Fitness during lockdown - what are you doing, and how do you stay motivated?

sharkweek · April 2020

Hi all,

Between 2018 and 2019, I lost about 75 pounds. I was maintaining pretty solidly, but this lockdown has been extremely hard, for a few reasons.

First, I'm most successful when I integrate fitness into my lifestyle - I'm not usually successful at just forcing myself to exercise. In other words, adopting a biking commute and walking to/from work work great for me, but, say, running on a treadmill doesn't (though I don't have access to one now anyway). Working from home -- even for an extremely good reason -- has wrecked my routine.

Second, I live in Berlin, where the virus is (thankfully) taken quite seriously. Among other things, this means that you can only leave the house for a few reasons, and you must carry ID, preferably ID that shows your address. My ID doesn't show my address, and while my German is OK-ish for day-to-day stuff, I'm not sure that I can have the sorts of conversations I need to if I'm stopped. I'm also struggling to understand what I can and can't do exercise-wise - figuring out if I could bike to/around a park took me over an hour.

Finally, my boyfriend lives in the UK, and we cannot visit each other and don't know when we'll be able to again. Most of my friends are back in the US. I feel utterly alone. I have calls and video hangouts with a lot of people, but this has made me realize how isolated I still am in Berlin after being here for a year.

You folks definitely can't help with issues #2 or #3, but I mention them as context for #1 - reworking my lifestyle around some at-home exercise, while struggling with motivation. I imagine I'm not the only person facing challenges here. For those of you who've adapted to working out at home -- or those of you who were good at it to begin with -- what's most successful for you? Do you target higher impact activities, or do you just try to keep moving so you don't build bad habits?

Best,
Kat

JasmijnRF · April 2020

I never worked out from home before, but now I have to. I use YouTube to try different things. I prefer doing a workout during my lunch break (I work from home). Some days I feel good and I try to do a harder version and on other days I lack energy and then I choose a yoga/stretching session or an easier workout, just to get myself moving. Greetings from the Netherlands, hang in there!

sharkweek · April 2020

JasmijnRF wrote: »

I never worked out from home before, but now I have to. I use YouTube to try different things. I prefer doing a workout during my lunch break (I work from home). Some days I feel good and I try to do a harder version and on other days I lack energy and then I choose a yoga/stretching session or an easier workout, just to get myself moving. Greetings from the Netherlands, hang in there!

Thank you for your response

I'm curious:
* How do you pick your YouTube workouts?
* What do you use for the harder versions?

Steff46 · April 2020

I'm on week number three working from home and I've never worked out at home before. I've always liked my exercise away from home; biking, running, going to the gym. Now it's definitely and effort. At first I was running during the warm part of the day (Spring here) but it became so crowded with other people (who would not give me any social distance) that I had to switch to early mornings. Since switching I'm hit and miss. I did look up some YouTube workouts today. Mostly standing and stretching type stuff. Also, Pinterest has some great workout clips.

SammieGetsFit · April 2020

I haven't been good at working out from home in AGES, but fwiw when I was what helped was sticking to a routine (same time every day) and a workout I liked that I could easily modify when I wasn't as energized. For me that was the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video series on Amazon, but I imagine it would work with pretty much any routine.

I definitely found that I struggled if I made up my own routine based on print outs or whatever. I needed to see someone doing the exercise and have the clear countdown, not just a timer.

GOOD LUCK! I hope you'll be biking again soon!!

youngmomtaz · April 2020

My job only took me out of the house for 4hrs a day before I was layed off due to Covid 19. So I often did a mix of at home and gym workouts. I have just now added to what I can do because I have so much time, and to counter all the baking and cooking I am doing with my kids home more(oldest employed full time, middle home from school employed part time, youngest home full time). I have to schedule myself to stay on track or I would sit in a corner with a book all day. So around my farm chores/cleaning/baking/homeschooling schdule at 10am I do a weight routine with what I have at home 5days/week, it is still cold in manitiba so I wait until 2-5pm(warmest time of day currently), and go for a 2-4mile run 5days/week, and every day of the week I walk or ride bike 2-3miles in the late afternoon or evening either by myself or with family. I live on a gravel road in a rural area though so I have tons of opportunity to get out.

I would say making a schedule for myself is the biggest part of being successful. Not everyone works this way, but my brain likes it. If only my brain could moderate food a bit better I would be set....

MeganD1704 · April 2020

For me it has to be a schedule- Monday-Friday I get up and workout at 530 am. Every day even if its just a stretch and walk day.

Right before COVID I invested in a TRX system because I loved taking those classes at our local gym and figured I could probably do it at home for cheaper. They provided a free year of access to their classes via their app so I've just been picking ones that are more towards weight loss with a higher caloric burn for me (all it requires is a locking door and wifi for the app + the system). I also walk my dog 2-3x a day depending on the day of the week. Weekends he gets three walks and I workout as soon as I get up.

I find the more I stick to my regular routines the better it is. I missed two days last week and couldn't bring myself to workout at night as I find myself more tired vs normal in the evening. I also find I snack a lot more vs when I stick to my routine.

brandigyrl81 · April 2020

I am a gym rat and I just cannot get motivated to workout at home. So I've basically been watching what I'm eating very carefully. Since I'm still trying to lose weight, I'm eating about 1200 calories or so right now, sometimes a little more. That's about all I'm doing and it seems to be working for the most part.

JasmijnRF · April 2020

sharkweek wrote: »

JasmijnRF wrote: »

I never worked out from home before, but now I have to. I use YouTube to try different things. I prefer doing a workout during my lunch break (I work from home). Some days I feel good and I try to do a harder version and on other days I lack energy and then I choose a yoga/stretching session or an easier workout, just to get myself moving. Greetings from the Netherlands, hang in there!

Thank you for your response I'm curious:
* How do you pick your YouTube workouts?
* What do you use for the harder versions?

Just what I feel like doing that day. For example I search for "cardio 30 minutes" "butt and thighs 45 minutes" etc and I just browse. I also use Fitnessblender (.com) where you can easily filter through all the workouts (lower body/upper body/total body/ etc - how many minutes and what level of difficulty. It's really convenient)

briscogun · April 2020

I agree with all the comments about scheduling. A routine makes it so much easier.

I started doing the C25K program the first week of March (when all this fun started and I got serious about getting my body back). I'm almost done with that (completed W7D1 yesterday), so not sure what I'll be doing in 2 weeks. I don't think I'm a C210K candidate!

I've also been doing some yoga videos and bodyweight exercises on the other days. I have a history of hurting my back so the yoga has been great, and the bodyweight stuff is enough for me right now.

I wake up about 6:00AM every morning (a little later on my days off, I'm still going to work 3-4 days a week), spend 30-60 minutes doing my thing, then get ready for work. When it's slow at work and the weather isn't awful I'll sometimes slip out for a 20-30 minute power walk if I can, too.

Having the extra time that the shutdown has provided is actually helping me with my progress. I have the time to devote to myself, my diet, and my exercise that I probably wouldn't have had otherwise. I can't go out to dinner or bars anymore, so that issue/temptation has been removed. It's kind of been a blessing in disguise for me.

cwolfman13 · April 2020

I'm in New Mexico in the USA. We have no restrictions on going outside to exercise. It is recommended to avoid outdoor activities that would require close proximity with others, but just being outdoors in general isn't an issue.

Most of my exercise consists of road cycling or mountain biking and this was the case before all of this, so I'm pretty much doing the same thing only I actually have more time on my hands to do it since I'm minus my 2 hour daily commute. I've been riding pretty much daily, just not taking my bike to the busier multi use trails and mountain biking trails. I enjoy riding, so it doesn't really require a whole lot of motivation on my part and I'm happy that I have more time to actually do it.

My wife and I are both working from home and also have our two boys here doing distance learning since school is closed for the rest of the year. We're working and homeschooling and part of our day is PE, so we've been going for family walks most days in addition to my riding. I'm usually getting in a couple of hours of some kind of physical activity daily right now.

Arizona_C · April 2020

Hi Kat,
True, its a challenging situation. Living in France, we have strong restrictions as well. Max one hours outside with a signed document, within 1km from home.

For my part, I chosen to adapt. I have been around the block, symbolically speaking, to let the current situation make me fall back to a place I don't want to be. So I get up in the morning, fill out the papers, put them in a waistbelt and do a run up-and-down the boulevard. Maybe just a short jog, maybe longer.

If you fear getting checked, bring the right papers with you, and write in German exactly what is the situation and what you want to say. I have a friend in Germany, according to her, the police show much understanding to the population. And when you have the right papers and even a written note in German, you should be perfectly fine.

In terms of my motivation for running, there is the fresh air, which I otherwise get little of in confinement, and some really good music on my phone. Some of the people I cross who run as well nod, wave or shout bravo, that a really booster, too. I see many people running the streets who I never crossed before.

In the afternoon, I do a 15-25min session of pumps, push-ups, lunges, abs, etc, I have put together. I mostly hate it because it hurts and makes me loose my breath, but afterwards I feel really good about it. I guess the trick for me is not to look for motivation, or ask if I feel like it, because I most often don't. I do it because it on my agenda, before afternoon coffée. If Im late, I do the quick 15 min version, just to get it out of my way.

As well, I put in a yoga session during day. Its mostly a treat and a break I look forwards to. If I don't, I allow myself to do a smooth session without the tricky and hard poses. Like that it turns out to be more of stretching, wellbeing and rest.

I hope some of this can be useful, great you keep fighting to find something that fits you. If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to mp me

rainbow198 · April 2020

I have been just a little under my target for the past several weeks. This is what I've been doing:

- Plan out my workouts (and meals) so that I know exactly what I'm doing and what I'm eating.

- I get in a low intensity workout first thing in the morning and most days get in another workout later in the day.

- Get in bursts of NEAT type activity throughout the day. Do pushups on a short work break, walk my pup several times a day (not too far away from the house), if I'm on a call, pace. Watching TV? Do leg lifts or one legged tricep dips off the end of the couch or use my mini stair stepper or do squats while putting the dishes away etc. These small activities adds up.

This is non-fitness related, but the following has really helped me stay in control of my weight:

- No snacking or eating all day. Eat balanced and filling meals which holds me over until the next meal.

- Get proper sleep.

- I keep busy with my hobbies, interests and improving myself when I'm free. No being lazy and sitting around. Also I weigh myself more and I wear waist beads. Both helps me to make sure I'm staying in my weight range and the waist beads helps me to make sure that my belly isn't expanding.

Good luck!

Buff_Man · April 2020

What's a waist bead?

ecjim · April 2020

here is a workout for you -

https://youtu.be/JRaZLdBb3W8

springlering62 · April 2020

I had to look waist beads up.

SMH, first diving forward fold and those suckers would be spraying the ceiling like buckshot, I’m afraid.

DancingMoosie · April 2020

I'm enjoying Yvette Bachman and Jenny Ford on YouTube, Sydney Cummings also has some good strength and HIIT. I look around on YouTube when I have free time and subscribe to channels that look interesting. Les Mills has great workouts but I'm having trouble with their page for free at home workouts.

richardgavel · April 2020

I'm doing a lot of frequent walking, some running. It's mostly about keeping the habits. I've got some resistance bands coming via Amazon.

cnjg6677 · April 2020

Exercise programs on tv is working for me

kshama2001 · April 2020

I've been working at home since 2011 and have been working out at home since 2016, so there was not a transition for me.

Thankfully, it is gardening season. I don't have quite enough to do in my yard, and do a little gardening at two of my neighbors and a lot at a third. If I run out of projects, I could do trail maintenance (my winter "gardening") in the trails behind my house or walk/hike/work in a nearby state park, which has no Visitor's Center, so has not been closed as far as I can tell from online - I never use the main entrance - too much dog poop on the trails there >.<

niniundlapin · April 2020

I’ve been working out from home since 2014 and have been subscribing to Les Mills On Demand since they launched in 2016. Varieties are important to me cuz I get board and change my mind very easily. I need “something fun” to keep me going. I happened to get a new fitness watch before the pandemic was declared, so the new features and challenges have been keeping me motivated. I was actually upset when I started this “working out everyday” challenge for myself cuz my job & definitely income were affected. I thought I should get something good out of this lockdown. So far so good

Fitness during lockdown - what are you doing, and how do you stay motivated?

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