How to Prioritize Working Out During The Coronavirus

If you haven’t caught on, working out is a big part of my day to day life. I feel the best when I get it done and much prefer to get it done in the morning. My husband makes a huge effort to work around my schedule and I cannot thank him enough. Working out is so much more for my mental health and feeling and looking fit is just a welcome side effect. Yet, with OrangeTheory closed and our country club gym not far behind, I’ve been worried that my last consistent years of hard work at OrangeTheory will disappear.

Below are my tips for still staying active during this home quarantine time.

Shoes {size up 1/2 size for cardio} || Leggings { $25 version of leggings }

{ come in 18, yes 18!, colors and some are on sale for $44-$69, normally $85. Size up a 1/2 size from your normal everyday shoe if you are using for cardio. Get your regular size for hanging out. I have this black, just bought a back up pair since the tread on these is worn down and the lighter grey leopard pair.}

Find Your Time

With this, I don’t only mean find the time in the day, but find out what time of day is best for you. For your mental health: when are you most motivated? When are you feeling good for pushing yourself?

For me, this is first thing. I like to “treat” myself with coffee after and a yummy protein rich breakfast. {sometimes, I will have a couple bites of a protein bar before working out.} I feel the best in the morning, don’t beat up myself as much if I work out first thing in the morning and enjoy it most first thing in the day. My mom, on the other hand, is a later afternoon worker outer. She doesn’t like first thing and much prefers the afternoon.

Find the time of day that works best for you and your working from home schedule and make it and you a priority.

Free Workouts

Follow Your Studios. Make sure to follow your favorite workout studios, workout celebrities and workout companies on Instagram. Most of them, that I have seen, are sharing {mostly free} online work outs or workout classes.

My favorites are the Sweat App {not free}, and I credit the workout series for getting me in shape after both babies. Plus the workouts are 28 minutes. Unless you are personally responsible for reporting the news at CNN during this time, you can probably find 28 minutes to move a little each day.

YouTube. Search “Tone it Up workouts” on YouTube. This arm workout is among my favorite workouts, ever but they have great ab ones and full body ones, as well. {Check out my post on my favorite YouTube workouts HERE.}

Workout App Trials. I’ve wanted a Peleton bike or treadmill since they came on the market. My best friend said to just get the app and workout from home {we have a treadmill and some equipment in our guest suite}. Right now, they are offering 90 days free. I thought they only have bike or treadmill workouts, but I’ve been promised that they have all types: body weight, yoga, etc. I plan on trying this out this week and will report back.

Follow your favorite instructors. Since I joke that I live at my OrangeTheory studio, I have become friends with my favorite instructors. One {hi Jen!} challenged me to a 50 burpees a day challenge and I am meeting her this week for a run. You don’t have to be an OrangeTheory Stage 5 clinger, like myself. Just follow your favorite instructor on IG! Since it is their job to be active, I am sure that they will be sharing what they are doing to stay active at home, if not making their own workouts for their clients and followers.

Get Outside

You don’t have to be a runner to take advantage of this social distancing. Get outside and walk for 30 minutes. Put on your favorite tune and have a dance party outside. Take the dog for a walk. Call your friends to check in while walking! Listen to a podcast.

If you’ve ever wanted to become a runner, this would be the perfect time to start!

Try running for a certain amount of time every other day, slowly increasing and try not to walk. Start with a 5 minute goal, and then walk for the next 25. The next time, try running for 6 straight minutes and walk for the next 24. You don’t have to be fast to be a runner, you don’t even have to love it every single second you are doing it to be a runner. Yet, if this has ever been a fitness goal of yours, LITERALLY there has been no better time to try!

Search “Workout” on your favorite blog, HERE!

I used to do a weekly “Workout Wednesday” post, sharing my previous week of workouts and covering multiple topics. I’ve shared my favorite YouTube workouts {HERE}, running shoes I love, and what equipment I have at home {HERE}.

This is actually the kickoff to me bringing back this series. Since last week, was a normal week {i.e. mostly OrangeTheory workouts for me}, I will share my workout schedule next Wednesday in this series.

Clean Out Your Workout Clothes

Anyone organizing and spring cleaning like crazy during this time??? I’ve done some drawers in my bathroom {there are a million} and the pantry, but hope to have done the entire house by the time I’m allowed to see my friends again.

Use this time to clean out your workout clothes and see what you have, what you “need” and what workout clothes you are excited to put on and sweat in! {these $25 leggings are always a first choice for me. I will, literally, do laundry to have them available for workouts. Especially when running outside, due to the hip pocket perfectly fitting my cellphone.}

Let me know what you are doing to stay active at home! 

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