Being stuck at home during this lockdown can really take its toll physically and mentally. You may find yourself falling into some less than savory “Pandemic” habits or routines. Luckily, research has shown that exercise is not just vital to your physical health — but it even has great benefit for your mental wellbeing! With gyms and many other facilities closed during this time, it can definitely be hard to stay moving. But don’t fret! Check out our tips below to keep yourself active, and sow your own seeds of wellness.
Create a System for Yourself. Pursue Habits as Opposed to Goals.
Habits can be a tricky thing. It’s often that we humans adapt a mentality that’s geared toward the extreme; the more we do the better, and any less than that means we’re not even trying. But you don’t always have to set the bar high. Consistency is key in this realm: starting with smaller habits is how we foster a system for success. Let’s say you’re looking to work on your upper body strength. Avoid scenarios where you’re trying to hit some lofty ideal such as 40-50 pushups a day. Instead, start with something smaller, such as 10 a day. It may not seem like much at first, but you’re setting a foundation for yourself. As these habits become integrated into your daily routine, then think about increasing the reps or intensity.
Motion is Lotion: Bodyweight Exercises are Essential.
Bodyweight exercises are fantastic to implement into any program or routine. Since they can be done without any equipment, they’re extremely accessible. They also offer many progression paths to ensure we’re appropriately challenged; and they allow us to focus on unilateral strengthening. Feel like one leg is lagging behind in your deep squat? Think about adding in Bulgarian Split Squats to work on building strength in the affected leg. Our own YouTube channel offers a plethora of bodyweight exercises that we love, such as the squat, dips and lunges. Check it out!
Use the Buddy System
I’m sure many people are missing their friends and family during this time. We certainly miss many of our patients as well. But we understand that everybody must do what’s best for them. Safety is the most important thing! But we live in the digital age now. Enter teleconferencing programs: with just the click of a button, you can communicate face-to-face with just about anyone that has a phone, tablet or computer. We’ve even been using such programs to offer telehealth to our patients that can’t make it into the clinic. Take advantage of this software. Communicate with your friends, and plan times to workout with each other over Zoom, Skype, Facetime. Having someone to workout with will keep you motivated, and add an element of accountability to keep you on track!
Bring the Gym Home
If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to buy home workout equipment, now may be the time to pull the trigger. Many online markets, such as Facebook, Craigslist and Ebay offer many pieces of equipment at reasonable prices, and can be a gateway to building your home gym. The cost may seem daunting at first, but it may be cheaper in the long run. Replace that expensive gym membership with a brand new squat rack, or dumbbells. Place them somewhere in your house you pass by constantly. It’ll serve as a nice reminder to knock out a few sets of your exercise of choice.
Find Your “Why”
When starting anything new, it’s important to take a moment and reflect on what drives you. It’s different for everyone, and it can be anything you want — that flicker of flame in you that fuels your willingness to succeed. It’s yours and yours alone to figure out. No one can tell you what it is.
For our own Tim Russell, PTA, CSCS, CSST, it’s his family that drives him to stay active:
“It’s all for my daughters. I have to stay in shape, stay healthy — because I want to be there for them, and give them the best possible. Being active keeps my energy levels high so I can keep up with them. I can get down on the floor, I can play with them. I don’t want to end up injured and miss out on that. They’re my light and what keeps me going.”
We sincerely hope these tips help you. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us by email at wellness@goldmedalpt.com. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have. We don’t have all the answers, but we will try our best to help you through this difficult time. Stay safe.
