Fitness While Sheltering in Place: 6 Ways to workout at Home

With the COVID-19 pandemic, many aspects of daily life have taken a backseat. And rightfully so. The fitness world has seen its share of turmoil as the Olympic games, the Boston Marathon, all NCAA championships, and all professional sports leagues have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely. Many personal fitness goals have been compromised as races and events world-wide have been cancelled, gyms and pools have been shut down, and most places are enacting ‘shelter in place’ protocols. 

These unprecedented measures generate lots of uncertainty and decrease motivation for thousands if not millions of people. However, as with any health crisis, safeguarding your personal health and fitness goes a long way in helping bolster both the immune system AND improve mental health.  As such, the CDC recommends exercising, eating healthily, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep as important measures to take even during the ‘shelter in place’ orders that many cities have enacted over recent days. 

So, for those of us used to hitting the gym, the treadmill, the spin class, or the pool on a regular basis, how do we keep up our fitness routine when we’re asked to ‘shelter in place’? 

Here are 6 suggestions (and 2 workouts) to help you keep fit while staying home: 

• Yoga- Not only does yoga help to strengthen the core, increase flexibility, and improve balance, the added focus on calming the mind through controlled breathing and meditation serves as a welcome respite from the stress of the current situation. The mental health benefit of exercise is undisputed, and yoga is certainly a great way to truly improve both mind and body simultaneously. All you need to get started is your own body, a mat if you’re really serious, and a bit of guidance via any number of Youtube videos, books, or apps. 

 

• Body-weight HIIT training- High Intensity Interval Training has been the rage for several years for good reason. It utilizes full-body, functional strength exercises in short, intense bursts with limited rest to allow for adaptations for both muscular and cardiovascular fitness. In short, the heart rate gets up while you feel the burn. It’s perfect for those with limited time as the high intensity bouts of work rarely last more than a minute. This type of workout can maximize body weight as resistance or incorporate modalities such as dumbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, etc.

 

• A plank, push up, pull up, squat, or lunge challenge w a friend- Having a goal is a great way to ensure a successful workout regimen. Add a friend to the mix for accountability and support, and a body-weight challenge is a perfect recipe for at-home fitness success. Basic exercises like squats, push ups, lunges and planks can be done anywhere (if you’ve got a pull up bar, even better) and they are tried and true ways to build strength. Get creative with a friend and devise your own challenge, or find one online. It could be as simple as doing 10 squats a day for a month, or as intense as escalating the number each day of the month for multiple exercises.  

 

• Run/hike/explore trails outside- while many parks are closed (visitor centers, restrooms, etc.) , people are still encouraged to get outside and utilize open spaces while practicing social distancing. Find a trail, lace up the hiking boots or trail running shoes and head out. This is a great opportunity to get that heart rate up while enjoying some fresh air and sunshine. Just make sure to keep 6 feet from anyone else who may have the same (good) idea. 

 

• Jumping rope- Rocky did it. So did Tyson. There’s a reason some of the fittest fighters in the world (and on the screen) skip rope on a regular basis. It’s a great way to engage the core, lower legs, feet, heart, lungs, and tone the arms. Just a few minutes a day can go a long way to lowering that resting heart rate and dropping pounds in the process. Jumping rope is great as a workout by itself, especially when combined with intervals of push ups, squats, or lunges, OR as a warm up before jumping on the bike or heading out for a run. If you’ve got sensitive knees, make sure you use a yoga mat to help lessen the impact if you’re out on the patio or in the garage. 

 

• Embrace online fitness- Unfortunately fitness studios, personal trainers, and gyms are some of those hardest hit during the pandemic as they are forced to close their doors due to Executive Orders in most states. A great way to help them is to take advantage of virtual / online fitness offerings. Some are doing live streaming classes, others are doing virtual one-on-one training sessions. These are interactive and will help keep up the fitness momentum many have already worked so hard to achieve. 

So, take advantage of your time at home to get fit in your own space. These 6 tips should give you a few ideas to go on. To help you get started, here are two HIIT workouts, one more basic along with modifications to make exercise easier, and one more advanced with a harder and easier 55 time variation  (40/20 seconds is harder, 30/30 seconds is easier). 

Good luck everyone; keep up the at-home fitness and stay safe! 


Workout 1: Beginner HIIT (with modifications)
1-4 rounds with 1 minute rest in between rounds. Each round is all  exercises: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest in between each exercise. Total duration is approximately 4-16 minutes

• Burpee (with or without push up) 
• Squats (with or without hop)
• Mountain climbers (hands on bench if needed)​
• Skaters 

Workout 2 : Advanced HIIT 
3-5 rounds with 1 minute rest in between rounds. Each round is all  exercises: 30 or 40 seconds of work, 30 or 20 seconds of rest in between each exercise. Total duration is approximately 26-43 minutes

• Burpee
• Squat Hops
• Swivel Mountain Climbers
• Rt Side Chops (hands clenched)
• Lt Side Chops (hands clenched)
• Skaters
• T -Press Push Ups
• Bird Dogs (on hands and toes)