Everyday life is becoming more and more different by the day; shops are shutting temporarily, my beloved Premier League has been suspended until further notice, and the future of our world is known by none.
With anxieties shared by people across the planet, never has it been more important to keep our physical and mental health in check. I mean, 14 days in self-isolation sounds all well and good if you hate your job, but it is no mean feat; it’ll probably end out driving a fair few people up the wall…
I have always been a heavy proponent of fitness as a means to improve mental health; indeed, anyone who knows my story will understand how physical activity pretty much saved me from the brink more than once. Therefore, I thought I would breakdown the importance of exercise on wellbeing in light of CV19, and how to adapt your routine accordingly!
Elevate Your Mood
All it takes is 30 minutes a day. It doesn’t have to be much; just 30 minutes, either all at once, or split up into manageable 10 minute chunks across your day. Commit to a mere half-hour of moderate exercise every day, and you’ll most likely see your mood go from Zero to Hero in a short period of time.
A tonne of cohort studies and meta-analyses (posh word for a review of many different studies) have proven the significant benefits of exercise on mental health. These benefits range from stress relief, to alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Switch Up Your Regime
Why not use the increased amount of free time to crack on with some exercise? It could be a great opportunity to switch things up and try something new….
For example, if you have gotten a bit too comfortable smashing heavy deadlifts and squats every week for God-Knows-How-Long, how about learning a touch of Yoga? This may, in actual fact, maintain or improve your fitness gains in the long run due to factors such as improving flexibility and joint range of motion.
Plus, in times of stress, the best way to reset the mind and body simultaneously is to stick some calming sounds on the stereo and chow down on a relaxing yoga flow. Try this mini-routine if you are a complete beginner, search up a workout on YouTube, or get in touch and we can have a Virtual Zen Sesh via FaceTime together!
Either way, your exercise routine in Covid-chaos is going to be quite different to the usual; use this to your advantage, throw your body a cheeky curveball, and your future Gainz will thank you….
Pass The Time
There is only so much Netflix you can binge on, and I think we are all going to have quite a bit of time on our hands …
Break up the monotony of self-isolation and social distancing by punctuating your day with small bouts of physical activity. Not only will this help you up your daily energy expenditure, but can also play a part in filling your days in a productive way!
Corones can stop us doing a lot of things, but it’ll never take our ability to take a hike in the local woods. Keep yourself accountable by getting friends and family involved; so long as there isn’t any touchy-feely business, then walking with a pal outdoors will no doubt boost your mood and help retain a sliver of normality.
If you are on your own, download your favourite podcast for the walk and zone out from the world for an hour or so; choose from the archives, so your mind can stay free from Coronavirus chat for a wee while.
How To Adapt Your Exercise Routine
No one really knows what lies in store for us in the forseeable future, but current government guidelines are making it increasingly difficult to maintain our normal routines (i.e. going to the gym). Social Distancing and Self-Isolation means that our gyms have become more and more empty over the last week.
However, the CV19 situation shouldn’t limit your ability to keep the ball rolling with your health. As mentioned above, here are some simple ways to prevent coronavirus from affecting your fitness and help stay sane during the outbreak…
- GO OUT & GET SOME D – Vitamin D, you dirty-minded scallywag… Social distancing is a great excuse to take your workout into the Great Outdoors. It could be going for a 30 minute jog, or a bodyweight HIIT workout in your local park; either way, the combo of being outside and active will be an absolute lifesaver during this tricky period.
- BODYWEIGHT BLOWOUT – The body really is a beautiful thing, not least in its ability to provide a large amount of resistance during different movements. A large number of exercises that require equipment have bodyweight alternatives that, when done correctly, will be just as effective. Maintain all that hard earned muscle mass by creating a routine based around exercises such as air squats, pushups and inverted rows.
- ONLINE PT SESSIONS – If you’re struggling for inspiration with your home workouts, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me via gripperpt@gmail.com and organise a FaceTime Session to help you smash a workout in the comfort of your own home!
The Way Forward: Staying On Track
Let’s face it: none of us have ever experienced a crisis like this before. The next couple of weeks/months is going to be pretty turbulent in all walks of life, not least each and every one of our daily routines, so getting measures in place now to help keep yourself active is going to be incredibly important.
Whether you are a regular to my classes, a 1-2-1 client of mine, or any person out there wanting some advice on adapting to the current situation, I am always eager to help out. This also stands for those wanting to have a bit of a vent; I am a great Agony Aunt, trust me…
I will be writing articles more regularly on the blog over the course of the crisis; whether it’d be tips on working out at home, to nutrition for lockdown scenarios. I am also in the process of putting together a Covid-Fitness Survival Guide that will contain detailed ways in which to stay on top of your exercise and nutrition regimes over the coming weeks!
Stay safe, peeps; Wash your Hands; and don’t let this bloody virus get you down 🙂
GPT 