As most of us are experiencing the quarantine from within the walls of our homes, it has been easy to fall into a routine that revolves around food or Netflix in our “free time”. We have had to quickly transition from following face-paced schedules to being limited to the perimeters of our homes — a dramatic change has brought new habits and new lifestyles. These new situations have led us to feel out of place and may be taking a toll on the healthy habits that we have been trying to build, especially relating to our fitness.
Although I know from my experiences that exercise brings me a new sense of energy to fuel the rest of my day, I have found it difficult to continue working out every day now. It’s not that my day is filled with tasks and I can’t find the time to, I simply struggle with finding the motivation. I have found comfort in the constant stream of movies and munching on snacks in my down time, leading me to procrastinate on exercise. All of these factors, in addition to not having access to my normal gym, has me feeling more sluggish than ever, perpetuating the cycle even further.
I know that working out will help energize my body and mind but for weeks, I couldn’t find a way to include a daily exercise session. I felt slow, bloated, and didn’t know what to do besides work and cook. If you feel you are stuck in a similar position, consider a small change in your routine. Whether you are a student, employed, or in between things your day can definitely benefit from a workout session to combat any lethargy and bring a sense of accomplishment.
To help jump start change, I have put together some tips that have been helpful to incorporate exercise in my day to day over the past few weeks:
- Find a routine: The best way to incorporate a workout in your day is by including it with your other daily tasks. If you are a morning person, do a workout before or after breakfast. If you are an evening person, aim for a workout before dinner. It doesn’t matter when you decide is the right time for you, just try to keep it consistent so every day you are reminded of your goal!
- Accountability: Find a friend or a small group of people that are also looking to start working out. It can be as easy as setting up a daily Zoom call for 30 minutes and following the same workout videos or sending each other pictures from your workout. Try to make it fun for yourselves — it will only help you to grow!
- Find an activity you enjoy: Not everyone is into running or HIIT sessions or yoga. Lucky for us, there are infinite sources to find a form of exercise that you like! Try a quick search on YouTube and hundreds of tutorials and demos will result. Also, there are several fitness programs offering their videos for free or a discounted rate, give them a try if you are interested!
- Try something new: Most people who enjoy working out at a gym normally, do not have that option or the accessibility to most of their usual equipment. If you are one of those people, don’t let this be the reason to not work out! Use this time to explore different exercise options that use just your body such as pilates or dance. Maybe you will find a new form that you enjoy even more!
- Just start: Start as soon as you can! The sooner you can start, the better you will feel physically and mentally 🙂
Recently, I have gotten into a routine of practicing “living room yoga”. I was not inclined to try yoga before the quarantine as I am not flexible at all, nor can I do many upper-body exercises. But just over a few weeks, I have learned a lot about my body and about the practice in general. Looking forward, I hope this is something I can continue for a long time because I am feeling the benefits of it already! Additionally, I try to go on walks in the evening when the weather allows me to. This has helped tremendously with cabin fever, allowing me to get fresh air and time away from screens.
Someone recently told me that “it’s about finding your groove” and I can only echo that statement louder. I encourage you to try adding a workout to your daily routine especially during this time of our lives. As social beings, we are missing a large part of our lives right now and it might be taking a toll on our overall health. It might be affecting how you feel or think and this is in tune with how your physical body is coping. Adding exercise to your schedule will not only move your body and stretch out the muscles that have become stiff, but also give your brain a good kick of endorphins that will boost your mood and energy for the other activities you may have.
What are some ways that you have tried to incorporate exercise into your routine over the past few weeks?
