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Coronavirus has turned society completely upside down. We can no longer pop to our friend’s house for a coffee and a catchup. Our children are all off school and going to the gym, or local swimming pool is totally out of the question. While we all understand the reasoning behind social distancing and isolating ourselves as far as possible, it is far from easy. Many people are struggling to maintain their health, fitness, and general mental wellbeing during this unprecedented time.
However, health and wellbeing are some of the most important things to stay on top of. After all, we are all staying in to protect these very things. But, when we can only leave our homes for very specific and essential reasons, we can’t just meet up with anyone, and we are trying to balance working, keeping children entertained and worrying about what is going on, how on earth do we do this?
Thankfully, there are some things that you can do to keep yourself as well as possible, both physically and mentally, and we are going to explore some of these options in this post. If you are still feeling below par, consider nutrition testing to see if anything is wrong.
Image credit: Pixabay CC0 License
Yoga
Yoga is a great activity that not only helps you with your physical strength and fitness but also your mental health. It is also suitable for almost anyone, regardless of their fitness levels or abilities, and even the youngest members of the family and the very oldest can get involved in it.
A yoga class is the best way to get started for obvious reasons – a qualified yoga teacher will be able to work with you to make sure the positions are right and push you to achieve more. However, at the moment, that just is not possible, so doing it at home is the next best thing.
There are plenty of excellent and free resources out there, so it is a case of finding the right one for you.
It is also important to be aware that there is not just one form of yoga, but many, all with different aims and objectives. For example, restorative yoga helps you to release tension and stress without too much strain, while kundalini yoga focuses more on the spiritual and philosophical side of things. There is no one better than any others, and nothing is stopping you from trying them all out and seeing which form of yoga for beginners you prefer.
Running
Fortunately, at present, going for a run either alone or with another member of your household is permitted. It might be wise to avoid parks and beachfront promenades at the moment, as these seem to be popular places, but a run along the normal streets is usually safe.
If you are new to running, the Couch to 5K program is an excellent place to start. It does exactly what it says on the tin- gets you off your sofa and building up to running five kilometres in a matter of weeks. Just download the app onto your phone, get your running leggings and footwear on, and hit the streets with your headphones. Just make sure that wherever you go allows you to maintain a safe two-metre space from anyone else you may encounter – certain times of the day are better than others.
Cycling
As above, cycling is a relatively easy activity to do alone or with a member of your household. However, if you are new to cycling or are a bit rusty on the pedals, make sure you are confident and safe before heading out and avoiding any busy roads. We do not want anyone having an accident and putting any additional strain on the emergency services at the moment! If you feel confident and safe, do not forget the helmet and any other appropriate safety gear and jump on the saddle. Again, social distancing is essential, as is following the highway code if riding on the roads.
Stairs
We are going to move back indoors now, in case the weather is less than desirable, or you are in a vulnerable group or stuck in for another reason. Climbing the stairs in your home (assuming you don’t live in a flat or a bungalow, of course!) is an excellent form of exercise. Just think about Margaret Payne, the 90-year-old woman who has climbed up and down her stairs 282 times to replicate walking up a mountain to raise money for the NHS.
Going up and down them is good enough, but you can use them as a free piece of gym equipment. You can try stair push-ups, reverse lunges, tricep dips, and many other moves.
Online workouts
The nation has gone wild for Joe Wickes’s workouts – and if you have not heard of these, where have you been? These are available on Facebook live every weekday at 9 am. They were initially designed for kids to give them an unofficial ‘PE lesson,’ but adults up and down the country are also joining in.
If Joe Wickes doesn’t float your boat, look on YouTube for other online workout videos. There are thousands, and there will be one to suit every age, ability, fitness level, and taste. With the evolution of tech in the fitness industry, there will surely be a lot of opportunities for you to work out online.
Dance the days and nights away
One of the most fun ways of getting a bit of exercise is through dancing. Hitting the dancefloor with your mates in a nightclub isn’t possible, but there is no reason you can’t boogie at home. Stick some music on, grab your kids, and have a kitchen or living room disco. You could have fun teaching them dance classics such as the Macarena, Saturday Night, or the Cha Cha Slide. Maybe you could even become a TikTok sensation and learn some of the viral dances on there.
If you need a bit of structure to your boogie sessions, queen of dance Oti Mabuse from Strictly Come Dancing offers live dance classes on Facebook. There are some in the mornings for kids, based around films and ones on an evening for the grown-ups. These are definitely worth checking out.
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