Gyms and fitness centers remain closed as cases of the coronavirus continue to emerge, and a lack of exercise outlets can make sheltering in place even harder.
Physical activity reduces stress and helps individuals cope with other mental health challenges they are facing during self-isolation, according to the Centers for Disease Control website. With fitness centers closed, some people have gotten creative with home workout solutions incorporating household items to create new home workout routines. Even regular gym-goers have reported difficulty maintaining fitness and motivation to work out at home.
Lizbeth Medina said she has been a consistent gym enthusiast. Medina said the health effects of not having access to a fitness center certainly vary and she has had to develop new ways to stay positive and on track with workouts while at home.
“During these times, it may seem like there’s no purpose to even get out of bed, but fitness is something that makes any person feel happier and healthier and now is not the time to lose touch with fitness,” Medina said.
Two keys for Medina have been morning runs and paying attention to nutrition to prevent muscle loss and weight gain.
“Of course it’s super easy to blow off workouts while being stuck at home, but it’s really up to how hard you push yourself,” added Medina.
In addition to running, Medina said a lack of gym equipment at home changed the way she eats, with more protein and fewer carbs in her daily meals.
A regular at the gym, Noah Mendoza said he has gotten creative with home workouts while he waits to return to the familiar gym environment to ensure a small sense of normalcy.
“The issue is that people assume that if they don’t have normal gym weights, they don’t have access to staying fit while being self-quarantined,” said Mendoza. “The best substitutes for weightlifters could be anything from food cans in your pantry to milk cartons in your fridge.”
Mendoza uses his apartment living room as his workout space, improvising with various household goods as equipment replacements during these unusual times.
“With limited access to actual equipment, I had to create my own by using water jugs that are duct taped to a pipe to do my squats and lunges with,” added Mendoza. “It’s an efficient tool and you’d still be gaining the same workout as you would from the gym.”
Aside from heavy lifting, Mendoza performs a set of full-body conditioning workouts which can be done with a deck of cards and body weight alone, with no heavy equipment needed.
“For every number pulled out from the deck of cards, that determines how many pushups, sit ups, squats or anything you desire to work on you have to do,” explained Mendoza. “It’s a full body workout that will keep you fit during self-quarantine.”