Getting quaranLEAN

By Katie Baumez

Communication in a time of social distancing

It’s a crazy new world we’re adapting to, and just like the first caveperson who crafted a sledgehammer, we will use these tools to conquer the mastodon of social distancing and EVERYTHING ELSE!  (RIP mastodons.)

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We’re all going through a ton right now: coronavirus fears, navigating school and/or work from home, the ending of Schitt’s Creek. Times are rough.

So, it’s totally cool if you want to take some time and just do you. We applaud you! You are free to workout, or not workout, or half workout, or pretend like you’re working out by doing corpse pose from yoga.

But if I could proffer you just a snippety-snip of advice: exercise can help.

Exercise can make you feel better. It’s exciting! It provides a break from those endless Zoom meetings! It helps you keep your regular routine and some semblance of normal! Plus, who wants to sit around and do nothing for what could be--agggggghhhhhh--months?! 

Like anything in life, it’s all in how you look at it. And I’m (trying to) embrace this situation like the black chocolate squares embrace that weird ice cream rectangle of an ice cream sandwich.  

Chuck Norris doesn’t eat ice cream sandwiches; he surfs them naked through the galaxy.

So, without further ado, here are some ideas for exercising during this crazy crazy time. Obviously, keep yourself safe and don’t do something to hurt yourself, the last thing we need is an injury on our hands. Or on our feet. Or anywhere else. (As a physical therapy student, anatomy puns are my specialty.) 

Bodyweight

Don’t worry, we’re not gonna talk about our body weight….I mean bodyweight exercises!  

The best weights that all of us have at home right now are our very own beautiful pounds. There are tons of bodyweight exercises that can be done:

For lower body—Squats, lunges, RDLs, Bulgarian split squats, donkey kicks, fire hydrants, various step exercises if you are fancy enough to have a step. 

For upper body—Push-ups, tricep dips….(OK not gonna lie upper-body with bodyweight is a little challenging, but that’s what the next sections are for).

For abs—Crunches, scissor kicks, leg lifts, bicycles. A zillion and one plank variations: planks, side planks, Spidermans, pikes, knee to chest planks, leg lifts in plank.

For total body—Everyone’s favorite: burpees! 

For strength + cardio—You can make many things plyometric by adding a speed component. For example, you can do jump squats instead of squats. You can do mountain climbers instead of a simple plank. You can do box jumps. (If you have such elaborate equipment at your house, invite me over after Coronavirus is done!)

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Cardio

If you live in an area where it’s allowed and safe to do so, AND you can maintain at least 6 feet between you and other people and spiders, this opens up a whole new world neighborhood.

You can go for a run, walk, skip and/or jump. If you have a bike, maybe dust it off? Dusting is a workout! Or skates or skateboarding or rollerblading if you’re 90s vibing. Just be safe and distant. Like District 13 in Hunger Games. Safe and distant.  

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Random objects in your house

There have been some amazing Youtubers/influencers/interwebbers (as I like to call them) posting these super creative home workouts with ordinary home objects. Whether it’s laundry detergent jugs or gallons of water or your dog, there are infinite possibilities for upper-body exercises. You might also have actual workout equipment like resistance bands, a set of dumbbells, gliders, TRX straps. In terms of preparation, 50 points for Gryffindor! 

Online workouts

The Wellness & Recreation Centers' personal trainers have been hard at work creating workouts perfect for this quaran-time. Check them out here! And let us know what you think!  

There are so many options! Literally, just pick a few and go for it! Let’s flatten those curves while we flatten the curve. Or maybe accentuate the curves? Whatever you choose, have fun. And Zoom meeting later to tell me how it goes!