Skip links

Exercise during Social Distancing

Exercise and Your Wellbeing

Chances are, you’re working from home, and the kids are there too. As tempting as it is to hit the pantry for snacks, at some point your exercise regime needs a reboot. After all, our overall health has a big impact on our ability to care for our children.

 

Let’s focus on Exercise and Your Wellbeing.

Just like diet and nutrition, exercise plays a major role in your state of wellness. It benefits nearly all aspects of a person’s health. It helps control weight, strengthen bones, strengthen lungs and your circulatory system. What’s more is that exercise increases a variety of chemicals that are good for your brain, like serotonin, which plays a role in appetite, sleep and mood.  Or endorphins, which can increase pleasure. And most importantly, help you cope with stress and uncertainty.

Making small changes in our daily habits can payoff in huge positive changes. How much exercise can you add to your week? It doesn’t have to involve complicated hour-long sessions. A good 10 to 15 minutes of exercise just twice a day will get you the recommended amount of exercise. Our challenge is to make small changes in the right direction. So start slowly; trek to the mailbox; hit the staircase; take off your slippers, put on your tennis shoes and get in motion.

 

Here’s 11 ways to sneak exercise into your day during social distancing:

 

  1. Rise and Shine: Stretch your way out of bed and into the shower
  2. Vary your route: take the stairs; walk the extra distance around the sofa
  3. Deskercise: get moving in your chair; tap your foot; use some hand weights
  4. Lunchercise: walk during your lunch break; speedwalk around your neighborhood, keeping the recommended 6-foot distance from others
  5. Create a watercooler break at home: when appropriate get up, clear your desk/table of cups and make a call to check on friends.
  6. Adopt an after-work at-home hobby: like Frisbee or soccer in the backyard
  7. Walk the dog: your pup will thank you and so will your body
  8. Housercise: you get the idea – vacuum; wash the car; do the yardwork
  9. TVercise: sure you can squeeze in a workout here. Grab those dumbbells
  10. Mix it up:  your new at-home evenings don’t have to default to movies on the sofa; propose something active like wii sports. It’s the perfect time to dust off that version of Just Dance.
  11. Get online: bet your local yoga instructor is live streaming. Give it a go.

For additional ways to encourage your child to be physically active, read our blog:

 

Return to top of page