Exercise is one of those things. Some of us love it, but a lot of us do it because we know its good for us, not because we enjoy it.
Now we have begun the second and hopefully last national lockdown of the year, we have put together some useful tips on how you can stay fit and healthy whilst still adhering to the rules.
Can I leave home?
Under the new lockdown rules the government are saying you should minimise the time spent outside your home, but you are able to exercise outdoors. This is a vital difference to the first lockdown, where for periods we were restricted with the number of times we could leave the house for exercise.
You can exercise or visit a public outdoor space:
- by yourself
- with the people you live
- with your support bubble
- or, when on your own, 1 person from another household#
- Walking or Running
With the above in mind, a simple walk or run is a great way to start. If you own any kind of fitness watch then its likely you are already constantly tracking your progress towards your daily step target.
Maybe set yourself a challenge to complete over the next month. The Couch to 5k app is good to download for beginners who aren’t used to running.
- Fitness videos
Throughout the first lockdown, I like many others was gripped to PE with Joe Wicks at 9am every morning. Whilst he has stopped this, they are still available on his YouTube channel The Body Coach TV. He has also started a brand-new series of videos to get you through the next few weeks.
Aside from Joe there are many other free fitness videos on YouTube. One recently recommended to me was Yoga with Adriene. If Yoga is your thing then it’s well worth checking out.
- Apps
Another easy way to stay fit is by making use of the apps available to download from your app store. I’ve already mentioned the Couch to 5k but there are many others out there.
Whilst you have to pay for some, there are usually free trials available, so maybe now is the time to make the most of them. I have listed a few below.
- My fitness pal
- Glo (yoga)
- Fiit
- Centr
- Seven
- Gymaholic
- Dancing
When I’m stuck indoors for most of the day I usually turn to music. Little did I know, it is a great way to burn calories and get your heart rate up. It is also fun. Stick on your playlist and go for it.
An app that has made huge moves this year is TikTok. There are constant trends popping up every day, from the Blinding Lights dance challenge to the WAP dance. Make it your goal to learn one, and who knows, you could go viral.
- Cleaning
Finally, there’s cleaning. As a student it isn’t something that I’m used to doing. However, its not just the physical activity, it’s more important than ever that during a global pandemic we are making sure everything is spotless.
Whether it is hoovering, making your bed, dusting or washing up. They all count as exercise and maybe you could add some stretches into the mix whilst doing these things.
These are all great ways to make the most of the time we are spending at home. Don’t use the ‘the gym is closed’ excuse. Exercise is extremely important, and it will go a long way to helping improve both your physical and mental health. We constantly sit around and worry what is going to come next in this unfortunate year. But don’t worry, Christmas isn’t too far away, so let’s feel better about ourselves and get exercising.
