If you’re like many of us, your daily routine has taken a detour on this bumpy road called 2020. Gym closures, working from home, homeschooling kids, or however your life is changed these days, there’s a good chance you’re sitting more and exercising less.
FYZICAL - Forest Grove wants to motivate you to keep active, so check out this list for some ideas on how to get yourself moving or even back in shape.
Be safe and use good judgment regarding COVID-related or general exercise precautions. Contact your doctor if you are unsure whether you should be exercising.
It Doesn’t Need to be Fancy
- Move. No fancy exercises, just less sitting. Set a timer if needed and get up every hour during business hours.
- Stand instead of sitting. Take phone calls while standing (or even walking). Consider a sit-stand desk or work at a counter.
- Go for a walk and use this time to play music, a podcast, or an audiobook. Enjoy some alone time or walk with your dog, your cat, or your little one.
- Park far from the entrances to stores. Those extra steps add up.
- Clean or reorganize an area of your house.
- Do yard work, garden, rake leaves, clean gutters, wash the car, or shovel snow. Be safe and do what’s right for your body
- DIY your way to fitness. Always wanted to make a greenhouse, repaint a dresser, or build a wooden kayak? Maybe now is the time.
Play
- Play disc golf - Local courses such as Orchard Park in Hillsboro are needed for this game similar to golf.
- Play games that get you moving. Backyard games corn hole or bocce ball. Or indoor games like Twister, Charades, Wii Fitness, Dance Dance Revolution, or Beat Saber.
- Play outside with your kids, your dog. Roughhouse, toss a ball, or fly a kite.
- Dance. Maybe alone, over Zoom with a friend, with your partner at home, or with the whole family. Put your favorite music on and have fun.
Get Out in Nature
- Dust off your bike and head out on a local paved path like the Banks-Vernonia Trail or Rock Creek Trail, unless mountain biking or road riding is more your speed.
- Find a geocache - Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt where you are given GPS coordinates to locate the geocache.
- Enjoy nature with seasonal activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, surfing, or swimming.
Home Gyms Can Be Basic to High Tech
- Create a small area in your home to exercise. Leave a yoga mat or a blanket rolled up in the corner of the living room or bedroom, so you can easily get to it. If you plan for it, it’s more likely to happen.
- Use your body weight as your resistance. Pick 4-6 bodyweight exercises from this article on self.com to perform daily. Beginners can try #1, 3, 8, 28, 31, and 51.
- Take an exercise class from home, like yoga, tai chi, dance, spin, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT). The options are endless for DVDs, YouTube channels, apps, or membership services like BeachBody. Get online and search for “exercise from home.”
- Bring your outdoor bike inside and turn it into a stationary one. Set it up on a trainer and bike while watching your favorite TV shows.
- Invest in equipment such as a stationary bike, stair stepper, rowing machine, treadmill, or higher-end equipment a Peleton bike or The Mirror. Purchase kettlebells or other weights.
Finally
- Find a way to keep yourself accountable. Log activity on a calendar or in a journal. Use a fitness tracker like MyFitnessPal app, Fitbit, or on an Apple watch.
Need some other ideas? The staff at FYZICAL - Forest Grove can give you a few more. We’d love to hear about the creative ways you are staying active during the pandemic.
By Beth Jennings a freelance writer and physical therapist