If you’re like much of the United States during the COVID-19 outbreak, you’ve likely been handed down a stay-at-home order or have been strongly advised to self-quarantine. Non-essential businesses are closed, and that likely includes the local gym.
If we’re honest, staying at home for an extended period of time can be perilous to our health, and not just because the kids are driving you crazy while you try to work-from-home. It’s more that it’s easier to be a couch potato and snack out of boredom! Even if you do spend much of your time working, homeschooling, or parenting, you’re much more confined, more inactive, than you’re probably used to.
I recently wrote about how we can maintain physical and mental health during this time of self-quarantine.
Now it’s time to dig into the details: here are some specific at-home exercises you can do to stay physically fit and energized while you protect others by staying at home.
4 At-Home Workouts to Do During Quarantine
1) Simple and Effective: Burpees
If you want an effective at-home workout, you can’t miss with burpees. For those unfamiliar with this exercise, it’s a mish-mash of a pushup and a jumping jack. They’re also called “squat thrusts.” It typically moves in four parts or steps:
Squat with hands on the ground
Kick your feet out straight to plank with arms straight and on the ground
Return to squatting position
Stand up, jumping optional
You can add the jump by including a pushup when you plank, or otherwise modify the exercise. There’s no doubt, though, that burpees are one of the most effective exercises you can do without equipment. All you need is enough room!
If burpees are too intense for you (no shame), you can always substitute with another equipment-free exercise like squats, push-ups, running, or jogging.
2) Structured and Instructive: At-Home Digital Trainers
There are plenty of free resources out there for those of you who miss going to classes at the gym. Some of us need that extra push of motivation or instruction from a trainer. While it’s not quite the same as being there in person, there are a lot of free resources for doing home workouts.
Wire Cutter recently compiled a list of free (or free trials) fitness programs and services you can stream at home. There’s something for everyone here — from yoga and pilates to intensive cardio and strength training. There are even options for your kids! While some exercises require equipment, many do not. The structure of a workout is helpful for a lot of people, particularly those without access to regular equipment or a sense of how long to work out.
Plus, it helps to have motivation and instruction, even if it’s from a screen.
3) While You Work or Watch: Squats and Hand Weights
It’s easy for some people to think that most people are sitting at home with all the time in the world. The truth is, most of us are overwhelmed with all we have to do and manage. Working from home, wrangling the kids, keeping everything clean, orderly, and well-fed...quarantine is tough!
You might find yourself struggling to fit in time for exercise, or at least the motivation to carve out that 30-minutes in your schedule. Thankfully, exercise is something we can multitask. Watching Netflix? Put on a 30-minute episode of your favorite sitcom and do some deep squats. While you work, keep a hand-weight (or household object of similar weight) in your hand and do some bicep curls.
Rig up a standing desk or order a desk “bicycle” or exercise ball to strengthen your muscles while you work. There are plenty of ways to incorporate exercise into your day-to-day activities.
4) Improvised Gains: Household Chores & Fun Activities
For the creative among us (or perhaps just the busy), exercise can be found through improvisation. Household chores can be a great way to get exercise — putting those winter clothes in the attic, doing yard work (especially with a push mower!), washing the car by hand...there are plenty of opportunities for physical activity that aren’t necessarily “exercises.”
There’s also the opportunity for fun. Have a dance party with the kids, go for a family bike ride, or play some ball in the backyard. It’s that much better when you can get fresh air and family time along with some exercise.
How are you staying active while in self-quarantine? Share your tips in the comments.