Ever been in a rut? It’s a period of time–long or short–during which you feel as if you can’t do much or don’t want to do anything. You start to doubt yourself a bit, and although you don’t think much of it at first before you know it 2 weeks have passed and you realize you haven’t accomplished anything.
Well, let me tell you, I know that rut all too well. For the past few weeks, since school has moved completely online, I let myself get into a really bad pattern. Here’s how it went: Wake up, join zoom, eat, end class, take a nap, eat more, join zoom again, and then watch tv and go to bed. (Plus maybe a few emotional cries in between all of that.) I finally got to a point where, a week ago, I decided to move home to California and get my schedule back on track. Even though I won’t be in SoCal for more than two weeks, the time I spend here to figure out a new routine will be worth it in the long run.
So that is exactly what I did. To start, I picked one big goal to focus on: fitness. Last year I would go to the gym 6 times a week, and this year, for the first semester at least, I would workout. During the second semester, my schedule became much busier and I would only have time to go to the gym every once in a while. But when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted and all gyms closed, any exercise routine I once kept to was halted.
Growing up I always struggled with weight and staying healthy. But when I started an actual routine upon coming to college, I felt a lot better both mentally and physically. I want to get to that point again. I am not doing this to become “skinny,” I am doing it because I want more energy.
Find what works best for you. For myself, I set 3 days a week for cardio-based workouts and the other days for arms/back/shoulders, legs, and abs. I also add booty exercises and stretches to each day since that is my focus area. I also made sure to make my busiest day of the week a rest day where I stretch and relax my muscles.
Note: Practicing yoga and meditation is a great way to ease the mind and strengthen your muscles all at the same time.
Keep in mind, if you haven’t worked out in a month or so, don’t go full out on the workout routine you used to do when you were working out 5+ days a week. That is how you can really ruin your body. Start easy for the first week or two and only try to do 1-2 reps at first. Pace yourself; if you feel like you can do more then continue, but if you feel like you’re getting sick and might pass out, then please take a break. Nobody is going to judge you.
For the first week, I did not pressure myself to get each day’s exercise done. I realized that after one day of working out, I felt amazing. Yes, I was sore, but I felt great. During my first week, I missed two days, and let me tell you. I felt horrible. For some strange reason, I missed the after-workout-achievement-feeling of being tired for a good reason. The absence of that feeling is what keeps me going.
Deciding to make restarting my workout routine my new long term goal was a great choice, but in reality, each day that I am able to work out and feel healthier is an achievement in itself.
If you aren’t familiar with working out, start small with a 15-minute workout online. Various gyms, trainers, and fitness groups have started posting free workouts online since COVID-19 began to spread, so take advantage of this! During a time like this–one of chaos and social distancing–the focus should be on yourself. Not just mentally, but physically as well.