By now, there are a number of states that have put into place a stay-at-home order for their residents in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, meaning that many non-essential businesses have been closed until further notice. Unfortunately, many gyms and fitness centers are included in this category of non-essential businesses, leaving many people to rely on at-home workouts if they want to remain active (me included!). So, that’s where I come in to try and help you out if you’re not sure of where to start with at home workouts. Throughout the past couple weeks of social distancing and the stay-at-home, working out has been a great way to clear my head and to relieve some of the boredom that comes with not being able to go anywhere.
But, doing the same workouts every day can get a bit repetitive and boring, which makes me lose motivation to keep being active. So, to try and keep things interesting, these are just a few things I’ve done to try and remain active during this stay-at-home order:
1. Go on a run/walk
For me personally, I have never been much of a runner due to joint issues and asthma, so I typically use the elliptical or bike at the gym. But now that I can’t get in my cardio that way anymore, I’ve been trying to walk with my dog or run a mile before I begin the core of my workouts to increase my heart rate and get a good sweat in. This is a great way of getting into doing cardio if you don’t typically do it because you can start by walking however long you’re comfortable with, and over time, you can add a short jog in here and there, and ultimately work your way up to getting a full run in.
2. HIIT workouts
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a GREAT way to get your cardio in if you don’t feel like running. HIIT is basically a circuit of a number of different high intensity aerobic exercises followed by a short period of rest and repeating this a certain number of times or until exhaustion. These are really good for muscle toning and building cardiovascular strength because they involve a high number of reps of an exercise that are done usually with only your body weight. If this is something you may be interested in, you can Google “HIIT workouts at home” and a multitude of different circuits will pop up with varying levels of difficulty. If you can’t find one that appeals to you, here is one that I did recently and loved (Google any exercise you don’t recognize for video demonstration):
Burpees
Jump squats
Lunge knee drives
Sumo squat hold with front punches
Side to side squats
High knees
Do each exercise for 30 seconds for 3-4 rounds with 30 seconds rest in between each exercise, 1 minute rest between sets
3. Yoga
I love doing yoga because it is a good way to relax and clear your mind. It is important that we take time every day for ourselves and make sure that we all stay sane and grounded, especially during these crazy and difficult times. You can search on Youtube for videos depending on the certain type of yoga and difficulty you are looking for. Also, in my town, yoga instructors are offering yoga classes via zoom, so you may be able to do a quick search to see if there are any local (or not local) yoga instructors that are offering these types of services so that you can practice safe social distancing but still remain active.
4. Resistance/Weight training
If you want to focus on building muscle mass and getting stronger, than resistance and/or weight training is the best route. If you have resistance bands and/or weights at home—awesome! Pick up the weight you’re comfortable with and Google or Pinterest “at home ____ workouts” and fill in the blank with what you want to work on that day (arms, legs, abs, etc.). If you don’t have weights at home, that’s okay too! Got milk jugs? Full water bottles? Frozen food? Your dog? Lift those! Okay, maybe don’t lift your dog, but you get the point – (mostly) anything can be a weight if you try hard enough. Can’t find any workouts you like by a quick search? No problem! Here are my favorite workouts that I frequently do when I want to get a good weight training workout in (again, Google anything you don’t recognize for video demonstration):
Lower body:
RDLs – 15
Bulgarian Split Squats (use chair to put leg on) – 10 each leg
Reverse Lunges – 10 each leg
Curtsy Lunges- 10 each leg
Squats – 15
Elevated Calf Raises – 20
Do 3 sets with a comfortable weight or decrease number of reps with heavier weight!
Upper body:
Triceps Extensions – 15
Biceps Curls – 12 each arm
Chest Press – 15
Bent Over Rows – 15
Front Raises – 10
Side Raises – 10
Do 3 sets with a comfortable weight or decrease number of reps with heavier weight!
Abs:
Crunches – 25
Russian Twists – 15 each side
Leg Raises – 15
Side Plank Dips – 10 each side
Plank – hold at least 30 sec; hold longer if you can
Standing Side Crunch – 15 each side
Do 3 sets with or with or without weights!
Hope everyone stays happy and healthy during this difficult time and gets active!!