Fitness Regime in Quarantine

Struggling to Exercise without a Gym Buddy

How would you feel if I told you that all the fitness enthusiasts worked out at home, will you be surprised? No. The recent pandemic made it so. You do not need fancy gym equipment for your home exercises during the quarantine. Use your body weight to do squats, pushups, and lunges.

Practicing any kind of exercise regimen during a global health crisis, particularly one that mandates you stay indoors at all times, might be a difficult ask for many of us.

But fitness trainers and nutritionists alike say that staying fit is especially important during these chaotic times. Starting a fitness routine at home might seem daunting right now. The gyms are closed. I don’t have a gym buddy. How can I stay motivated? Engaging in regular physical activity is an excellent method not only to reduce and manage stress but to also strengthen your body’s immune system.

Work out at Home - Bodyweight, Dance or Strength-Training Exercises

Fitness apps are a great platform because by tuning into and following an app, you are building a fitness community and making yourself physically and mentally accountable for your own fitness goals. You can explore home workouts, don’t rush through them — take your time to exercise, learn to stretch and explore problem areas

Instead of having to rush out of the gym to get home and prepare dinner, use the additional 15 minutes to stretch and work on better cool-downs. Our bodies will thank us for this.

Use countertops or chairs for triceps dips, and towels to aid in stretching. You can also do wall presses. For strength exercises, load bags of rice or flour into a backpack and use it to do squats or shoulder presses.

Use two small bottles of fluids, or food tins, to do a shoulder circuit including three moves - lateral raises, front raises, and the reverse fly. You can do 3 sets of 10, each movement in succession for a real shoulder burn.

How Much Home Exercise Is Necessary to Stay Fit

Even though our current routine is largely remote working, the same lifestyle advice on how to stay healthy applies. This means that we should still be aiming for 30 minutes of activity per day and adding strength exercises at least two days per week.

I recommend breaking your exercise time into ‘exercise snacks’ — you do not need to do your 30 minutes of activity all at once, an example would be doing 15 minutes HIIT in the morning followed by 15 minutes in the evening using a creative home circuit. Also, if your job usually requires you to remain in a prolonged seated position focus on mobility and flexibility training, including postural exercises such as spinal twists and hip flexor stretches.

Also, if your job usually requires you to remain in a prolonged seated position focus on mobility and flexibility training, including postural exercises such as spinal twists and hip flexor stretches.

The most effective training is HIIT mixed with mobility and flexibility exercises. Alternatively, skipping ropes is another excellent form of exercise. Other great workouts are mind and body exercises such as yoga, tai chi, or Pilates. Resistance band exercises work well as home workouts, helping strengthen your muscles and improve your mobility.

That said, the current recommendations for adults are to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity every week. That’s about 30 minutes of movement, 5 times per week. It’s also okay to break it up. Two 15-minute workouts or three 10-minute workouts can benefit you just as much.

A shorter interval might even suit you better now since that’s about the length of many workout videos or the time it takes to do a round of exercises.

Also Read: Make every run easier!

Staying motivated to exercise

It can be difficult to stay motivated to exercise in the best of times. The added disruption and stress from the coronavirus pandemic only makes it harder. That said, there are things you can do to support yourself.

Blueprint a plan for success

Put it on your schedule. Just as sticking to a routine helps you maintain a sense of normalcy, scheduling your workouts may prevent you from procrastinating or avoiding them.

Follow your body’s rhythms.

If you have a flexible schedule, try to plan your workouts. Taking a short exercise break during your workday can also re-vitalize you.

Use your social networks.

Announcing your plans to your partner or social group, online or off, will help you stick to your goals. If you’re alone, post your workouts on social media to motivate others. If you get positive feedback, it’s a boost for your next session as well.

Reward yourself

Our current situation may have made it difficult for you to partake in your favorite forms of exercise. While you’re making do, it’s normal to feel like working out isn’t as enjoyable, maybe even frustrating. If this is the case, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, try focusing on how much better you’ll feel after you move a little.

It also helps to give yourself an extra treat. Take a long, hot bubble bath, for example, make a fruit smoothie, or call a friend or family member.