So you’ve heard that exercise is key to a better work life balance. Maybe you’ve spent your spring jogging through your one government allowed outing, and might have even started going back to the gym in recent weeks! But as the nights grow colder and positive cases rise, our lack of energy is impending. But, in order to have a better chance of beating coronavirus, it’s more important now than ever to continue working out and living a healthy lifestyle.
Even though you’re WFH, make sure you WOFH (workout from home) too! Here’s some few simple steps on how to turn any living space into a working out area.
‘Give me some space!’
Whether it’s battling for TV space or having to navigate around your home office, WOFH can be just as tough as WFH. But, instead of constantly moving your workout gear, have a set space in your home that you work out in.
By creating a personal work out space, you’ll not only be more motivated to work out, but it will help your mind to get in the zone when working out in one place. Treat whatever corner of space as your gym — where the coffee table is moved, or you open the door to the spare bedroom — you’re there to work.
When choosing a space to workout in, it’s not only useful to find a space big enough, but also one that will work best for your mental health. Aaptiv trainer Kenta Seki suggests that “being close to free-flowing air or natural light can not only cool you down, but also energize you”. Therefore, choose an open, large, and flowing space in your home. Whether it’s your living room, spare room, or your office — move furniture, make the space, and allow your body to breathe.
Plan your time (and your workout)
So you’ve made the space, but now you need to make the time too. And, especially while you work from home, it can be easy to get swept up in sweeping up (or other mundane tasks).
Although just under half of us say we have no time to workout, the fact is, with an extra 74 minutes on average saved on our axed commutes, we have more time than ever to exercise.
So you have the time, but when is the right time to work out? The simple answer: whatever time is best for you. While a midday workout might not be on the cards as you WFH, either a morning or afternoon exercise in your living room will help you get the blood flowing. Even though you’re not doing your typical commute, you’re still getting those daily steps in!
Buy the basics
Although there are plenty of workouts you can do without any equipment at all, quite a few exercises need a few tools to get you started.
Seki suggests you stock up on the ‘basics’. “Yoga mats, interchangeable dumbbells, and TRX cables are multifunctional and can be used by many levels of people for various workout activities.” Not only are all these items easy to use and put away, they’re also a good foundation to build your own home gym on. If you start doing more intermediate workouts, you can easily switch up the weight of the dumbbells, or use different TRX cables to feel more of a burn as you get stronger.
By having basic equipment readily available in your home, you’re making yourself accountable. Sure, the gyms might be closed and you might not feel safe going for a run, but with all your workout gear at home, who needs the outdoors anyway?
Written by Alison Irlam
Alison is a writer with a keen interest in mental health and wellbeing. Since finishing a postgraduate degree in Creative Writing and having her own experiences with mental health, she has dedicated her time to helping and empowering others to make positive changes in their own lives.
