The world is currently facing an unprecedented crisis, as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, the novel coronavirus originating from Wuhan, China, a worldwide pandemic. This virus continues to threaten the lives of millions across the globe. WHO has confirmed over 600,000 cases. And the virus has taken the lives of over 30,000 people, as of March 30, 2020.

This virus has also threatened many industries and has disrupted the daily routines of many Americans. On March 19, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order that banned the gathering of ten or more people, which includes dine-in restaurants and gyms. Going to the gym is a vital part of millions of Americans’ lives. It helps keep them active and physically fit while giving their day structure. Exercising also boosts mental health, so, understandably, many gym-goers are upset that gyms have been closed for the foreseeable future. However, these closures have been made to keep members, staff, and the whole community healthy and safe.

While gyms may be closed for the moment, that doesn’t mean you can’t still be active and work towards keeping yourself healthy. Even though Fitness Nation can’t provide you our weights and equipment to help you get a good sweat, we can provide you with some tips to stay active and healthy while self-isolating.

Practice Yoga

While you can’t go to yoga classes at your local gym like you may be used to, that doesn’t mean you can’t still practice yoga while you are self-isolating. There are countless classes you can find online to help you stay active. You can find thousands of prerecorded yoga instructions on YouTube and more. You can even find several different livestream yoga classes that have a yoga instructor teach a class directly all at once. Yoga helps avoid joint stiffness and improves blood circulation. Try to find poses and stretches that emphasize breathing, as these are known to help with stress relief. It’s a stressful time for everyone, so it may do some good.

Do Bodyweight Workouts

Even though you don’t have the gym at your disposal, you can still get in a good workout using only your bodyweight. While your workouts won’t offer as much resistance as you may be used to, you simply need to do more reps to feel the burn that you want. As with yoga, there are thousands of videos online from personal trainers who teach you how to work out at home with just your bodyweight.

Go for a Walk

If you are someone who normally takes a daily walk, you can still take advantage of your walks even while self-isolating. While, yes, there are stay-at-home orders in effect all over the country, you are still allowed to take walks outside, with your pets or on your own. However, you are advised to continue to practice social distancing on these walks, remaining six feet apart from other people. If you’d rather not leave your home, you can still supplement your walks indoors. FaceTime with a friend while you pace throughout your house. If you are working from home, take a break every so often to get a few steps in since the number of steps you’ll take will decrease over this period.

Do Chores

While you are self-isolating, you are likely going to have plenty of free time on your hands, even if you are forced to work from home. To the surprise of many, doing chores around the house is a great way to burn some calories. While house cleaning isn’t always exhaustive work, it is a great way to stay active while also being productive. You get to ensure your house is clean, and you can burn some calories.

Dance!

Are you quarantined with a partner? If so, this is a perfect time to start working on your dance moves. Dancing is a great way of staying active, and it helps that it’s fun and engaging! There are dances of all kinds for all genres, so you’re guaranteed to find a dance that fits you. Someone weighing 180lbs can burn as much as 480 calories per hour salsa dancing. Each dance offers a different level of intensity, so find one that fits your level and abilities.

Resistance Bands Exercises

Not being able to go to the gym to do resistance training can put a damper on everyone’s mood. However, there are several ways you can burn some calories, including yoga, bodyweight exercises, and resistance band exercises. Resistance bands offer you a chance to easily add some resistance training to your at-home workouts. These bands give your muscles a good challenge without putting your joints under much stress.

Eat Healthy

As this pandemic continues, it is harder for people to stay active, which means that it’s easy to slack off and get out of shape quicker. During this time, make sure you are eating as healthy as possible. After all, no workout can make up for a poor diet. Make sure that you are giving your body the appropriate nutrients it needs to maintain a healthy weight while also keeping your immune system and entire body healthy.

Wash Your Hands and Practice Social Distancing

Here at Fitness Nation, we want all our members and our entire community to stay safe and healthy. During this crisis, we encourage everyone to practice safe habits to suppress the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve. The White House released guidelines to slow the spread of this virus, which includes avoiding gatherings of ten or more people, keeping six feet of distance between you and everyone else, and thoroughly washing your hands. We urge you to stay at home, self-isolating yourself to protect your community. Practice any of the above exercises to remain active and healthy. For the time being, Fitness Nation urges you to please be safe and practice good hygiene.