During a pandemic and while sheltering in place, the best thing you can do for yourself is to engage in daily habits — such as exercise and eating a balanced diet — that will help you stay as healthy as possible.

However, as gyms remain closed and stay-at-home orders continue to be encouraged to prevent the spread of COVID-19, maintaining physical activity is becoming a challenging task.

While it is challenging, it is not impossible. To help you commit to a healthy lifestyle< during this difficult time, here are our best tips to keep you active at home:

Get a Workout Buddy

Exercising at home is not only challenging due to the limited space and lack of equipment but also because it is harder to be mentally motivated and engaged while doing shelter in place.

How many times have you said to yourself, “I’ll skip working out today”, or “I’ll start tomorrow.” Before you know it you have skipped days, which have turned into weeks or even months.

The point of getting a workout buddy is that you are no longer committing just to yourself, but also to other people.

Consider asking your partner or roommate to exercise with you at home. If you live alone, take advantage of technology and do a workout routine with a friend through a video call. If you can afford it, contact your old gym coach and set an arrangement for them to train you online.

Set a Schedule

Exercise will not only help you to stay physically healthy, but it will also prevent or diminish cabin fever symptoms like irritability, anxiety, and fatigue.

Exercise, more than a medium to get the perfect body shape, is necessary to improve our physical and mental health. That being said, physical activity should be treated as a priority in your schedule. 

We recommend setting at least 30 minutes per day to exercise first thing in the morning. This way, if your schedule gets crowded throughout the day, you won’t have to sacrifice your workout time to do other tasks.

Try New Workout Routines

Shelter in place could be an opportunity to try new things, including workout routines. Don’t let a small space at home confine you into a limited workout routine. Nowadays, expensive equipment or big open spaces are not necessary for you to practice a fulfilling workout routine. 

The following online workouts will give you all the gym benefits from the comfort of your home:

• Yoga. All you need is a mat. Yoga is much more than meditation and flexibility. In fact, each pose challenges your body to develop strength at a slow but steady pace.
• HIIT. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a mixed modal training that focuses on doing short, but intense cardio routines — it also includes small breaks! HIIT is not as intense as CrossFit, which makes it perfect for beginners. There are plenty of HIIT online workouts that can be done without any equipment. Other HIIT workouts may require resistance bands, a yoga mat, weights, and jumping ropes.
• Pilates. Pilates is a low-impact workout that focuses on developing strength in all your body muscles. Pilates-at-home essentials include a mat and a resistance band.

All of the workouts mentioned above can be found on apps and websites like YouTube, and they are free!

Z.E.N. Foods helps you complement your workout routine with a balanced and delicious diet. Reach out to our nutritionists today and build a personalized diet plan that fits your needs and budget. We are here to help!