Keeping Fit in Quarantine
With the majority of the population under lockdown, keeping fit and healthy is more important than ever. Research is clear that staying sedentary is detrimental to both our physical and mental health. Exercise can not only improve our mental wellbeing, it can significantly reduce the risks of other health complications such as diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. It can keep bones and muscles strong and help boost your immune system.
Being stuck inside and with very limited time outside, psychological stress can definitely start to take its toll. Exercise can help reduce these stress hormones and help with the production your body’s own natural endorphins (feel good hormones). There are many ways to keep fit whilst stuck in the house! Here are some of my tips to help you along the way...
Get up!
It’s only all too easy to sit in front of the TV with your newfound free time, try and make sure you are standing up every 30 minutes and moving around the house. This doesn’t need to be anything too strenuous. If your house has stairs, perfect, go up and down (or down and up) them. Do some housework, put the washing on, do the garden, even a couple of press-ups. Moving around will get your heart beating and your blood flowing. By the end of the day, you will be feeling much better and your body will thank you too!
Get Out
Staying in for extended periods of time is enough to make anyone go crazy. We are allowed outside, and I suggest if your able to do so safely, then do so. Get some fresh air, walk up some steep hills, maybe go a run? There is loads that you can do outside whilst still abiding by the social distancing guidelines.
Improvise
No Gym, no problem. There are loads of things you can do in the house to exercise. Try doing various body weight exercises such as squats, lunges, crunches and press
ups. If you are finding these exercises too easy, then use what you have in the house to keep the intensity. Why not use the couch and do press-ups from different angles, put some books in a bag? Carry and press tins of food? Exercise doesn’t need to stop because of no gym, you just need to get creative!