Ways to stay in shape while the gyms are closed

April 23, 2020

Are you missing your weekly (or for some, daily) trip to the gym during the coronavirus crisis?

Save with SPP had a look around the Interweb to see how people are keeping fit when they are, by and large, confined to their own dwellings.

At the Patch blog, “bodyweight exercises… exercises that don’t require weights or machines,” are recommended. These can also be done anywhere, the blog tells us. Examples include the tried and true pushup, planks (familiar to yoga fans), and a similar “glute bridge.” The site recommends each exercise they list be done 10-15 times.

At The Health Site, the advice on exercise is particularly appropriate for the pandemic.

The site recommends carrying out some breathing exercises at home, so that you can “take precautions by boosting your lung power.” The post outlines deep breathing, “breathing through your diaphragm,” resistance breathing and other exercises. All of these, the blog suggests, will boost the strength of your lungs and “increase the amount of oxygen in your body” by filling and stretching your lung sacs.

TV station KHOU in Houston provides videos leading you through yoga, strength class, cardio class and a boot camp.

So does our own CBC, which provides videos for a couch workout, the “six minute Animal kingdom workout,” a towel workout, a workout for new moms, small-space yoga, and more.

Now why should we be looking up all these exercises when instead we could be watching Netflix or playing board games?

According to the Goodluck blog, keeping busy with exercise has many advantages. It improves your metabolism, it boosts your mental and physical energy, helps with your self-discipline and improves your sleep. The site strongly recommends that workouts take place in the morning.

We’re living through a very strange and scary crisis. Save with SPP has found that even getting out walking the dog seems to break the tension and reduces stress. Be sure, of course, to follow all public health guidelines and keep a safe distance from others if you’re walking, running, or cycling during these unusual times.

Written by Martin Biefer
	Martin Biefer is Senior Pension Writer at Avery & Kerr Communications in Nepean, Ontario. A veteran reporter, editor and pension communicator, he’s now a freelancer. Interests include golf, line dancing and classic rock. He and his wife live with their Shelties, Duncan and Phoebe, and cat, Toobins. You can follow him on Twitter – his handle is @AveryKerr22

CBC, COVID-19, Goodluck, KHOU, Patch, The Health Site

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