With stay-at-home orders in place and companies ordering their employees to work from home, you’re spending more time inside than you ever have before. The gym is closed, your yoga classes were cancelled, and just going outside for a walk seems risky at times. As you start to fall back into a sedentary lifestyle, you might be wondering if there’s any point in trying to stay active. How can you stay in shape when you’re barely allowed to walk outside the front door?
Staying active during times of isolation can be difficult, but it’s far from impossible. You don’t need expensive gym equipment or a personal trainer to stay in shape. In fact, you’ve got everything you need right in your own home. If you commit yourself to staying active, you’ll find that your mental health starts to improve and that the situation begins to look a lot less hopeless.
Why Should You Stay Active During COVID-19 Isolation?
Think about how you feel after completing a rigorous gym workout. Now think about how you feel after lying on the couch and watching Netflix all day. If you’re like most people, you probably feel much better after you’ve exercised. Your mood improves, you feel a sense of accomplishment, and those stressful tasks that you’ve been avoiding suddenly don’t seem so scary. Your family might even notice that you’re in a cheerful mood when you walk through the front door.
Getting exercise is one of the best ways you can improve your mental health. If you’re stuck inside all day, you need the serotonin boost. According to Psychology Today, sitting at a desk for hours can cause feelings of depression, low energy, and other emotional issues. Before isolation, you could hit the gym or meet your friends at the bar after work; now, you can’t even do that. Staying active can help you manage feelings of depression and hopelessness and can make it easier to stay inside during the pandemic.
How Can You Stay Active at Home?
If the weather is nice, you can take a walk around your neighborhood by yourself or with a member of your household. Consider jogging or running around your home area to get your blood flowing and to take your mind off your stresses for a while. During yard work like gardening or raking leaves is a great way to improve your health and to complete tasks around the house at the same time.
When the temperature starts to drop, take your exercise routine indoors with sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, and other basic exercises. This is also the perfect time to break in that treadmill or stationary bike you’ve had sitting around in your basement. If you’ve got enough space, you can make exercise fun with an indoor trampoline. You can also try yoga to stretch out your sore muscles and to practice breathing techniques. Look up free online videos to discover new exercises and to try them yourself in the privacy of your own home.
