How To Stay Active During Isolation

So the gyms are closed, now what?

With the present concerns of COVID-19, social distancing, gym closures and self isolation you may feel like wanting to lie back on the lounge and binge-watch Netflix, or be immersed all day in a great book.

However, regular physical activity is vital for supporting healthy immune function; preventing weight gain (which can weaken immune function); improving your mood; and maintaining your overall health during this difficult time. Believe it or not, even before the restrictive measures were declared, physical inactivity cost 5.3 million lives a year across the globe.

With all this madness and uncertainty in the world which is out of your control, now is the perfect time to take the reigns of your health and wellbeing by adding daily exercise into your routine.

Get moving!

It is recommended that all adults should complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity each week, as well as completing muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week.

Remember, any activity is better than none, and the more activity you do delivers greater physical and mental health benefits. It's also important to try to limit prolonged sedentary behaviour. Remember to take a break every 20 to 30 minutes from continuous sitting while working on your computer, tablet, or phone. In this time, you could take 5 minutes break to walk around your home, breathe in some fresh air from your verandah or in the backyard, or even play with your pets.

Another idea to reduce sedentary behaviour is to introduce standing while working by creating your own stand-up desk area, for example, this could be done at your kitchen bench. Outdoor physical activity, like walking, running, biking, and hiking has the added benefit of providing some sun exposure to increase your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is made in your skin with sun exposure, and if you have the ability to get outdoors, especially in nature, (while maintaining social distancing) could even help improve your immune system and mood.

Make use of those stairs!

Another way to efficiently maintain your fitness is by using the stairs! Did you know that if you complete three 20-second fast stair climbs a day your fitness can improve in only six weeks!

If you live in an apartment, easily ditch awkward elevator encounters with other self-isolating neighbours by utilising the staircase! Make sure to be sensible and try to avoid unnecessary contact with handrails. Internal stairs also provide more stair climbing and strength training opportunities!

Use your own body as a weight!

Did you know that strength exercises using your own body weight such as sit ups, planks and pull ups are just as essential for your health as aerobic exercise! When you are completing your two muscle-strengthening sessions per week, you can use these bodyweight exercises.

Each session should involve two to four sets of eight to 15 repetitions of each strengthening exercises. Ensure you allow a two to three minutes rest between sets.

Just dance!

Dancing is a great way to look after the heart and maintain fitness as it is easy to work up from moderate to vigorous intensity and can even emulate high-intensity interval training otherwise knows as HIIT.

Did you know that dancing has even been proven to boost your mental health, which is a great mechanism to assist in coping with solitude! Especially during this lonely time due to COVID-19.

Enjoy one on one time with your children or pets!

Social-distancing allows the perfect chance to connect as a family through active play. It is no surprise that both young children and dogs thrive on attention, playing games and having fun, so now is the perfect time to take utilise the added time you are hanging in and around the home.

There are many great indoor and outdoor games to keep both yourself, your kids and your pets active while simultaneously boosting your wellbeing.