Being stuck at home to avoid falling ill with COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in nearly every area of life, including our routine ways in staying active. Because gyms, fitness studios, and physical therapy offices are closed, all exercise must be done at home or outside, at least six feet away from other people. As a result of these limitations, some individuals are prone to become sedentary as they are told to stay in their homes.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean we should just sit on our couch and laze around. With all this ‘free’ staying at home time that we have, we should try and make use of our time and get creative!
Though there might be obstacles that interfere with our physical activities, there are always alternative ways to do it!
Simple Guidelines on Staying Active at Home
Have Proper Planning
Have you ever heard of the saying, “If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail”? This is rather true. We are more likely to accomplish what we set out to do. This is likely due to the fact that there are so many distractions at home that we get derailed by them. If we set a specific pre-planned time and space to accomplish a task, then we are more likely to follow through and over time this becomes a habit.
In this case, make a schedule on how and when you plan on doing your home-based activities. Here’s something you can try out!
Create Goals
We can start by asking ourselves, “what is my fitness goal?”. Dig deep and get personal, maybe even a little bit uncomfortable. This will solidify the significance of your goal which will motivate you to continue the exercise routine. Many individuals simply just exercise without training. But what is the difference, you might ask. Well, exercise is a purposeful way of including more physical activity which is great!
Training is a purposeful way of exercising to meet a specific physical goal. These goals ideally should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART). So try it out, it might just help you stay consistent!
Invest in Fitness Equipment
When training at the gym, we are spoiled for choices in fitness equipment. Whereas at home, we are very limited. This limits our exercise options to just a few which may not be enjoyable for many people. There is an old saying ‘variation is the spice of life’ doing different exercises may be enjoyable and fun for most individuals. If the exercise is fun, it is more likely to be repeated and is easier to consistently do it.
Join a Virtual Exercise Class
Training with a group of people can be more fun, especially when starting out. You will be more motivated to work out but the best part is, you’ll enjoy it! Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be complicated. As an alternative, you can video call your families or friends and workout together. It’s definitely a fun way to stay active at home.
How to Tell If You’re Not Moving Enough
Indulging in an inactive lifestyle might result in a flood of harmful consequences.
The following are signs that you aren’t moving enough (and should start moving more immediately!):
- Back discomfort, shoulder pain, or leg pain
- Feeling drained
- Higher levels of stress
- Sleeping problems
- Digestive problems
Takeaways
We’re all spending more time at home these days, which makes it easy to slip into a more physically relaxed mode of living. It’s critical to integrate physical activity into our daily routines to prevent the harmful consequences of becoming overly inactive.
Whether you’re in the midst of your WFH day or having some personal time, there are a number of simple methods to achieve this. Not only is it vital to be active for your physical health, but it may also aid in the reduction of worry and stress.
P/S: For those WFH, read more about simple exercises here!