We’re all in the same boat. The COVID-19 lockdown and necessary self-isolation measures mean that all of us are spending more time at home. Home is usually our sanctuary and where we indulge in all our creature comforts. That lush soft sofa, that freshly made bed, that fridge winking at us...but now it’s much more than that.
Many of us are just not used to getting our exercise fix at home; instead we usually head out to our favourite studios, gyms or parks and fit them in nicely to our work-social life/home life schedules.
That has all changed for now. But how do we all stay active during this time?
One thing we do know is that staying active at home is now critical for our physical shape but also our collective mental health as we navigate our way through, and then out, of this situation.
So going out may be out, but home workouts are very much in. In a BIG way.
Sport England has just launched its #StayInWorkout campaign and the amazing Joe Wicks is doing the country a tremendous service by getting school children (and their parents) active in the mornings with his workout routines... but that doesn’t suit everyone’s tastes or needs.
So, here we break down some simple and practical tips to turn regular home activities into helpful health-boosters as well as select some of the most enjoyable and inspiring classes available on-demand or for live-streaming.
Whether you’re just getting up for 3 minutes per hour while working from your new home desk, bossing the Bodypump, or doing the full living room twerk, we’ve got you covered.
How to stay active at home during Coronavirus
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The stairway to health heaven
If you are lucky enough to have one, here’s a lovely ready-made and effective home workout tool. Even three or four 20-second quick stair climbs a day can start to improve your overall fitness in about six weeks. Now, we don’t know how long this situation will last but those stairs, they will probably always be there. Lovely, sturdy, reliable stairs. Ideal.
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Get yogic in the living room
Want to push yourself a little more than stair runs? HIIT YOGA is a total body workout designed for beginners, intermediates or even yoga masters wanting to develop their fitness.
Think bursts of intense bodyweight exercises carefully blended together to help unlock the fat-burning, metabolism-boosting, heart-pounding benefits of High Intensity Interval Training. If you are able to make a space in your living room, spare room or even a little outdoor space for this kind of activity, this could pay off big time.
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Dance yourself happy (with a little ballet)
A little dancing can improve even the most mundane of task. Taking the bins out? Do a little cha-cha-cha. Chopping carrots? Try a little twerkin’. Bit much? OK. Then just a few sashays through the kitchen might see you right.
If you fancy working on your pose and balance as well as getting all those endorphins flowing through dance, then you could try home ballet. Ballet (Adult Beginner from Beats Dance - The Hub could be the one.
Ballet classes all follow a fairly set format and so you can push yourself as little or as much as you want to depending on your experience and personal reasons for taking the class. Allow the masterful instructors to get to work on your technique and you will learn all the basic ballet postures and steps. Now that would set a few heads turning when we all emerge into a post-coronavirus world!
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Box clever when it comes to home fitness
Being stuck at home for a long time is little fun for anyone, especially if you have to spend long periods alone. But a smart and fun way to keep energy levels up is to take up an activity that you might not have tried before.
Lots of people think boxing is not for them because of the physical contact that might be involved but training for the sport is brilliant for body-weight conditioning through movement. Shadow Boxing Bootcamp is a 45-minute workout that delivers those exact benefits which you can now take up from the safe and secure environment of your own home. A total body workout which also might have you stinging like a bee and floating like a butterfly. Or something.
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Keep on jumping
Here’s a fun little add-on to your home routine. Instead of ambling along to your bathroom when nature calls, have a little skip there too. No-one will see you and it will turn a humdrum biological requirement into a little burst of fun. Hurrah.
If that sounds (admittedly) a bit silly, then let’s skip to the more serious part shall we? ONLINE Skipping is a mere 30-minute online class video that allows you to get your home workout in with specialist trainers from the TheBox - normally to be found in Brighton but now streaming to skippers all over the UK.
Skipping is a fantastic activity because it uses your abdominals to stabilise the body, legs for jumping, shoulders and arms for turning the rope. In doing that it improves coordination, stamina and focus too.
And finally...
So, there are just five simple ways and a selection of accessible home workout classes that pretty much anyone can take up to give their home fitness efforts an injection of fun and energy. But if none of these sound right for you or your circumstances, then don’t fret, there will definitely be something else to suit your tastes. Just have a little browse round on Move At Home.
One of the great things about home workouts and live-stream fitness classes is that you’re not restricted to what’s near you any more. You can try loads on for size to find what’s right.
