How To Stay Active & Healthy During COVID-19

COVID-19 has put all of us in a worldwide quarantine to prevent the virus from spreading any further. This has led to the closure of gyms, major parks, restaurants, and basically any facility that holds social interaction. The closure of these businesses has kicked people out of their everyday routine right when they were getting on track with life. 

People are stuck in their homes, and this pandemic is having serious psychological effects. Arguably, health and fitness is the most important aspect of our lives people should be carving time out of their busy online schedules for. 

In these uncertain times, anyone’s health could be at risk of contracting the coronavirus. That’s why it’s so important to focus on eating a healthy diet, going outside to get some sun, and staying as active as possible. That might mean going on a run or walking down your driveway.

There are many benefits of physical activity. It strengthens the heart and lungs, regulates blood pressure, prevents future illnesses, and provides mental clarity and more energy throughout the day. This is not even close to an exhaustive list of all of the benefits of physical activity.

The most difficult part of this concept is finding motivation. Everyone knows how hard it is to motivate yourself to get up and do any sort of physical activity for fun.

One benefit of quarantine is that this can be used as a time to find a physical activity you genuinely enjoy. Many fitness services are running cheap or free specials online that allow anyone with a device to virtually participate in the workout. Now you can finally try out that Zumba class you’ve always been hesitant about attending!

If you’re searching for a more cardio-intensive/HIIT workout, I would recommend Sydney Cummings YouTube pageand her 60-minute cardio workout. Another good cardio-based workout would be any video on Popsugar’s YouTube page. Blogilates is also a website with a wide range of workouts to choose from. All of these include fun and uplifting videos that use positive talk to motivate you throughout the class. 

TikTok has made Chloe Ting “2 week shred” a trending workout on their website. This is a very organized workout plan, as you follow along each day with the video she links.

Two other accounts that are similar to Chloe Ting’s ab workouts are Pamela Reif and MadFit. Both of these accounts have a range of long to short videos that will work you from your arms to your legs.

Outside of the YouTube world, there is an extensive list of workout companies providing access to online classes. A personal favorite is CorePower’s yoga on demand. New videos are posted each week for free, but if you are looking to get a wider range of classes they are available for $19.99 a month.

For any yoga lovers, I recommend downloading the “Down Dog” app, as this provides free yoga and other classes. Also, yoga with Adriene on YouTube has a wide variety of more meditating yoga poses ranging from beginner to expert yogi.

There are also many websites that are running special offers to try a workout class with a seven or 14-day trial. These sources include but are not limited to: The Bar Method, Physique 57, Barre3, and The Sculpt Society. 

The fitness world can be an overwhelming one, especially in the world of YouTube. Use this guide as a way to narrow your search if you need an extra push to workout. This list does not include the activities you can do without the presence of technology, such as yoga, meditation, running, walking, and so much more. All of these activities are beneficial for both the body and the mind.

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