Over the past couple of months (since the stay at home order was put in place) we have been having A LOT of conversations with not only our members but people in general about exercise and wellness during these times.
What we have found may come at no surprise, but there are two common themes around people’s personal fitness right now:
1.) People have MORE time to exercise and are taking full advantage of it!
What a better way to relieve stress, clear your mind, and get out of the house than to go outside for a run or bike ride?! How about a bodyweight circuit that requires no equipment?!
You can sleep in a bit more, roll out of bed and start your workout. Think about it, the commute to the gym has gone away. For many people, the convenience of virtual classes has been a game-changer for their schedule. They are exercising more than they ever had because they have the time to do it!
In addition, as the weather gets warmer that means more UNSTRUCTURED physical activity (UPA for short). What is UPA you ask? It’s basically all the movement you do without really considering it to be exercise. Like walking up and down the stairs, doing yard work, picking your kids up and running around the yard with them. This activity can burn A LOT of energy (calories) and we aren’t even thinking about it.
On the other hand, this #QuarantineLife hasn’t necessarily meant more physical activity and exercise for everyone.
2.) People have STOPPED exercising or it’s become almost non-existent.
Despite what I mentioned above, there are a great deal of people whose lives have been upended in a BIG WAY!
Their job has drastically changed where they are constantly on virtual calls all day. On top of that, they have become homeschool teachers for their kids. In addition, their routines have just gone to the wayside and these people need structure to their day, which right now things are pretty unstructured (not UPA!).
Even though we might theoretically have more time (which is great!) it doesn’t necessarily mean you can take advantage of it. And even with more time and more exercise doesn’t mean you are still crushing your #FitnessGoals.
Furthermore, there are some people that are just not motivated to do anything (is this you?). They once had the accountability of showing up to the gym but they haven’t got into the virtual fitness routines. They have been binging #TigerKing and #TheLastDance for the past few weeks and can’t get out of their own way. If this is you, you are not alone.
So what can you do?
If you are in camp #1, awesome. You already nailed down the exercise component and you’re crushing it!
So how about the nutrition component?
How about your sleep?
How has your hydration been?
Have you given thought to improving your mindfullness?
There is always something to focus on that can potentially be the bottleneck to your results. Let’s figure out what that is and let’s crush it! The reality is ALL OF THESE THINGS drive results, not just one of them!
So start by identifying what that is and start small. It may require you to call a friend and get an accountability partner to keep you on track. Start a 21 Day Challenge to help you build the habits you want to build! Just focus on one area and grow from there!
If you are in camp #2 we need to focus on things YOU CAN CONTROL. Based on your current schedule right now (if that is the obstacle), maybe set your alarm a little earlier and get your exercise in before the day starts. This seems like a no brainer but it’s the ACTION that makes the difference.
Start with 1 early morning workout before the kids get up and do something for 30 minutes. You don’t need a ton of time commitment to get a great workout in.
If the obstacle isn’t TIME but it’s resources or you don’t know what to do, here is a 30 Day Home Workout Guide that is FREE to download to help you get started. These workouts are short, modifiable, and don’t require any equipment!
As always, if you need help, we are here to help. Just shoot me an email at mike@crossfitprototype.com!