Working Out From Home During the Pandemic

Gyms are open but you're not willing to go there? The streets are clear but you're not eager to run outside? I know the feeling. I've been there. I went for a run over the weekend and had two unsettling encounters with people that were obviously unwell🤧. The first was with an individual that seemingly came out of nowhere and couldn't stop coughing. I had to go across the road just to put a few more meters between us. He had no mask on and was clearly not as concerned as I was about his condition; it was business as usual. My unqualified opinion concluded that he should be stationed at a health facility and not freely roaming the streets during times like these. The second one was not sexy. At all. I was literally 50 meters from home when I approached the last corner where a woman was just standing there (perhaps waiting for someone) sniffing aggressively, and right when I got near her she started powerfully sneezing in my direction! Listen, when an unmasked individual starts sneezing in your direction with no attempt to cover their mouth, I don't care how much social distance there is, it's just not where you want to be. In that moment I was ready to teleport myself away from the situation! Sadly my powers failed me and I ended my run sulking because I honestly felt violated.

Here's what you can do if you don't want to have such encounters:

Jump rope
Purchase a skipping rope from Game or anywhere else you can find one and use it in your own private space. It's inexpensive and effective. Anywhere between 20 - 40 minutes of active skipping represents a solid daily workout. You must attempt to stay active for as long as possible and rest when you need to. Try to focus on the duration (time spent skipping), not the repetitions completed (number of skips).

Seven
Download the 7 app from the Google Playstore or App Store and perform 3 circuits daily for a guided full body workout. It's effective and it's free!

Body Circuits
Perform a bodyweight circuit by combining any of the following exercises:
Burpees, Star Jumps, High Knees, Jump Squats, Push Ups, Pull Ups, Butt Kicks, Lunges, Sit-Ups, Glute Bridges, Fire Hydrants, Planks, Crunches, Wall Sits, Chair Step Ups, Chair dips, Mountain Climbers, Leg Raises, Calf Raises are all great exercise options for you to perform at home. Structure your circuit in a way that gives you 30 - 45 seconds of active time exercising for at least 5 different exercises, and a rest period of 30 - 60 seconds in-between sets. Repeat the cycle for as many times as you can endure. Again, emphasis should be on time spent exercising and not the repetitions completed. Anywhere between 20 - 40 minutes of exercise time represents a solid daily workout. For visual demonstrations, YouTube, Pinterest & Uncle Google all got you covered.

Boxing🥊
Purchase a punching bag and bag holder (I got mine from Game), hook up it at home and unleash your little warrior. Boxing is excellent cardio! You should try to get in 10 rounds, 2 minutes each with 1 - 2 minutes recovery. Use the timer on your phone. You don't have to follow this template, just make sure that you're getting in at least 20 minutes of active boxing in there however you choose to structure it. Also, It doesn't matter if you punch, kick or elbow/knee the bag, just move your limbs towards the bag and make contact consistently. If you can't or won't commit money to the purchase a bag and holder then shadow boxing will get you going as well provided you 'stick & move'.

Stationary Cycling🚴‍♀️🚴
If you have a stationary bike use it! Working out from home is boring, I get it! But music can cure that. Plug in your favorite earphones or grab your Bluetooth speaker and start working out. 30 minutes of exercise will only be approximately 10 of your favorite songs. That doesn't sound too unreasonable does it? Get started.

Yoga🧘🏾‍♂️🧘🏾‍♀️
A great option with plenty of free resources on YouTube. Lay off the gossip and Team Chimpwena and use your phone data/WIFI for a health benefit. 20 - 30 minutes will give you a good workout and a daily sustained effort in your yoga practice will improve your flexibility, balance and it has been proven to help with stress management as well. I view Yoga as meditation in motion.

Insanity & P90x
Insanity and P90x represent, in my opinion, the two best possible home workouts you can do. Purchase yourself digital copies (or DVDs) on Amazon or anywhere else that you can find them and you won't regret it. They're both essentially guided home workouts designed to get you in shape in 2-3 months. Insanity in particular blows your favorite aerobics class right out of the water!

Dumbbell, Barbells & Other Fitness Equipment 🏋🏾‍♂️🏋️‍♀️
Many fitness enthusiasts have these things at home but seldom use them. Now is the time. If you don't own them, but would like to then they can be purchased from Game or most China Mall outlets at a reasonable fee. You can perform your favorite exercises with weights right at home.

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Despite all these recommendations being home workouts, I strongly encourage you to perform them outside in the open. Your little backyard or veranda will do. Don't confine yourself to the inside of a home with compromised airflow. You'll make exercising harder than it needs to be and you'll start to lose interest in the activity.

Conclusion:
If you're self-isolating and eating whatever you want and doing nothing but pick up the TV remote and attend ZOOM meetings I can assure you that by the time you're ready to leave home you won't find any clothes that still fit. Ladies - you'll end up embracing a chitenge lifestyle by force. Men - you'll find yourselves wearing compromised slim fit outfits and if you're not careful, you'll end up with a wardrobe malfunction at a place far from home.

As always, stay safe, mask up and maintain the social distance.