Staying Fit & Resilient: 4 Tips For Maintaining Your Fitness In The Time Of COVID

When “normal” becomes a thing of the past, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to make space for the things that keep us healthy and happy.

At this time, especially, that calls for some level of adaptation.

That’s what being an athlete is all about – being able to surmount whatever obstacle comes your way. Whether it involves running towards it, lifting it over your head, jumping over it, our training prepares us to overcome barriers.

Currently, as we keep our friends, family, and neighbours safe in the time of a pandemic by maintaining our social distance, this presents us Athletes with more obstacles that every before. 

Many of us have been struggling to workout as we normally would.

But, despite gyms being closed, equipment supplies depleting, and schedules being thrown into disarray, there are so many ways we can continue to develop our mental and physical fortitude.

Loss of gains is not inevitable. And we're here to help you through.

Here are 4 tips for staying fit, building resilience, and maintaining a fitness routine during this strange time:

1. FIND A WORKOUT BUDDY

A workout buddy can help you stay motivated; and more importantly, they can make you feel less alone during this time of social isolation.

A workout buddy can be someone you are quarantined with and whom with you can actually workout; it can be a friend you text weekly/daily to keep you accountable; or there are numerous online training communities (ex. Street Parking) where you can post on forums, log process, and find inspiration for workouts.

On our own Synergee Instagram page, we post workouts weekly and share the successes of our #SynergeeAthletes!

If you’re a little too shy to reach out to someone directly or start with an online training program, looking through our Instagram for our daily workouts and seeing what other Synergee Atheltes are achieving can be a great boost! You’re part of this team, too!

2. BODY WEIGHT IS YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND

Now is the time to become closely acquainted with push ups, squats, lunges, and more. Once you delve into the world of body weight exercises, you’ll realize there is a lot to keep you entertained!

Plus, body weight workouts are a great way to achieve a great strength-to-mass ratio!

Strength to mass ratio is a measure associated with functionality; it is the force that someone can exert divided by their mass.

Developing your S-M R is associated with increased health and longevity, and can help people stave off morbidity and sickness in your later years!

3. MAKE DO & GET CREATIVE

We are over-the-moon appreciative of everyone’s patience as we restock our Synergee warehouses! And until we get there, we can help you mitigate this unprecedented surge in people buying home gym equipment with some tips!

For example, although it is a heck-of-a-lot more convenient to use the proper equipment, some stuff you can find around the house can definitely stand in for the time being:

• Plastic Milk Jugs filled with gravel/sand can make for great free weights (just be sure to screw that cap on tightly!)
  
  
• To perform Ring Rows find a low tree branch that you can throw a towel/sheet over. Center the towel so it is laying length-wise over the branch, draped over it evenly. Grasp a side of the towel/sheet in each hand, get into Ring Row position, and perform some reps! Hold on tight, and maybe don’t use the fancy towels/sheets for this workout!
  
  
• Want to perform Dips? Place a kitchen chair on either side of your body, place your hands on the seat, and tuck your knees (or get really good at L Sit Dips!) to crank out some reps!
  
  
• No skipping rope/no space to skip? Find an object you can place on the floor and perform toe taps with – a Kleenex Box, a Tupperware container, what have you! It can be small – it just provides you with a target. OR, you can perform lateral hops over this object
  
  
• My personal favorite is subbing Box Jumps with Laundry Basket Hop Overs. While I definitely don’t trust to my laundry basket to hold me if I jump on it, I get the same cardio burn by jumping clear over it! Oh, it gets the heart racing, for SURE!

The possibilities are endless for makeshift workout equipment you already have in your home. Lift something. Move with it. Repeat.

4. SLEEP!!

Now is the perfect time to catch up on sleep and establish a strong sleep routine. With less time spent commuting to work and more time spent at home, perfecting a sleep schedule and night/morning routine can help us physically and mentally.

Rest and activity go hand in hand. Listening to your body for when it needs rest and catching the Z’s you might miss under “normal” circumstances (working far from home, late hours, etc) can help better your mood, help you deal with the stress of going through a pandemic, and give you more energy to give it your all and find motivation for your workouts.

This is a strange time to be living in. Sleep well so you can face each day with a fresh outlook.

AND DON'T FORGET: YOU'RE DOING GREAT!

Every so often, remind yourself of how awesome you are doing. You're surviving a strange, turbulent time. And you're doing so really, really well.

We've got this, Athletes. We're all in this together!