Spring 2020 began in chaos for a majority of the world's population. With the outbreak of a highly contagious virus we were left scrambling and unsure of how to go on living our lives. Like most, I was frantically trying to stay isolated and sane. One of the most important ways I have been coping with all that has happened is to stay active. We are really lucky today, with the copious amount of online at home workout resources. One of my favorite websites for this is SELF. The article that I have used the most during this time is called "53 Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do at Home" by Bari Lieberman, C.P.T. and Alexa Tucker. It gives you exactly what the title states, but is accompanied by a moving image of someone doing the exercise. This moving image helps assist you, making sure you are doing each move correctly. This list of exercises you can do is perfect for creating your own personalized workout routine, and that is exactly what I did.
Using this online resource, I managed to create a workout that has taken my mind off of the outside world and helped me maintain balance in these trying times. If you plan on using this website, I would highly recommend choosing about 4 or 5 exercises, picking a number of times you want to do each one like 25 or 30 and them repeating the full set of exercises 3 to 4 times. You can obviously change up any one of those numbers, but those are the ones that work for me.
To begin my favorite at home workout, I lay out my yoga mat and set my Apple Watch to Yoga. Since my Yoga mat is back in California, one of the first things I bought when I first came to Hawaii was a Yoga mat on Amazon. The one I found is by Gaiam and is a 5mm mat in the color of Cool Mint. This color is no longer available but they have a few others that look nice if you are in the market for one. They are only $24.99 and surprisingly great quality.
The yoga mat is linked below.
I start each workout with a solid 10-20 minutes of Yoga to make sure my body is loose and ready for more intense activity. I then switch my apple watch to Functional Training and begin on my mat with Hip Bridges. I normally do about 25-30 of each exercise and then 3-4 reps depending on how much I want to push myself.
This is the order I normally take for my workout:
30 Hip Bridges
25 Bent Knee Crunches
25 Lateral Leg Raises *right
25 Lateral Leg Raises *left
25 Crunches
25 Squats
30 Standing Oblique Crunches
25 Sumo Squats
Hip Bridges (30)
Bent Knee Crunches (25)
Lateral Leg Lifts (25 on each side)
Crunches (25)
Squats (25)
Standing Oblique Crunches (30 alternating legs)
Sumo Squats (25)
After completing 3-4 reps of these moves I am completely spent. Regardless of my exhaustion, I switch my apple watch back to Yoga and do at least 5 minutes before stoping for the day. This gives my heart rate a chance to come back down and my body an opportunity to cool down. I always feel better when I end a workout with Yoga.
Recently, I have loved listening to music with a HGTV show playing in the background like "Fixer Upper." It gives my body a beat to move to and my eyes something to watch. It reminds my of when I used to go to the gym. I was often on the elliptical listening to music while a TV show played in the background. I like HGTV shows in the sense that they give you something you don't necessarily have to listen to to enjoy.
This workout has really helped my mental health during these frustrating times. It is crucial that we remember to take care of our mental health as well as our physical. With everything that is going on, this can be easy to forget. Not only does this workout make me feel good on the inside but it also has been making positive changes on the outside!
I would highly recommend trying this exercise routine, and if it's not what you like, coming up with your own! Exercising and just taking time to focus on yourself can really help give you a more positive outlook on life. And I promise you, you will feel happier when you do!
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