These are perilous, unprecedented times we’re living in. The Coronavirus Pandemic has changed our lives dramatically in the short term, and perhaps it will result in societal changes in the long term. The way we work, go to school, shop, and perhaps even interact with others may be altered for the future. We can’t predict when the crisis will end, nor if it will resurface and perhaps be even worse.
Suffice it to say, our health care professionals are on the front lines and are at greater risk than most of the population. However, they have access to protection against the virus, whereas first responders like police officers are thrown into the thick of it every day. Many of our interactions with the public are confrontational in nature. Often, we’re forced to lay our hands on individuals and involvement sometimes becomes a life and death struggle. The stress of everyday exposure to people who potentially either have the virus or are carriers of the virus can be devastating. It’s enough to cause chronic sadness and depression.
Coping
How do we handle the stress? Many of us use the gym to work out our frustration and stress. Exercise is the perfect prescription to ameliorate those feelings of sadness and despair. However, the rapid spread of Covid19 has led to the closings of most gyms. So what’s the answer? —old school workouts using bodyweight exercises. Yeah, a return to the days before places like Planet Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Gold’s Gym, etc., dotted the landscape of every city. While those gyms are certainly fantastic places to exercise, with every piece of equipment known to man, guys like me kept in shape the old-fashioned way—running and calisthenics—anywhere, anytime.
Some suggestions
Your exercise venue doesn’t have to be a shiny warehouse filled with machines. Your gym becomes any place you want it to be. Your apartment, house, backyard, school yard or park. The location isn’t really important since the workout actually takes place in your heart and mind. Yes, even a small 8’ X10’ room is sufficient enough for you to work up a good sweat and boost your heart rate. Wait a minute, you say, I need someplace where I can run. No problem, it’s called running in place or even substitute jumping rope to really get the heart rate elevated.
If you’re confined to your house or apartment and can’t think of a routine, the virus had spawned the birth of free online exercise classes. At Planet Fitness they offer free daily fitness classes online that are available to members and nonmembers. The workouts last approximately 20 minutes or less and are taught by PF trainers and even some celebrities.
Barbend.com is full of information on strength training, flexibility, mobility and more. Just a few examples of the materials/guidance you can find there include Improving Thoracic Spine Mobility, Passive vs Active Stretching, Mobility vs Flexibility and more.
Turbulence Training is a site on YouTube that provides workout and lifestyle solutions to busy men and women who want to transform their lives. It contains a variety of videos led by three certified professional trainers who are experts in their fields.
Livestrong.com is another channel that provides professional instruction using videos that target either the entire body or just certain parts, such as abs, arms, etc. It offers tutorials on how to properly perform certain exercises e.g., crunches, reverse crunches, mountain climbers, etc.
Pop Sugar is described on their site as a popular fitness and beauty blog that offers just about anything you could want in a health blog. On the website you will find lots of workouts broken down with great written instructions and pictures. On the Pop Sugar Fitness YouTube channel you can enjoy a great range of quick workouts led by some fitness industry superstars. I recommend you try the 15-minute boxing workout to get the sweat flowing and heart beating.
For a low impact workout that benefits both beginners and others, try Body Project. The site is described as specializing in high-intensity fat-burning workouts that can be done from home. Their workouts have some creative moves that are fun and effective. Their low-impact cardio workout is a great place to start.
HASFit, another YouTube channel, gets its name because "every Heart and Soul deserves to be Fit!" These workouts are based primarily in bodyweight training, so they are nice for at-home or when travelling. Coach Kozak has prepared some unique workouts such as one specifically for seniors and a series for teenage weight-loss. They offer over 1,000 full length, free workout routines and complete 30 - 90-day fitness programs for all goals and fitness levels. Their free workout plans include exercise routines, meal plans, and the best motivation to keep you moving forward.
Muscle & Fitness has a workout plan you can do either at home or outside. It requires no equipment, just your willingness to work hard and sweat. It consists of seven basic exercises: glute bridge, hand walks, lunge elbow to instep, plank-to-pushup, 3-way pushup, straight leg lowering, and finally, burpees. This at-home workout is designed as a circuit. Each round of the circuit consists of seven exercises, 10 reps each. You’ll perform three total rounds, alternating between pushing and pulling (or upper- and lower-body movements). It’s designed to keep you moving, making the most of your workout time without having any equipment to put away at the end.
Finally
I encourage you not to abandon your exercise program simply because your gym may have closed. And I recognize that many of you have experienced increased workloads and hours because of the crisis. However, the bottom line is you must take care of your mental and physical health. These bodyweight exercises done at home or the park or wherever are an important element to your overall well-being. In times like these we must be at our best and strongest.
Stay Safe, Brothers and Sisters!
John Wills
John M. Wills is a former Chicago police officer and retired FBI agent. He is a freelance writer and award-winning author in a variety of genres, including novels, short stories and poetry. John also writes book reviews for the New York Journal of Books, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. His new book, The Year Without Christmas, is available now. Visit John at: www.johnmwills.com.
