It’s a struggle to keep up with your fitness goals under normal circumstances. Throw in a pandemic for an entire year and no one will judge you for being off your game. But if you’re looking to get back in shape or even just looking to get moving while social distancing, there are a few easy ways you can make this happen. Here are a few simple things you can do to make reaching your fitness goals a little bit easier.
1. Be transparent about hydration
Hydration is just as important as getting your cardio in. Your body is made up of approximately 60% of water, and it’s necessary to restore that water whenever you sweat. Dehydration can cause problems for your skin, energy, and the way your body functions. One of the best ways to keep track of how much water you’re drinking is to use a transparent water bottle. Thermoplastic water bottles are especially popular because they’re lightweight with only a density of 0.9 grams per cubic meter, making them easy to carry. Opt for thermoplastic water bottles that have markers on them, too, so you can keep track of how much water you’re drinking throughout the day.
2. Make friends with compression clothes
While it’s true that many people give up on their fitness goals because they lose motivation, others may give up because working out is too uncomfortable. The good news is that compression clothes can help to alleviate the discomfort that may come from sore muscles and cramping.
Compression clothes work by putting pressure on muscles to reduce DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness. They increase the temperature of your skin to increase blood flow and boost healing just like heat therapy. Heat therapy is a natural way to reduce pain and has been a growing alternative to dangerous pain medications, which are prescribed to nearly 60 out of every 100 people in the United States. When you increase the temperature of a sore or painful area, it helps to reduce pain, heal muscle tissue, and improve flexibility. That said, if cramping is keeping you from cardio, try out a pair of compression socks to boost circulation to your calves.
3. Make your workouts shorter
If you’re struggling to make time for a fitness routine, don’t make yourself miserable trying to squeeze in an hour of jogging after you get home from work. Working out isn’t a punishment and seeing it that way could keep you from sticking to a routine at all. Instead of making yourself fit a routine, make a routine fit your lifestyle.
You can get a whole-body workout in just 10 to 20 minutes with a HIIT workout. HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. It’s a type of cardiovascular exercise that involves short bursts of intense exercise between low-intensity recovery periods. Not only are these types of workouts time-friendly and powerful, but they also make for great workout alternatives to those who are easily bored with cycling classes and other stationary workouts.
4. Use healthy coping mechanisms for stress
The covid-19 pandemic has been causing high levels of stress across the country. The anxiety of avoiding a contagious illness and the loneliness of isolation combined don’t make a great combination. In fact, according to a report by Bank of America, about 18% of respondents moving out of big cities cited covid-19 as their main reason for moving.
This kind of stress and anxiety can have a big impact on our lives. We might mess up our sleep schedules by doom-scrolling on Twitter, regularly eat unhealthy foods, and lose our motivation to stay active. It’s important to make sure that you’re using healthy coping mechanisms to cope with stress to keep it from hurting your health. High cortisol levels aren’t good for anybody.
Keeping up with your fitness goals a year into a pandemic might seem intimidating. But the good news is that health and fitness don’t need to be scary. By making simple changes, you can have a big impact on your health and keep yourself on track toward meeting your goals.
