We might still be under lockdown, it might be cold and dark outside, and your exercise motivation may be dwindling – but it needn’t be that way with help from one fitness expert.
Darren Kirby is the founder of Fitter Healthier Dad and has shared five simple practices to stay fit in lockdown. According to Darren, getting fitter and having more energy is not as complicated as most of us think. Here, he offers some simple ideas:
- Home HIIT: This can be done inside or outside, you don’t need any equipment or a lot of space, there are lots of variations you can do. As a start, you can do five exercises, with 40 seconds of work for each set, and a one-minute rest in between each set. Here’s an example; four rounds, star jumps, mountain climbers, high knees, squat jumps and burpess. This will take you around 20 mins to complete and is a good all-round full body work out.
- Yoga: Very beneficial for our functional movement and our stress levels; in times like now, we want to be reducing our stress levels as much as possible. From a physical aspect, yoga enables us to become more flexible and move in a more natural way, which reduces physical stress on the body. Combined with the breathwork required, yoga ensures that we are calming our nervous systems, which has a relaxing effect.
- Sleep: Yes, sleep is key to health and fitness, so getting seven to eight hours of sleep is very important. Sleep is when the body recovers, carries out muscle repair and resets the mind. Some of the things you can do to ensure you get a good night’s sleep include stay away from screens and electronic devices one hours before bed (blue light from screens slows down the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone), stop eating three hours before you’re due to go to sleep, this ensures your digestive system isn’t trying to digest food, and don’t have any caffeine eight hours before bed – caffeine is a stimulant and it takes eight hours to be processed for our bodies.
- Food: Watching your food intake is important, as it’s very easy to let boredom, stress, or frustration lead us to think we are hungry and to attack the fridge. If you are less active than normal, simply look at your portion sizes and eat less, but make sure you are drinking enough water, as being dehydrated can be confused with being hungry. Eat nutrient-dense food, as we have the opportunity to create healthier meals and use natural ingredients while staying at home. Having a balanced plate is very important, so make sure you have a good mix of vegetables, meat, or fish (tofu if you’re vegan) with low-GI carbs such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc. Try and avoid sugary based snacks and chocolate, as these will leave you feeling lethargic once sugar levels subside. These products contain vegetable oils, which are the worst kind as they create inflammation in the body. Inflammation will affect your alertness and stress levels.
- Steps: I will caveat this final recommendation, as due to lockdown restrictions, it may not be possible in the current climate. However, if you are able to be safe and keep your distance from others when going outside, attempting to walk 10-15k steps per day is beneficial for a number of reasons. Walking is classed as low-intensity steady-state cardio and works in the lower heart rate regions of 55-65 per cent, which is in the fat-burning area. However, you need to be getting a minimum of 10-15k steps a day to get the full benefits. Walking outside exposes us to the sunlight and boosts Vitamin D levels naturally, which is great for our mood and serotonin levels (the happy hormone). Being outside in the fresh air and mindfully breathing through our noses when walking helps reduce our stress levels.
