COVID-19 has completely changed the world in a matter of a few months, grinding most of the world to a sudden halt. Globally, people have either chosen to go into self-isolation or lockdown has been imposed by governments, forcing citizens to stay home. With this, it has brought about a whole new way of life that everyone has had to quickly get used to.
Lockdown restrictions differ from country to country. Some nations are allowing citizens to take solo walks or bike rides outdoors, while others, like South Africa, have banned all outdoor community activity completely. Over a third of the global population are currently under some form of restriction and have been ordered to stay at home to flatten the curve of the spread of the pandemic. Globally, gyms, fitness and yoga studios have had to close their doors indefinitely, forcing people to drop their usual fitness regimes.
With these extreme measures have come warnings from various health professionals on the impacts that it will have on the population’s mental and physical well-being. As many take to spending days binging Netflix shows and taking too many trips to the fridge, experts have advised people to remain as active as possible during this time. So, with gyms shut, and most of the world stuck inside, we decided to look at the various ways that you can keep fit and healthy during this time, and how, you can possibly transform yourself into an online fitness guide.
Set Up a Weekly Fitness Schedule
Whether you are starting out or are fully immersed in an exercise regime, the first place to start would be a set schedule for you to follow. Map out your week, marking what you will be doing on each day. If you are a regular gym-goer, your usual routine will be significantly altered by the lockdown, so take some time in reassessing your routine and ascertaining what you can do with the restrictions at home.
If you are just starting off, it is important to ensure you include rest days in between your workouts, otherwise, you could burn yourself out or even injure yourself. Full-body workouts are a great way to lose weight, as well as to trim and start building muscle but should be done with rests and intervals in between them.
Pick Your Digital Workout Regimes
Being in lockdown in the digital age comes with its perks. There are currently thousands of online workouts, exercise regimes, yoga classes and meditation guides for you to choose from. A quick search yields thousands of results for you to choose from to follow along with. There are videos that don’t require any equipment and can be done in the comfort of a small lounge or bedroom area. If you are looking to focus your attention on a certain area, you can easily find videos that concentrate on specific sections. Abs, arms, legs, and booty classes are all available, or, if you want a full work-out to get the blood going, HIIT classes are incredibly popular.
If you currently do have a personal trainer, or attend a class in your area, use this as an opportunity to support them during this time. Lockdown will be having a devastating effect on the normal income of professionals who offer services like this. Find out if they, or similar instructors in your area, are running online classes and consider supporting their online training and schedules.
Become an Online Personal Trainer Yourself
If fitness is already your game, and the lockdown has been having a severe impact on both your fitness and bank account, you could look into becoming an online personal trainer yourself. Thousands of personal trainers have had to move their businesses and training online during these hard times to keep their regular clients active and to keep a steady income coming into their bank account.
Whether you are currently a personal instructor, or active enough to step into being able to make money from it, there are various ways that you can start up a digital platform. If you are not accredited just yet and have no training to be a personal trainer, you can choose a great online personal training course to get you going with your new online venture. The next step is to create your platform and then start marketing yourself to get people to subscribe to your services. The courses will assist in ensuring that you have the right tools to run your classes effectively.
Try Out Alternative Ways to Work Out
If working out indoors, following online workout videos is just not enough for you, and you have access to an outdoor area, there are a number of other ways that you can create a new regime. If you are living in a country where you can still walk, jog or cycle outdoors, use the opportunity to start building up your cardio regime. A 30-minute swift walk or jog every day is enough to keep your fitness levels up during lockdown. A 45-minute bike ride is also effective to keep fit.
You can also get creative with what you have around you if you are not allowed out and cannot access your usual equipment in the gym. Stairs provide a great option for you to raise your cardio game by doing quick sprints up and down them. You can also use stairs or medium size walls to work the back of your arms with tricep box dips. Planking is also easy to do without any equipment and is highly impactful on your overall core. You can also use various items around the house to work out if it was too late to purchase your weights and resistance bands. Bags of flour, sugar, or even cement (if you have a big yard) can be used for weight training.
Wrapping Up
Keeping active in this time is important for not only your physical health but your mental health, too. Scheduling times to be active during the day gives a structure to your day. You will need to get up at a certain time, eat your pre-workout snack, workout, shower and get ready and eat your post-workout meal. Thereafter, you can get started with the rest of the day, which you will have enough energy to tackle. Exercise boosts endorphins and helps you relax as well as concentrate better. Just remember though, balance your workouts with some healthy eating. This is the perfect time to start changing your diet to fresh, healthy homemade meals that will complement your fitness regime. Without the temptation of takeaways and junk food, you can really use this time to transform your body.