Everyone is stuck inside, which means we are spending a lot of time on our butts watching television, doing schoolwork, working from home or whatever it may be.
It can be hard to get up and be active during this time, especially with gyms, hiking trails and malls (where many choose to go walking) being closed. It’s no secret that staying active improves your mental health. This stressful time can be a lot to handle right now, so take some time and do something good for yourself.
Here are some ways to stay active during this time:
1. Take a walk by yourself or with your dog
Dogs love going on walks, and I’m sure they won’t mind the extra exercise or longer walk during their day. It’s good for you, and it’s good for your dog. So, do both you and your dog a favor. Take a walk, get some fresh air and get active.
2. Watch workouts on YouTube
There are countless videos and channels on YouTube dedicated to working out. They have videos for beginners, experts and everything in between. Without gym equipment, it can be hard to do strength training. There are plenty of videos out there to improve strength by just using your body weight. There’s also cardio, ab work, target workouts and countless others.
3. Do a workout with a friend on FaceTime or any kind of video chat
If you’re like me, it can be hard to stay motivated when you’re working out by yourself. If you have a regular gym buddy or a friend that wants to workout with you, give them a quick call and you can workout together and motivate each other.
4. Workout while you watch tv
There are countless lists of workouts to do on Pinterest, Twitter and other social media platforms that list certain workouts you do when something on the show or movie happens. For example, if it’s a list based off “Mean Girls,” you would do 10 sit ups every time that Cady is said incorrectly. There are countless examples, so get creative and have some fun.
5. Do short workouts throughout the day
If you have a busy day working at home, just do small workouts throughout the day. Do a 10- minute workout every hour. That’s 80 minutes of working out without overdoing it. It keeps you from sitting down all day, plus you get to spread out the workout and take a break from what you’re doing.
Nicole Hindberg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @HindbergNicole.