In a time where there’s a lot of uncertainty, chaos and panic it’s easy to lose focus on the things that have served us well up until now.
Our established routines of a 9-5 job, getting the kids to and from school, uni timetables, weekly catch-ups with friends and the weekly grocery shop have pretty much been turned on their head in the space of a couple of weeks.
But because our daily routine helps to guide and keep us in tact mentally and physically it’s important not to totally drop the bundle.
Especially when it comes to exercising.
Even though gyms across the country have been shut down it doesn’t mean our body’s have to as well. We just gotta learn to be adaptable and get creative. It’s an opportunity to learn and because of the self isolation laws put in place it’s something we have to get used to quickly.
To help with this transition here’s some tips you can implement to help keep exercise high on your priority list…
Set up a space in your home as a designated workout area. This will be your ‘gym’. Move some furniture if you need to. Clear away junk and rearrange things to suit if that’s what it takes. If possible make sure it’s a separate space to where you would spend most of your time at home simply just to break the scenery up.
Within that space make sure you can facilitate being able to play music. Your favourite tunes. Crank them up during your session. This will help boost energy and mood levels and help to create a motivating vibe.
You don’t need equipment. If you have some it’s a bonus but there’s no need to go and spend thousands on stuff you’ll barely use. The best piece of equipment you have is your own bod and there’s hundreds of different ways you can move it. If you wanna get creative, grab the kids or dog and walk lunge them down the hallway. Grab a couple of chairs, bend over and row them. Pop your hands on the kitchen bench and do some dips. Chuck a back pack on full of bags of rice or pots and pans and squat. Put towels under your feet on the tiles and slide into mountain climbers or a towel crunch. I could go on and on.
Keep your routine in tact. I touched on this earlier. If you’re used to training at a certain time in the morning stick to it! Likewise if you prefer afternoons then no reason to change. If this can’t be done, learn to be adaptable but the most important thing is BOOK YOURSELF IN. Make the appointment with yourself and let everyone know in the house this is what you’re doing so there’s minimal interruptions.
If you get motivated visually put some pics up on the wall in your gym or even some motivating quotes to help get you by. Heck paint a wall in your favourite colour if you need to. Create a happy and motivating space for yourself that will keep you on track and focused.
Set yourself a time limit. Similar to booking yourself in make sure you have a boundary of time to guide you. It’s funny when I tell myself ok I have an hour to get shit done the amount of work I’m able to fit in is much more than if I was to train until I feel like I’ve had enough.
Have a training plan. Prepare yourself mentally for what’s ahead. If you have the luxury of a planned workout in front of you make sure you’re over it all before you start and visualise what it will feel like doing it. This will help with integrity and keep you accountable in finishing what you’re about to start. Winging it isn’t gonna cut it. Trust me. Especially if you lack a lot of self drive.
Speaking of which, self drive is important. I spoke about this a couple of weeks ago. You’re gonna have to get used to the crowd not showing up to watch you do your thing. It will get lonely at times. That’s a given. However it’s the perfect time to tap into your own motivation and really focus on why and what you want to achieve. Once again it’s a big opportunity to learn about yourself. In my opinion this factor alone will either make or break people in the next 6 months.
Eat to compliment. Massively important. Eating well and routine are heavily linked. However now that our usual routines have been thrown out the window and most of us are spending more time at home our healthy eating habits are extremely vulnerable. That is not an excuse to just let yourself go. Keep your routine with your eating habits to compliment your training. It’s more vital than ever at a time like this.
Reach out. Tell a friend or your partner what you’re going to do and commit to it. It’s called integrity. If you say you’re going to do something then do it. When you tell someone else you’re going to do something there’s that extra bit of accountability now as you’ve put it out there. Team up with someone and outline your training plans for the week and then touch base to confirm what was done. Sometimes we are hopeless at being accountable to ourselves but we are great at being accountable to others.
Most importantly have fun! Enjoy and embrace the fact you’re getting challenged a little. Don’t look at it as a burden but an opportunity. Just be grateful you have the ability to exercise and experience what it feels like to be on that workout high.
Stay focused and we will all get through this together! And remember we are only a phone call away.
‘’If you have a body, we can help you’’
Ben
Infinite Fitness Peninsula
