Are you looking for strategies to work out while your gym visits are restricted? Struggling to come up with ways to keep active and moving even if you’re stuck at home? Luckily, your workout goals don’t have to suffer. In fact, you may find a new style of exercising that works better for you than many of your previous ways. Try some of these strategies to get in your workout no matter where you are.
1. Go for a run or a long walk.
Even with social distancing measures in effect, most people can still get outside. If you have a local park nearby, walking or running the trails likely will not expose you to other people, especially if everyone maintains that social distance. Don’t have a handy park? Run a path through your neighborhood. Decreased traffic will make the roads safer than ever. Want to challenge yourself? Work in a body weight workout every mile. You might, for example, choose to do push-ups, sit-ups, or squats every time you complete a mile.
2. Get in some sprints.
Do you want to get your heart pumping? Choose a stretch of road, driveway, or yard where you can run for several yards. Hills are a great way to build your endurance, lung capacity, and strength! Sprint the distance, then walk back and sprint it again. When you’ve accomplished the same course ten times, take a longer rest.
3. Try out rucking.
You may not feel comfortable running around your neighborhood, especially if you have rough terrain or narrow roads that will force you to get off the road every time a car comes by. Rucking will allow you to increase strength and endurance while still traveling at a slower pace–often a walking pace. Use a loaded backpack and add weight until you’ve reached a comfortable weight for you, then walk your path. As an added bonus, you’ll get to be outside, breathing in fresh air, which can help add a little spring to your step and improve your mood in spite of difficult conditions around you.
4. Find a workout video that meets your needs and your goals.
If you’ve got kids at home, you might not be able to get outside for a long run or even a long walk. Chances are, however, that you can find a workout video that will meet your specific needs and help you maintain your exercise goals. Try out some of these workout channels:
Jessica Smith TV offers a wide array of ballet-based workout videos that will allow you to focus on toning and gaining strength. Her bubbly personality will be sure to bring a smile to your face and encourage you to keep hitting those important goals.
Beachbody offers a free trial that will allow you to select a workout that works for you, then integrate it into your schedule. If you aren’t getting the results you want or finding workouts you love after fourteen days, you can cancel your free trial and move on to something that works better for you.
The Fitness Marshall provides a library of hit songs combined with dance moves that will have you working out without feeling as though you’re actually exercising. These pop workouts are a great way to get excited about exercising–and they just might encourage your teens to dive in with you.
Yoga with Adriene is exactly what it sounds like: yoga videos that are designed for multiple fitness levels and capabilities. Adriene is a down-to-earth, realistic trainer who will talk you through those moves and have you feeling more relaxed and excited about the progress you’re making even while you’re stuck inside.
HASfit is designed to help you keep up with your strength training. The channel includes targeted workouts, including ab workouts, alongside more general workouts that will help build core and overall strength. If you have dumbbells at home, there are exercises on the channel that you can incorporate into your workout plans. If you don’t have dumbbells, there are plenty of body weight workouts you can use to help keep you active while you’re at home.
5. Try some cardio boxing or kickboxing.
Do you have a bag hanging up in your garage–perhaps one that rarely gets the attention it deserves?
Do you have a lot of frustration you need to get out?
If you have a bag in your home, you can use that punching bag to work out some of the tension and frustration you’ve been dealing with. If you don’t have a bag, kickboxing is still an excellent way to get in an amazing workout and experience all the benefits that go along with it. You can find a kickboxing workout online or choose to use the bag as an open cardio workout. Make sure to properly wrap your hands and use proper form to avoid injury.
6. Go back to the basics.
When it comes to workouts that deliver results, you don’t need fancy equipment and a host of “new” workouts and exercises. Go back to the basics. Try:
- Sit-ups or crunches
- Abdominal bikes
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups, if you have access to a bar (the kids’ jungle gym in the back yard will work just fine, if that’s what you have available!)
- Lunges
- Squats
- Burpees
Many of these exercises can easily be fit into a relatively small space in your living room or bedroom. Without needing to go anywhere, you can get in a fantastic strength-building workout that will help you generate strength from the core. When you incorporate these workouts into your everyday routine, you’ll find that you may actually experience a significant increase in strength–and those results may carry you long after you’re able to leave the house and return to your usual workout schedule.
7. Video conference with a trainer or friend.
Let’s face it: keeping up the energy and motivation to work out can be difficult when you’re on your own, especially when you’re dealing with a lot of other issues. Having someone on your team to help motivate and encourage you, however, can be just the incentive you need to make sure that you aren’t skipping your gym routine. The fact that you’re stuck at home alone doesn’t mean that you have to give up the motivation that comes from making an appointment to meet a friend or trainer at the gym! Try some of these strategies.
Skype or Facetime a friend and do your workouts together. You can stream the same workout at the same time or simply exercise together as encouragement and motivation not to give up. This is also a great way to check your form and make sure that you’re doing those body weight exercises right, especially if you don’t have a mirror in your home that you can easily position for use during your workout.
Skype or Facetime with your trainer. During these uncertain times, many trainers are wondering where their income is going to come from. Encourage your personal trainer to hold Skype or Facetime sessions that offer body weight activities that their clients can do from home. They may choose to offer these sessions at a discount, since they can’t work with you in person. Ultimately, these measures will benefit both of you–and allow you to keep supporting your trainer even during a difficult season.
Convince the teacher for your favorite class to hold online sessions. Do you love that yoga class at the gym? What about that Pilates class that leaves you feeling stronger and more refreshed every time you attend? Get in touch with the teacher for that class and convince them to offer online sessions. You might be able to get together with several attendees and fund it together, or you might just all meet together to enjoy your usual exercise routine online.
8. Keep stretching.
Don’t spend your days at home sitting on the couch, letting your core strength deteriorate and your body tighten up. Each day, take the time to do your usual stretching routine–or even consider taking it to the next level. Use the stretches you traditionally use when you’re preparing to work out or cooling off after your workout, even if you can’t get in your usual workout. Look for stretching routines online that will help decrease the tension that comes from sitting excessively–especially if you’re working from a recliner or the couch instead of a desk. Those stretches can go a long way toward keeping you flexible and comfortable.
With the recent movement toward social distancing in an effort to protect vulnerable populations, many people are missing their usual gym routines. Your exercise goals, however, are still well within reach. With these strategies, you can keep up your workouts from home and, in many cases, even experience an increase in your endurance and strength in spite of the fact that you’re stuck at home.