How I've Been Maintaining Regular Exercise During Lockdown
With lockdown came the closure of gyms (both indoor and outdoor) and leisure centres across the country. When that happened many of us had to make do with walking, running and at-home workouts to keep us active during such unprecedented times. Many, myself included, had to find new ways of staying fit and healthy. A few people I know I have been using their initiative, from using cans of baked beans as mini free weights to buying a set of resistance bands to intensify shorter, less strenuous workouts.
As many of us are looking to try new things to improve or maintain fitness, I thought I'd share with you what I have been doing during lockdown to stay healthy while the gyms are shut. I never thought running would ever be on the agenda, but I gave it a go and I learned to enjoy it, over time, with the use of an app called Strava.
Strava tracks the distances you cover together with the time it took you to run it. I find this so motivating as I will always aim to either stick to my time or beat it! This isn't a sponsored post, but you can also use Strava to track the distances you walk, cycle or even swim - great stuff. The best part is that it's free to use (to an extent), unless you want advanced options and settings, in which case you'll pay a fee. I have the free version and that does me just fine :)
Hill Sprints
I started off doing hill sprints before I went on a 3km run for the first time about two years. They're a great way of getting started if you find running to be somewhat difficult. It's all to do with improving your recovery times as well as upping your fitness ready for a long-ish run ahead. I like to do these at least once a week, running 15 laps up the hill and 15 laps down the hill, after that I'll run a short circuit back home again - this often adds up to about 3km and takes (on average) 23 minutes. Just in case you need convincing further that hill sprints are totally worth your time (despite how painful they sound), I've provided a list of their benefits below - cheeky!
Why hill sprints are a great way to kick-start your new running regime
1. It strengthens the muscles your body will use for running longer distances - almost like weight training
2. It reduces the likelihood of you straining muscles or causing ligament or tendon damage
3. It improves your overall running form, helping to reduce your risk of shin splints, for example
4. It requires self-discipline as all you want to do is stop, but you won't! You'll push yourself to new levels fitness wise
5. It increase stride strength and power, meaning that you'll less energy to propel yourself forwards at a decent rate
6. Your stamina will improve, enabling you to run long distances for a prolonged amount of time
7. You may find that your overall running time decreases with time
8. It's a great way to kick your metabolism back into action
9. As silly as it sounds, it'll make your heart stronger
General Running
After doing a few hill sprints and getting to grips with those for about a week, I went on my first 3km run with my brother (who is somewhat of a fitness fanatic). The first 3km run took me nearly 28 minutes - not bad for someone who hadn't done it for a few years. After that, together with a few more hill sprints sessions, we ran 5km which took me nearly 36 minutes.
General running is great to mix with hill sprints and you'll find your time slowly decreases as your overall fitness improves and your muscles strengthen. The first 3km run I did was right at the beginning of April but in 1.5 months, I can run 3.5km in 22 minutes (on average) compared to the nearly 28 minutes it took me when I first took up running.
The same goes for the 5km run - the first one I did took me nearly 36 minutes to complete, whereas my most recent 5km run took me 33 minutes - it's not a massive time difference, but I feel so much fitter now and it really improves your confidence in so many ways.
It gives me something to focus on and improve upon during such difficult times, but it also gives me a chance to get out of the house and de-stress. When I'm out running, all worries and troubles melt away, so basically, running really is cheaper than therapy and it improves your fitness, overall strength and mental health in so many ways!
Lots of Walking
Walking is perfect for those who can't, or don't want to, run. The benefits are still very similar, from improving fitness and muscle strength to being mentally healing, walking is an excellent way of getting some light exercise after a day working from home or chilling around the house. The best part is that everyone can get involved with this one, whether you're taking your kids out to stretch their legs or meeting a friend or loved one in the park (socially distanced, of course), it's a brilliant way of burning a few calories whilst actually enjoying yourself.
Strava will also track the distance you walk, so download the app and let it record your movements - you may be surprised by how far you've walked, even if it's just around the block or local park!
Home Workout Videos
This exercise method is available to so many people, if it's your thing. YouTube is perfect for accessing free, heart-pumping workouts that are guaranteed to break you out in a sweat. Regardless of what your goals are, there's something on there for everyone. From yoga and Pilates to muscle toning and cardio sequences, you'll soon realise that, perhaps, your gym membership isn't worth it after all ;)
I have rather a few people on Instagram asking me about the workout videos I use and the simple answer is Tae Bo. Billy Blanks has been blending the art of boxing and Taekwondo for many years, so much so that he's worked up somewhat of an empire. A lot of his workouts are available online and will suit a variety of abilities. From beginners to advanced workouts, you'll soon find yourself doing round-house kicks past your waist and throwing remarkable punches.
Tae Bo isn't a contact thing, nor is it about self-defence - it's simply about building up muscle strength, getting the heart pumping and toning your body overall. Although, if you'd like more specific exercises to tone up your core, for example, then they're also available. I like the one that Shellie Blanks, Billy's adopted daughter, does - check that out here.
I've also linked their Instagram pages below if you'd like to get more of an idea of who they are and what they're about before you slip into your gym kit and give their great workouts a try :)
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How have you been working out recently? Have you found it difficult without a gym? Let me know whether you've found new ways of working out or if you'll get started once the gyms reopen! I will see you again very soon with a brand new blog post for you :)
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I started running tentatively with c25k last September. By January I tried to run 6 days a week for a month and by March I was up to 10km. Then at the end of April I did something to my left knee and it hurts. I'm trying to start again with really short runs. 3km last weekend was too far, 1km yesterday was fine. Can't wait to get back to longer distances!
ReplyDeleteAw that's such a shame! I can't imagine how annoying that must have been for you. I'm glad to see that you're easing yourself back into it and taking things easy for a while. It's totally understandable to want to throw yourself into the deep end again after an injury, but you've taken a really sensible approach to it all - you don't want to make things worse, so definitely a good call!
DeleteI'm excited to see the progress you make post-injury, you'll be back doing those long distances again soon :)
Thanks so much for your comment!
Lorna x