Being active while stuck at home, even in small ways, not only gives me something to do, but it also keeps me sane. The activities that I've included below are quite different from the exercising that I'm used to with swimming and CrossFit. They are not nearly as intense, but they still are great ways to move my body.
Yoga
I’ve had some experience before with yoga, including participating in a small club (only three or four students) at my elementary school during my fourth grade year and joining my mom for classes at our local YMCA. I used to think that yoga was not enough of an exercise for me. I thought that I needed intense workouts. I still like my intense workouts, but yoga has been a great outlet while stuck at home. I believe that I will continue to practice it in the future. Yoga not only helps with flexibility, but also with strength, balance, mind-to-muscle connection, and breathing. I’ve really been enjoying videos from Yoga with Adriene that are free on YouTube. In the past, I’ve tried DVD yoga tutorials, but they were typically long, usually quite difficult, and there wasn’t much of a connection with the instructor. Adriene makes her videos accessible to people of all abilities, and she feels more like a friend than an instructor.
Walking the Dogs
My family and I have been walking our two dogs together nearly every late afternoon when it’s not raining. We walk the same loop every time, which is about one mile long. Nearly every walk, we see these two families that are neighbors with their children playing in their front yards, climbing a magnolia tree, or biking or riding scooters in the street. The children know the names of our dogs, so they’ll call out, “Hi Daisy and Hoover,” once they see us coming. Even if they’re in the backyard or inside the house, they’ll run over to the fence or to the front door to say hello.
Neighborhood Walks
On most nice days, my family and I will walk longer loops in the neighborhood before walking the dogs. We’ve done a few different loops that typically are around two miles long. I have gone on a few runs since being at home, but impact from hitting the pavement always left my joints aching days after. I know that I’m way too young to complain about joint pain, but I can’t help it, running causes pain. I can still get in the steps, without the pain, by walking, and then add to that the benefits of simply being outside.
At-Home Workouts
There are so many workout videos available on YouTube, and the best part is they are free. Lately, I’ve been following a lot of videos made by Madfit. She provides videos that work on the whole body as well as videos that focus on certain areas such as the lower body, upper body, and abs. She also has short video workouts that go along with popular songs like “Physical” by Dua Lipa, which is a full body routine, and “Toxic” by Britney Spears, which is a squat challenge. I’ve also been writing some workouts myself that I can do with the limited equipment that I have at home. They usually consist of movements such as kettle-bell swings, goblet squats, push-ups, and core exercises. If you don't have any weights at home, it's easy to substitute dumbbells or kettle-bells for items found around the house. My parents filled old plastic jugs with water that act as substitutes for five pound weights, and they work great for upper body movements like bicep curls or shoulder presses.
At this point in time, your health and well-being are most important. Take care of yourself.
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