For those not ready to get back to the gym, exercising at home is an important part of staying healthy during the pandemic.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, students have been advised to do most activities indoors, including fitness.
Vanessa Carrillo, a former Cycle Fit fitness instructor at Iowa State University Recreation Services who recently graduated from Iowa State, said she enjoys attending other classes in addition to teaching her own class.
“I try my best to take other fitness classes with other coaches just because everyone is so unique in their own workout and shows like a personality,” said Carrillo. “Definitely going out and even taking other bike classes is best for me just because I hate working alone and what I’m supposed to be doing. And it’s also fun because there’s always music in the background. “
Carrillo also encourages students to use free trial training apps like Peloton, Down Dog, CorePower Yoga and their favorite, the Nike Run Club.
Rec Services offers students the opportunity to take their fitness classes either virtually or in person while distancing themselves socially.
Carrillo also recommends performing high-intensity exercises with 30-second intervals in between. This is a good type of exercise. If this doesn’t work for you, try doing what is best for you.
“My best wish is not to necessarily believe that we need to get a high intensity because I think we still have to acknowledge our COVID circumstances that are a little exhausting us. That’s why we want to make sure we’re strengthening our immune systems, not weakening our immune systems, ”said Nora Hudson, assistant director of fitness at Rec Services. “For me, it’s more about having fun, lightening our spirits and getting our body moving.”
Health professionals also state that exercising with friends – either virtual or in person – can be a great way to motivate yourself.
“If you enjoy working out with a friend or you like FaceTime on the side while you work out to have more fun, you are not alone because I know that exercising alone can be very boring. You could talk yourself out of it because I’ve definitely done this a few times myself, “said Carrillo.
Justin Bond, Iowa State University’s ’17 alumnus and health educator, said eating healthy and positive attitudes is a great way to keep fit.
He also said that he enjoys doing cardio from home.
“Running, cycling, pushups. I also have Bowflex and Insanity and P90X DVD workouts that I can do at home, ”said Bond.
Make sure you have space at home and know what type of exercise to do in order to exercise in quarantine.
“The first tip is to find a place to call your exercise area, which depends on whether you can bring various items,” said Hudson. “If you have equipment at home, you can get creative and bring water bottles as hand weights. If you have a carpet you can use paper plates as sliding washers as an option. You can use pillows for some resistance. So it depends on what type of fitness you want to do. “
While you are in quarantine, it is important to know that you need to move around to get blood flow to your body.
“There are two things that are important: We have to get the body moving and promote blood flow to our muscles and tissues. We need to be active in our lungs to stimulate our immune system and prevent muscle pain, which is daunting; That adds to the frustration we are experiencing at various levels, ”said Hudson.
Dancing is also a form of exercise. While listening to your favorite song, you can try to create a dance that goes with it.
If you want to have more intentionality in your movement, you should think about performing functional movements like pushups or squats, as this will add strength in your body.
Hudson said if you don’t have equipment at home, it might be beneficial to do more endurance exercises like leg raises and arm raises. Endurance activities are designed to increase blood flow and tone muscles.
Outdoor activities are also a good use of exercise.
“Going for a walk outdoors is very beneficial because there are a lot of different fun things in parks and the outdoors that will make you challenge your body in different ways,” said Hudson.
