How can I stay active during quarantine/lockdown? by Deborah Wong

With all the memes flying around on social media right now, it sounds like half the planet are spending their days in their pyjamas getting into a really deep relationship with Netflix, whilst the other half are working out creative ways to entertain their children at home while keeping their sanity. .

Our suggestion?

Take this extra time to focus on your health and be the BEST version of YOU.

Now is NOT the time to abandon all of the good habits you have been working so hard on. When times get tough, this is a test of your resilience. If you can make good habits work now, how much easier will it be when things get easier?

If you give up now and spend all day on the couch/in bed, and only get 1,000 steps per day:

• You are severely risking your health and crushing your immune system – not the best thing to be doing during a global pandemic
• You will almost certainly gain weight – again, probably not a goal you have in mind
• It will take you a lot longer to “reboot” all these good habits later down the line
• AND importantly, you are not releasing any happy endorphins to keep not only yourself physically feeling happy and healthy, but also your state of mind

Weight loss might not be a realistic goal right now, and equally crazy amounts of progress might not be a realistic goal right now, BUT THIS DOESN’T MEAN YOU NEED TO GO BACKWARDS! This is a great time to focus on MAINTAINING your body, your health, and your habits. This way, you can STILL progress as soon as you regain access to groceries, the gym, or being able to go outdoors.

If you go backwards, you’re going to need to waste time catching up again… Why waste that time when you could be moving forwards instead? What other opportunity do we usually get to have this much spare time on our hands? Use the time wisely and commit to your health goals. You won’t regret it!

Okay, okay – saying this is all well and good, but how do we make it happen?

1 SHIFT YOUR MINDSET

It can be easy to fall into a negative spiral when the situation around us feels daunting and overwhelming. This IS difficult. Change and uncertainty IS difficult. Having to work from home, not being able to meet friends and family, having to worry about your finances and job security, the health of yours and your loved ones, the inability to plan beyond a week, and if you have children, having to homeschool them, are all stressful situations. Take a moment to acknowledge the loop of anxious thoughts running circles in your mind and actively practice reframing them from a positive perspective.

I’m ready for life to go back to normal -> I have a new appreciation for the simple things in life.

I’m tired of social distancing -> I’m going to use my resources to connect with loved ones in new ways.

I’m getting antsy staying inside -> I’m going to take this time to find new ways to enjoy being at home

I’m worried about what’s happening -> I am grateful for my health today and take comfort in knowing that I’m not in this alone.

Try it and notice how it affects you both mentally and physical. With less negative energy weighing you down, hopefully you’ll feel a lighter sense of being and a greater sense of hope.

2 CREATE A SCHEDULE

Your routine is probably WAY off right now. Weekdays and weekends no longer have a meaning and it’s probably hard to separate work and rest when your bedroom, dining room or couch is now also your office.

It is important for your health and productivity to set a new routine for yourself. For example:

• 730am – wake up, wash up
• 8am – breakfast
• 830am – work 
• 10am – break
• 1030am – work
• 12pm – afternoon walk (I love afternoon walks – sunshine for vitamin D, increased brain derived neurotrophic factor, endorphins, and doing it just before lunch when you are fasted really ramps up your metabolism and fat burning abilities too)
• 1pm – lunch
• 2pm – work
• 5pm – workout 
• 630pm – dinner and R&R time
• 11pm – bed

By having a framework to work with, it helps you keep track of the day, instead of wasting it away procrastinating! We like to start our day by listing out the THREE most important things that need to be accomplished. The rest of the time is spent dealing with stuff as it comes up and if we’re done early – we get more R&R time!

3 MOVE EVERY HOUR

When you don’t have anywhere to be, it’s easy to sit in our chair/couch/bed for hours on end with very little purpose. To break this up,we suggest doing one easy bodyweight movement daily.

Every hour from 9am – 5pm,  do 10 – 20 of this movement.

If you miss an hour? No biggie, double them up the next hour.

If you miss 3 hours?  Blend ‘em all together and move for a couple of minutes when the next hour rolls around! 

The point is not to make the movements brutally hard or build strength right now, it’s just to get you up and moving for a few seconds at least every hour. Although a very simple task, this in itself will have a positive impact on your health including improved circulation, a stress relief, and maintaining bone mass to say the least!

Set an hourly alarm or timer if you need to!

Recommendations for movements:

• Air squats
• Step ups
• Lunges
• Good mornings
• Sit ups
• 1 min plank
• 1 min superman hold
• Push ups
• Jumping jacks
• High knees
• Butt kicks
• Burpees
• Roll downs

…to name a few, the list is endless!

4 GO FOR LONG WALKS

Long walks are a great antidote to cabin fever and have a lot of other added benefits too.

• Walking activates your parasympathetic nervous system (aka your CHILL OUT nervous system) – which will help your immune system so you aren’t stressed out all of the time.
• Low intensity steady state cardio (esp when done fasted), such as long walks, keep your metabolism and daily calorie burn up!

Just make sure to keep a safe distance from others and it will be one of the best things you can do for your health! 

5 WORKOUT AT HOME

While working out home might not be the most ideal because of space and equipment constraints, it sure beats not moving at all. 

• Find at home workouts

There are PLENTY of home programs on the internet right now. While it may be tempting to try them all out, we find that it’s better to find one that you like and stick with it. Having regular programming and a fixed schedule really helps with compliance and discipline! 

We have released a few home workout videos on our YouTube channel too! Check them out here 

• Join an online live streaming class

Almost all studios are offering online classes right now and you can hop in right now to get that accountability and community feel!

Plus, this is a GREAT way to support your favourite gym/studio/trainer – all our businesses are HURTING right now and by supporting them during this period it will ensure that you have a studio to go back to when this is all over! 

Breathe is offering an unlimited pass during this circuit breaker period for 99 SGD. Single sessions are available at 15 SGD. 

• Book an online personal training session

This is a GREAT way to get the accountability, PLUS a program personalised to you, and someone still watching. encouraging, and correcting your form.

This will both motivate you to get your workouts done, and give you accountability to know someone will be checking up on whether you have completed them or not.

Plus, let’s be honest – when you pay a premium for something, you are more likely to use it. 

Message your local gym/studio or favourite trainer and see if they can offer this service – again, it’s a great way to support your gym and trainers, who will likely have a lot less hours right now and will love the opportunity to support you just as much as you love supporting them.

To support our community and allow easier access to everyone,  we are offering 40% off our usual rack rates for online private Pilates sessions. 

• Private session with senior instructors SGD 80
• Private session with instructor SGD 65
• Duet session with instructor SGD 48 each
• Private group with instructor SGD 27 each (min 3 max) 

In summary: 

• Set up an activity schedule for yourself.

• Get a minimum of 6,000 steps per day. BEST = 8,000 – 10,000.
• Do at least 1 home workout this week!

This can be by yourself, live-streamed, or book a personal training session with us here! 

If you have any questions about your health and wellness during this period, please feel free to reach out to us. We are all in this together.

Email info@breathepilates.com
WhatsApp 98355683