Lockdown is no excuse to stop exercising!

Here we are again, the leisure and sports centres have been forced to close.  When I left my class on November 2nd there were some very sad faces (mine being one of them). The fact that we all will miss seeing each other and enjoy our daily workouts is hard to take but, this is the situation, there is nothing we can do about it and so, we are going to have to find different ways of making sure that we all keep active.

I made my class promise me that they will stay active during lock down, they all nodded obediently and I really believe that they have all intentions of doing just that. Unfortunately, this is sometimes easier said than done because we will be out of our routine, it is difficult because we are creatures of habit but, this should not stop us from training.

When you exercise you are to progressing your fitness level, muscle strength and either losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight. When you stop, unsurprisingly, you go into regression; this means that all the hard work you have done starts to undo.  This is why it is so important not to stop completely.  Even if you can’t workout at the intensity that you are used to or use the heavier weights you usually lift, you will be maintaining a base line to pick up from when the centres reopen.

It’s better to do something than nothing at all!

Reduce the time you work out for
Last lock down, I was told that many of you found it hard to fit 60 minute workouts around what was going on at home. Remember, it doesn’t have to be that long. 20 – 30 minutes a day is enough to keep you healthy and maintain your fitness level as long as you are putting the effort in!

Set yourself a new routine
If you normally go to the gym in the evening because it fits in with your family life, continue to do your workout then, keep to that routine but, if that is not possible because other people are in the house, how about changing the time to the morning?

Spread your workouts throughout the day
Split your Cardio-vascular to one session and then do resistance in another one, you can grab 20 minutes for the two sessions around kids, cooking etc.

Be organised
If there are no barriers to stop you exercising, make yourself a timetable for the week and stick to it

Give yourself a reason to workout
It can be easy to not to bother when you are left to your own devices. Accountability helps us to commit to exercise; you may usually go with a friend and that motivates you to go because you don’t want to let them down. Arrange with your friend to workout at the same time in your own home so that you can encourage each other to keep going.

Try the SLL Live and on demand classes
There is a timetable of classes available for you to join in with or, you can try the pre-recorded sessions at a time that is convenient for you. There is a whole range of sessions to try with a variety of great instructors across the company so; you won’t have to miss out on seeing your favourite instructor. (Details of how to access these sessions are on the SLL app)

Get outside!
Continue to go for your daily walks, remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!

This latest lockdown is out of our control; don’t let it control our training! Create a new routine and keep your fitness going so that it’s not a shock to your system when we get back!

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