Maintaining fitness through a lockdown

This week the sports and fitness community was served another crushing blow when the government announced a new set of restrictions. Sports and the gym may seem cancelled for now, but they will start back up and it’s important to keep your goals in mind over the next several weeks.

Staying healthy means more than physically. Mental health and nutrition should also be a priority. These three components of health all work together. If you don’t have access to fitness equipment, while there are plenty of non-equipment ways you can stay physically fit, eating well, getting enough sleep, and taking care of your mental health will all have carry-over benefits to your physical performance.

The same goes for any of the other components of health. If you’re struggling with the psychological impacts that COVID-19 has had on so many, then fitness can be a great way to promote mental health. Staying active and working out releases endorphins that lead to a positive brain state.

There are plenty of ways to stay fit at home without equipment. Body weight exercises are effective for maintaining physical strength and there are plenty of ways of getting cardio in. Not to mention, we currently have great weather for getting outside and moving around. Vitamin D from the sun will help will mental health as well.

While it might seem discouraging today and you might lack motivation, make sure you use this time to stay healthy. Your goals might seem further away and there might not appear to be a reason to train, but there is! Take care of yourself.

If you need help with workouts, make sure you contact me or Dragana at ASDC and we can set you up with our app-delivered workouts, customized to your specific needs!

Alex Graham, CES, XPS is the strength and conditioning coach at ASDC-SE. She also is the Kinetisense Performance Specialist and is a leading expert in 3D functional movement. Email: agraham@mhc.ab.ca