 10 minute walk during your lunch break or between meetings, stand up and stretch while you’re waiting for a tele-conference to start, do 10 squats while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, these bite sized workouts through the day really do add up!
5. Use what you have around you
If you’ve been trying to buy home exercise equipment in the last few weeks, you’ll know that there has been a mad rush to stock up on home gym setups. What you may not know is that it can be so easy (and a lot more cost effective) to use little to no equipment to still get a great workout. Try doing some body weight exercises such as push ups, tricep dips, squat jumps and lunge walks. Give the equipment you already have a go by filling a 1 litre milk bottle with water and using it as a 1kg weight, or by using the bottom step of your staircase for step ups.
If you’re still unsure, or would like some extra guidance, reach out! Get in touch with me, your local physio, or other healthcare professional. Many services, including ours, now offer Telehealth, and we’re here to help!
