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Lockdown Wellness Tips: At-Home Workouts to Stay Strong and Fit

Lockdown wellness tips anyone? Being ordered to stay home was always going to be a challenge for those of us who are health-conscious and who prefer being active. For many, keeping fit is more than just physical, it’s also good for mental health. Runner’s high anyone?

We sat down with Port Elizabeth-born and bred, qualified Biokeneticist, Nicole September. Nicole graciously offered to weigh in on everything you need to know about maintaining your wellness during the lockdown. Read on for tips on everything from nutrition to how to not lose muscle mass. 

Photo credit: @nicoledownseptember via Instagram

How big a role does nutrition play in any wellness journey?

Nutrition is key when attempting to alter your physique in any way, whether it be to lose or gain weight. You can work as hard as you want to, but physical (and psychological) changes will be minimal if you are not putting in the effort with your nutrition. 

Is trying to stay off carbs feasible?

Absolutely not. Carbs are king! Wellness tips advising you to do this are false. Of course, this is dependent on what your wellness goals are. If you’re trying to lose weight, its advisable to eat fewer carbs but never to cut them out completely. 

How do I start my wellness journey during a lockdown?

One of the things most people struggle with is routine. Lockdown wellness tips call for focusing on two things:

  1. Sit down and take the time to figure out what your days look like in terms of when the “I’m bored, what can I eat?” meals creep up, as well as what your meals consist of. 
  2. Set aside time for some exercises every day. Being confined to your home during lockdown definitely leaves a lot of room for boredom. Fill those hours with some healthy activity! 

Photo credit: @nicoledawnseptember via Instagram

Which household items can I use to aid at-home workouts?

Anything! These are lockdown wellness tips, so get creative. Fill 2-litre bottles with liquid and use them as weights. Use buckets for elevation. We’ve all seen folks getting creative with stacking toilet paper too. Broomsticks, tyres, you name it. 

How important is stretching?

Extremely important. Any set of wellness tips would be sorely lacking without advice on this. It’s important to understand that stretching does not mean contorting your limbs into painful positions. During any kind of fitness routine, the muscles tighten. Stretching is important because it helps loosen, lengthen and strengthen those muscle fibres! Ultimately, paying attention to stretching will help with fitness recovery, range of motion, as well as improve your posture

Having a warm-up and cooling down routine is extremely important. Get the blood flowing and warm up the muscles by walking, jogging on the spot and, if you have access to a rope, skipping is quite effective. 

Be sure to cover all the main muscle groups from head to toe. Preferably, any wellness professional would want you to stretch after every session, however, if this isn’t possible, try to keep it at a minimum of 3 times per week. 

Here are some recommended work-out sets for beginner, intermediate and advanced athletes:

Beginner:

  1. Bodyweight squats
  2. Static bodyweight lunges 
  3. Single-arm overthrows (with buckets or bottles)
  4. Pushups
  5. Dips
  6. Hip lifts
  7. Tyre flips
  8. Planks
  9. Side planks

Start off with 10-30 reps and work your way up to 3-5 rounds. You’ll see that the more you keep at it, the more second-nature it becomes. 

Intermediate-advanced athletes:

Increase your weights. Do this by squatting with a tyre, or add tempo to your exercises. For example, count down from five while squatting from the standing to the bottom position. Your exercises can also become more plyometric with the addition of jump squats and jump lunges.

Another option is to incorporate time frames – instead of focusing on reps, focus on doing as many squats/jump squats within 30 seconds. 

Photo credit: @nicoledawnseptember via Instagram

What is a good ratio of at-home workouts per week?

Try and get in 45 minutes to an hour, 4-5 days per week.

How do I combat muscle loss during lockdown?

Perhaps the most frequently added answer to any set of wellness tips. It’s simple – keep moving and focus on volume training. Get in those reps!

 

On that note, we’ve come to the conclusion of a bite-sized crash course on how to maintain wellness during a lockdown. For more tips and activities on how to stay sane during the lockdown, visit our lockdown survival page. 

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter for COVID-19 travel updates and useful information. We’re in this together.

#StayStrong

 

Disclaimer:

All information on this blog page was correct at the time of publishing and may change at any time without prior notice. Travelstart will not be held liable for loss or inconvenience resulting from the use of out-dated or incorrectly noted information.

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