Exercising at home during a pandemic and how to stay motivated
The current Covid-19 pandemic has really changed the way people live. Now that the government is using lockdowns to tame the virus, fitness enthusiasts can’t hit the gym as usual. But as we wait for a solution to be implemented, you have to look for a way of working out at home so that you don’t lose the gains you achieved before the pandemic struck. The advantage of home based exercise is that you train at your own convenience and also guarantees that you don’t contract the virus and spread it to other people in your household. On the other hand, working out on your own is easier said than done. Most people skip their workout sessions due to boredom and lack of motivation. Here is a list of tips that can help you when exercising from the comfort of your home.
1. Create a Schedule
Working out without a schedule is a recipe for failure. Just because you will be staying indoors doesn’t mean you will be free throughout the day. In fact, you might be preoccupied when working remotely due to distractions and tight deadlines. Creating a schedule makes it easier for you to know the time you are supposed to be working out. Since you only need about 45 minutes, you can schedule it either early in the morning or late in the evening. Even if something comes up, don’t skip your routine. The problem of skipping sessions is that it eventually becomes a habit until you lose track. You should actually set a reminder on your phone so that you get an alert when it’s time to exercise.
2. Create the Right Environment
Although you have the privilege of training in any of the rooms in your home, you have to make sure that you create the right environment. If you train in a room that’s not well ventilated and is crowded with stuff, you may not feel motivated in the long run. Imagine how it feels when you knock something down and it comes tumbling and hits you? Not good at all. What about distraction from the shouting and wailing of kids? Pets will also get in the way when you want to stretch or just tone your muscles. You can avoid such distractions by choosing a room that’s frequently used by other people in your home. Ideally, the further the room is from the living room, the less likely you will be distracted.
3. Challenge yourself
Since you are training without being monitored by a personal trainer, you may stagnate in a plateau by doing the same exercises every other day. For the sake of challenging yourself, you should try increasing the number of repetitions in each set of exercises or increase the intensity. For instance, if you have been doing 10 pushups, you can scale up to 20. Besides that, you should put a mirror in front so you can see what you are doing, especially when following online Pilates. And as you up your workout, you should be listening to how your body feels. If you feel exhausted, just call it a day to give the muscles some time to repair themselves.
