Top tips for keeping fit from home
If you are at the Joe Wicks level of fitness, this article isn’t for you. The gyms are closed, the pools are closed and we’re all, generally speaking, moving less during the lockdown. Keeping active is important though. Many are now working from home, sitting at desks for the majority of the day. This is incredibly bad for you! These top tips will help you with keeping fit without doing damage both during the Coronavirus crisis and beyond.
Just Get Started
“When does your diet start? Monday? Which Monday? Next Monday” Sound familiar? There is never going to be an ideal time to start a new fitness regime. There is always going to be a number of great reasons NOT to work on your fitness if you look hard enough for them. You need to bite the bullet, eat the frog, just get started!
Can You Work Out Cheaply?
If you have a working gym in your spare room you are likely one of the lucky few. Unless you count a child’s paddling pool as a decent alternative to a swimming pool, most people don’t have weights and cross-trainers at home. Can you get fit without all the bells and whistles gym equipment? Of course, you can.
In the short term, use baked bean cans for weights, pinch your son’s skipping rope, use a roll-up yoga mat or just pop a video on and get moving. If you have a garden, use that for some of your active time. Weeding definitely helps you to get a sweat on. There are some great dance exercise YouTube channels that will help you with your cardio!
Finding Inspiration When Keeping Fit From Home
How most of us at AYNE find the motivation to exercise is to tap into the resources we would have used before the lockdown. Has your local gym started publishing their own exercise videos? Perhaps the yoga class that was a little too far out of the way can now be streamed into your living room?
Read blog posts, listen to motivational podcasts, make a Pinterest board about your goals and look around for inspiration to keep you going. Many find before and after fitness journey stories a great motivator. Find what works for you and stick with it.
Use Your Allowed Outdoors Time Wisely
Use your outside time wisely. Instead of strolling, pick up the pace a little. Get the arms moving. Listen to a music playlist that gets you going when on a jog. Take advantage of the many beautiful spaces we have here in Essex, finding those convenient for you and working through them for your walks, jogs and runs. If you use your outside time wisely, you will feel all the better for it.
Keep Yourself Too Busy To Binge Eat
You can run around the garden as much as you like, but if you come back in and enjoy three toasties, a slice of cake and a can of coke afterwards, you’re kind of missing the point. If you can, try and plan out your meals, snacks and your treats. When you’re planning your food out this way you tend to only buy more or less what you need (saving you money) and having that structure helps avoid over-eating. If the temptation is too much, find ways to keep yourself busy. Learn to knit, make something, start a journal, schedule in time to work on your business when you know that you would otherwise be working on the biscuit tin. Keep at it, you’ll be grateful that you did.
In Conclusion
Physical activity is great for your fitness and your mental health. Eating healthier is great for your body and your budget. You don’t need to spend a fortune in order to improve your fitness levels. If, down the line, you find that fitness classes and going to the gym is going to help you meet your goals, that’s great. Don’t put off working on it until then. The sooner you start, the better. If you can get everyone else in your household to get started with you, all the better. A little accountability or friendly competition can go a long way.
Author Nicki Cawood
(No rights to image – Rights to Zen Bear Yoga via Unsplash)
