How to Stay Fit During a Pandemic

Well here we are…5 months into this crazy COVID world and if you were to tell me 5 months ago that we would still be living this, I wouldn’t have believed you. But mindset is everything and I challenge you to focus on the things we can control and less on the things we simply cannot. With fitness facilities closed or at limited capacity, parks shut down and being quarantined to our homes, it can be difficult to keep up with our previous fitness routines. We are now having to find new ways to stay fit during the COVID-19 pandemic and it can be hard to stay motivated at home.

There seems to be no facet of our routines that have not been touched by this pandemic. You might be adjusting to establishing a work-from-home routine or be navigating remote learning/home schooling your kids. You may have lost your job or are struggling with the loss of being around your friends/family. or you might be trying to juggle all of the above.

In the midst of all of this chaos, I want you to remember that you matter, your health matters and to put yourself as a priority! With a little creativity, motivation and planning you can do this and you can come out of this craziness feeling mentally and physically strong.

Below you will find tips for including exercise in your day and ideas for using things around the house as well as nutrition tips during the pandemic!

To start—I wanted to share things you may already know, but it is important to remember.

There are many benefits of exercise and staying active here are a few:

• Stress and anxiety relief: With the current pandemic, people are reporting their stress and anxiety are on the rise. Unfortunately, when we are stressed, it can lower our immune response. That is why it is important to exercise to get your brain to release chemicals in your brain, like serotonin and endorphins which can help improve your mood, reduce the risk of depression and the list goes on.

• Immune support: Regular exercise helps your immune system function at its best.

• Weight management: It shouldn’t come as a surprise that regular exercise paired with a balanced nutritious diet helps with weight management. Excess weight is associated with higher health risks.

• Reduces health risks and prevents diseases: Regular exercise reduces blood pressure as well as risks of serious health issues such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke when it’s paired a balanced nutritious diet.

• Bone, muscles, balance, and flexibility: exercise also improves bone and muscle strength, and increases balance and flexibility. This is important for everyone, especially older adults because it can prevent falls and injuries. As for children, it aids with growth and development and sets healthy habits for the future.

How to include exercise in your day

Here are some ideas that have worked for my clients and myself when trying to set up new habits/keep on track. With the change in schedules and tons of people left with their kids at home now and working from home, it is hard to get the motivation or take the time for ourselves.

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• Schedule a block during the day for your workout routine: If it’s not on the schedule, it doesn’t exist. Literally write it down or put it in your phone like you would any appointment or meeting! It really does work.

• Every hour on the hour alarm: if you are having a crazy busy day and can’t block off a large chunk of time. Try this—Every hour on the hour perform a certain amount of reps of any given exercise. For example — every hour when you wake up I want you to perform 30 mountain climbers, 20 squats, 15 sit ups and 10 push-ups— so you would do this at 8am, 9 am, 10 am, 11 am etc.

• Pay for stuff with reps: Before taking a shower or before watching a movie on NETFLIX, pay for it with a certain amount of reps of any given exercise. For example, do 40 squats before you get in the shower or 20 pushups before you sit down to watch TV .

• Go outside: Going outside is a great tool to start implementing workouts in your life. Of course, stay safe and practice social distancing. We are always out and about and I try to ride my bike with the kids to go places or run with them and allow for the little bit of time for myself!

• Use what you have: don’t have weights or any other exercise equipment? or maybe your dumbbells are just not heavy enough because you are such a beast lol. Well you can find things around your house to use. Here are some ideas-

  • Household items to use instead of weights

    Milk jugs or laundry detergent: A gallon of milk weighs approximately 8.5 pounds. Grab one in each hand, and get those bicep curls going, or like a kettlebell.

    Water bottles and soup cans: An eight-ounce water bottle weighs approximately one-and-a-half pounds, so you can use one in each hand for some lighter weight arm workouts. Cans are slightly lighter, but can make great light weights, too.

    A sack of flour or sugar: great for goblet squats or anything with a medicine ball.

    sack of avocados or oranges: about 3-4 pounds.

    A laundry basket: All that laundry that’s been piling up? Put it to good use by treating the basket as a heavy weight, and use it for deadlifts.

    paper or plastic plates: use them as gliders for mountain climbers or hamstring curls.

    Household items you can use instead of a resistance band:

    A towel: A towel can do more than just help you clean up your kids messes. Just pull it taught between your hands for a DIY resistance band.

    A t-shirt: In the same way you would use a towel, you can also use a T-shirt to create resistance for arm workouts.

    A rope: If you have a rope lying around, you can tie it in a loop, the same way you would a resistance band.

    CHECK OUT THIS LIST FOR MORE CREATIVE WAYS TO USE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS IN YOUR WORKOUT

• Stay connected: Even though they call it “social distancing”, social support is still just as important as ever. Thanks to technology, you’ve got a lot of options for virtual group workouts. Consider exercising with a friend or family member via Zoom, hiring a personal trainer you can connect with virtually, or streaming workout classes via websites and apps such as TITLE Boxing Club on Demand (you can use my code TAYLOR20 to save).

• Download an At Home workout Guide: This will help you stay on track because it is all planned out for you! I have an 8 week workout guide you can download now if you think it is the right fit and there are many more out there that are great too!

Nutrition Tips in a pandemic (and all the time)

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• Create a well-crafted grocery list: this helps you stay on track and not buy things you do not need! also helps you to get in and out of the grocery stores! If you have the ability to order groceries to your house that is helpful too to avoid contact at the stores.

• Eat nourishing meals: like those rich in fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. These foods can help keep your body and mind healthy during stressful times!

• Cut down on foods that can ramp up your anxiety: such as sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.

• avoid going overboard on treats. Enjoying “treats” is important but .Overindulging can lead to increased anxiety or sluggishness.

• carry a water bottle around the house: this will help you to drink enough water throughout the day!

• Avoid “stress snacking”: Acknowledge your cravings, then take two or three deep breaths and ask yourself if you’re really hungry or just passing the time.

• Have daily schedules and routines: this can help make you feel better and help you stay grounded. This also applies to your meals, too! Try to eat at the same times every day and avoid over-snacking in between. listen to your body!