Sooooo I had the HUGE honor of writing another article for FIU News 🙂 🙂 🙂
This time the subject was the thought on everyone’s mind….the quarantine!
You can check out the link here, or as always, here is the exclusive look for my readers here at the full unedited version::::::
Communication in a time of social distancing
Sooooo, has anything happened since the last time we talked? Let’s see, we were going to classes, getting buff at the gym, being either elated or tortured by Valentine’s Day, and oh yeah….a global pandemic happened. And now we’re all at home, getting probably wayyy too intimate with our roommates, and carefully crafting our Zoom personas. For me, I’m going with overdramatic 90s diva who doesn’t know how to work this thing.
It’s a crazy new world we’re adapting to, and just like the first caveperson (gender-neutral prehistoric terms only please) who crafted a sledgehammer, we will use these tools to conquer the mastodon of social distancing and EVERYTHING ELSE! (RIP mastodons.)
Don’t let this toothbrush boss you around. You are free to work out or not work out or half work out or pretend like you’re working out by doing corpse pose from yoga. We’re all going through a ton right now: coronavirus fears, navigating school and/or work from home, the ending of Schitt’s Creek. Times are rough. So it’s totally cool if you want to take some time and just do you. We applaud you!
But if I could proffer you just a snippety-snip of advice: exercise can help. It can make you feel better. It’s exciting! It provides a break from those endless Zoom meetings! It helps you keep your regular routine and some semblance of normal! Plus who wants to sit around and do nothing for what could be–agggggghhhhhh–months?!
Like anything in life, it’s all in how you look at it. And I’m (trying to) embrace this situation like the black chocolate squares embrace that weird ice cream rectangle of an ice cream sandwich.
Chuck Norris doesn’t eat ice cream sandwiches, he surfs them naked through the galaxy.
So without further ado, here are some ideas for exercising during this crazy crazy time. Obviously, keep yourself safe and don’t do something to hurt yourself, the last thing we need is an injury on our hands. Or on our feet. Or anywhere else. (As a PT student, anatomy puns are my specialty.)
Bodyweight
Don’t worry, we’re not gonna talk about your body weight….I mean bodyweight exercises! The best weights that allll of us have at home right now are our very own beautiful pounds. There are tons of bodyweight exercises that can be done:
For lower body
Squats, lunges, RDLs, Bulgarian split squats, various step exercises if you are fancy enough to have a step
For upper body
Push-ups, tricep dips….(ok not gonna lie upper-body with bodyweight is a little challenging, but that’s what the next sections are for)
For abs
Crunches, scissor kicks, leg lifts, bicycles
A zillion and one plank variations: planks, side planks, Spidermans, pikes, knee to chest planks, leg lifts in plank
For total body
Everyone’s favorite: burpees!
For strength + cardio
You can make many things plyometric by adding a speed component. For example, you can do jump squats instead of squats, you can do mountain climbers instead of a simple plank, you can do box jumps (if you have such elaborate equipment at your house! Invite me over after Coronavirus is done!)
Cardio
If you live in such an area where it’s allowed and safe to do so, AND you can maintain at least 6 feet between you and other people and spiders, this opens up a whole new world neighborhood. You can go for a run, walk, skip, jump, hop (Easter is coming up so get that practice in now). If you have a bike, maybe dust it off? Dusting is a workout! Or skates or skateboarding or roller blading if you’re 90s vibing. Just be safe and distant. Like District 13 in Hunger Games. Safe and distant.
Random objects in your house
There have been some amazing Youtubers/influencers/interwebbers (as I like to call them) posting these super creative home workouts with ordinary home objects. Whether it’s laundry detergent jugs, or gallons of water, or your dog, there are infinite possibilities for upper-body exercises. You might also have actual workout equipment like resistance bands, a set of dumbbells, gliders, TRX straps. In terms of preparation, 50 points for Gryffindor!
Online workouts
The WRC’s personal trainers have been hard at work creating workouts perfect for this quaran-time. Check them out here! And let us know what you think!
There are so many options! Literally just pick a few and go for it! Let’s flatten those curves while we flatten the curve. Or maybe accentuate the curves? Whatever you choose, have fun. And Zoom meeting later to tell me how it goes!