An important mistake to avoid during this quarantine is inactivity. Because of the restrictions imposed, we find ourselves confined to our homes without a routine or the opportunity to do our favourite sports activities. In addition, it is easy to start snacking and eating more than necessary when you pass in front of the refrigerator several times a day.
Although this is a difficult time, there is a factor that can help you get through it. This factor will also help you be in a better physical condition when it’s all over. Well, yes, that important factor is physical activity.
You’ve probably all heard about the benefits of physical activity for your mood with the release of endorphins, reduced stress or increased self-confidence. Physical activity is important for both mental and physical health. Since I know that you are already convinced of the importance of being active, I will not explain all the benefits of staying active. I’d rather talk to you about how to start moving again after a period of inactivity to avoid injury.
Have you decided to start training during this quarantine? That’s a great idea. There are a few things you’ll need to consider before you start. So in this article, I will tell you how to get back to training during quarantine.
What to do?
Let’s start with the basics! What should we do? Being in good physical condition includes different aspects, the main ones being cardiovascular capacity, muscular capacity, and flexibility. For more information on flexibility training, I will publish an article on the matter in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.
Cardiovascular:
First of all, in terms of cardiovascular capacity, you can work it in different ways. In order to have a positive effect on it, you should do periods of a minimum of 10 minutes at medium intensity. This represents an intensity of effort that gives you moderate shortness of breath, sweating and an increase of your heart rate.
Many activities are possible to work this ability during quarantine. If you have equipment at home, such as a treadmill, bicycle or elliptical, you can use it for your workouts.
If not, you can use stairs, a skipping rope, or a variety of exercises. You can use exercise circuits such as jumping jacks, burpees and mountain climbers to increase your shortness of breath without the need for equipment.
Have you already consulted the group courses available on the internet? Even if the indoor classes are closed, you will find many videos of group classes on YouTube. You can find Zumba, Pilates, Yoga and many other workouts that will get you moving in your living room to your favourite music.
In addition, many outdoor activities can also help you work on your cardiovascular capacity during the quarantine. Want to keep running outside in the snow? Add crampons under your shoes and you’re ready. Why not go skating, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing? All of these activities will be good for improving your physical condition and getting some fresh air.
Resistance exercise:
Then, when it comes to muscular capacity, different choices are available to you. You no longer have access to your gym’s training equipment because of the quarantine. What if I told you that you don’t need the equipment in the gym to work your muscles?
Many exercises that only require your body weight can help you get back into shape. You can also use your walls, stairs, kitchen chairs, and all kinds of other equipment to make your workout more demanding. You don’t need machines or free weights to get an effective workout. In addition, weight training at home will allow you to resume your workouts more quickly when the gyms reopen.
Organize your workouts
Before starting your workout, it is important to warm up. This will gradually prepare your body for the workout, reducing the difficulty of the workout and reducing the risk of injury.
The warm-up lasts 5 to 10 minutes and should be as specific as possible to your workout. In other words, if you are about to do a cardiovascular exercise: walking, rope dancing, climbing stairs, etc. are all appropriate warm-up activities. For more specificity before a strength training workout, you can do about 15 repetitions of the exercise with a lower weight or do an easier variation of the same exercise.
If you choose an outdoor workout, remember that it may take longer for your body to raise its body temperature on cold days. For example, your 5-10 minute warm-up could take you 15 minutes.
10% rule:
The rule for your workouts is progression. It can be difficult to realize that you can’t do as many repetitions of an exercise as you used to. Persisting in lifting the same weights or doing the same exercises as before confinement may be the best way to get injured. Start over slowly and increase your number of repetitions or weights by about 10% each week. This way, you will be able to get back to your pre-confinement physical condition more quickly and safely.
Follow the recommendations:
To achieve the physical activity recommendations each week, you should get as close as possible to 150 minutes of moderate or 90 minutes of high-intensity physical activity. What does this mean? You can do 3 intensive 30-minute workouts, 5 moderate 30-minute workouts, 3 50-minute workouts or any combination to reach the recommendations. If you can’t reach the 150-minute mark, remember that any kind of physical activity is good. Everything you’ve done this week is better than nothing.
To improve your fitness level, you must accept that your training needs to be resumed gradually and modify your activities accordingly. Choose activities or exercises that you enjoy doing. This will be more motivating for you and allow you to move. If you need help to find out which exercises would be most beneficial in your situation or what to do to reach your goals do not hesitate to leave me a comment or write me a message in the contact section.
If you are not sure what to start with you can also read the 5 steps to reach your goal.