Quarantine Workouts
What?!? How did you do that?
This week I hit a streak of more than 10k steps for three days in a row! When I first texted a friend about it, he was amazed and curious. He’s an active guy, and we regularly compete in Fitbit challenges. So I know he’s at least as active as I am, if not more.
And, perhaps more significantly, he lives in my building, so he has an apartment with the exact same square footage, so he KNOWS how hard it is to get a serious step count when you’ve only got limited space. I’ve been able to achieve 10k steps about once or maybe twice a week over the past several weeks, but now that I’m on a roll (three whole days, haha!), I’m willing to share my secrets (recognizing of course that not everyone even has these options):
The garage workout!
Don’t forget the garage! We have two sub-levels of garage space in my building, and while it’s still pretty small (only a handful of cars on both levels), it’s “open space” to walk or run or jump rope. And there are five floors of stairs up and down to get extra steps, extra stretch, and extra cardio! It’s ugly down there, but it’s quiet, cool, and disease free. Pro tip: have gloves or something if you have to open door handles, or handle railings. Bonus: check on your car while you’re down there!
Apps, zoom, and youtube. I’ve downloaded probably a dozen workout apps during this quarantine. Many of them didn’t last beyond a day as I tried them out; they were way too hard, poorly designed, or just not my jam. And that’s fine—there are a million more. I’ve tried yoga, dance, CrossFit and high intensity, “Christian” workouts, and just about everything else. Maybe you’re like me, and you already know your “workout style” and what motivates you—GREAT! What happens when you’re not able to do that spin class or that swimming or jogging in the park? You need to discover something new that maybe challenges you to work physically different, if not harder. Because of the quarantine, many programs are offering free classes on zoom or even free trials, so this is a good time to check them out and take advantage of the possibilities. Youtube has a million options too.
Go old school - When I was a kid my mom would make us clean our rooms or do our chores by setting a timer (in those olden days she used the microwave, so we could see it counting down- for added pressure, thanks Mom). And as an adult I actually do this, still! I set a timer to motivate myself to overcome the procrastination habit. And we all have phones or devices now that can do this easily for us. So I’m setting my timer for every 30 minutes so I actually get up, move around, run in place, dance to a fun song, or just remind myself to go DO something else other than virtual meetings, never-ending paperwork, and the time-sucking vacuum of Disney plus.
Add a street. This may only apply to those of us in true lockdown (you Americans have NO idea). But here in Spain, exercise is not considered a reason to leave your house and the parks are closed, locked, or monitored by the police. But you CAN get groceries, so without leaving the ten blocks or so that make up my neighborhood, I can still get a decent 15 minute walk by adding streets here and there to make the route longer—no so long that I’m clearly out of bounds, but I can choose the furthest grocery store—STILL IN MY BARRIO—and wind in and out of the streets on my way there. The real bonus here isn’t even the steps; it’s time out of the house, and more fresh air and sunshine. Also, I have now gone to EVERY store that exists here, and have a good sense of exactly which one has which products or prices.
Stop multi-tasking. I know, this one is mind-blowing. You’re probably like me in that two months ago, you would dislocate your own elbows carrying in all the groceries in one trip. NO MORE. I’ll walk up and down the stairs or the hallway seventeen times if that’s what it takes to carry one bag at a time. I literally have nothing but time and no other way to expend energy. So yeah, make multiple trips. You need to go to the bank AND the pharmacy AND the store? Sure you COULD do that in two hours, or you can do it in three trips over three days! Don’t take all the recycling down to the dumpster on the same day - save some for tomorrow and get two chances to leave the house! Walk back and forth in your kitchen putting away one fork at a time. The dishwasher is in no hurry- why are you?
Remember WHY. The the biggest part of getting all this exercise is just mental. As the saying goes: “The hardest lift is your butt off the couch.” But I’ve got to MOVE! A big part of my health journey a few years ago was learning to use exercise to handle my emotions and well, this quarantine got me feeling ALL.the.EMOTIONS. So what do I do? Go right back to unhealthy habits? NO! I just need to apply my motivation to my current circumstances. It’s time to learn how to work this body in that “lockdown life.”
Of course, your history is different, your building is different, or your situation is different, and that’s fine - the point is that I had to be clever to figure out how to move more, how to change habits, and how to be on the lookout for these hidden moments/spaces. You can get some creative cardio, too! I believe in you!