Exercise is More Important Now than Ever

Fit Athletic Club and many other fitness centers recently closed their doors for the foreseeable future. Many of us are nervous about the potential impact of COVID-19, and I'd like to encourage you to continue physical activity for two key reasons. First, research shows that exercise can support our immune system and second, exercise supports our mental health. Some contemporary evidence shows that leading a physically active lifestyle reduces the incidence of communicable (e.g., bacterial and viral infections) and non-communicable diseases (e.g., cancer), implying that immune competency is enhanced by regular exercise bouts. In 2018, a study by University of Birmingham and King’s College London found that 125 non-smoking amateur cyclists aged 55 to 79 still had the immune systems of young people. Other recent research supported this fact by establishing that those who undertake strenuous exercise such as marathon runners tended to report less annual sick days. We all understand that exercise supports our physical health, however, during times of crisis such as this, it is the first activity we tend to ignore. Being active can not only keep us healthy, it can also help us fight off infection. Exercise is also unique in that it can boost our mental health, and during this anxious time it’s more important than ever to keep our minds clear and focused.

So, how do you go about exercising solo at home? My recommendation would be to alternate between a cardiovascular workout and a strength workout throughout the week. A cardiovascular workout can be a walk or run outside, bike ride, stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical etc, done for a duration of 20-60 minutes. If you do opt to exercise outside, there are many trails which will be less busy. Remember to reach moderate intensity with the talk test: you should be slightly out of breath, making conversation a challenge.

A strength workout should consist of a combination of upper body, lower body, and core exercises done for 10-15 reps and 2-4 sets. The best way to start a strength workout is with a dynamic warm up.

Below are 2 examples of a full body strength workout which require minimal equipment.
Strength 1:
Push ups
Wall shoulder external rotations
Squats -- Squat jumps (if you choose to progress the exercise)
Lunges -- Lunge jumps(optional)
Knee to opposite elbow
Toe touch crunches

Strength 2:
Inchworms
Shoulder press (holding cans of food if you don't have dumbbells)
Floor Bridge
Side Lunge
Sit Up
Side Plank

Most of the exercises are challenging with body weight only, however, you can always hold more weight (cans, water jugs) to increase the intensity of any of these exercises. These exercises require minimal equipment, however, if you have equipment at home, that just increases your opportunities for the types of exercise you can do.

Now, how do you structure your week? Alternating your strength days with cardio will allow your body to focus on maximizing the benefit of the exercise as well as allow adequate rest between bouts. Here is an example of a week with 5 days of exercise:
Monday: Cardio
Tuesday: Strength 1
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Strength 2
Saturday Cardio
Sunday: rest

Your week can have more or less days of exercise, however, please reach at least 4 days of exercise weekly.

Keep Healthy!