We are now over a week into Lockdown 2.0, and if you’re anything like me, it might be feeling a little harder second time round.
Back in March, lockdown was almost a blessing for my fitness. Having been training for the marathon, I was pushing myself, increasing the mileage week on week with a knee that was even more stubborn than me. Having injured my knee over 2 years ago, I had tried everything – resting, rehab, icing, sports massage, taping, stretching and it wasn’t having any of it. Although I stayed very active in the first lockdown, with no gym and no marathon, my miles and weights decreased, which is apparently exactly what my body needed – my knee is so much better, and I’m grateful for that.
When the gyms reopened, I felt great and consistent...for all of six weeks. Since then, and in total honestly, my motivation as dwindled. Comfort food (and drink) have been so much more appealing and so much harder to resist. 2020 has felt quite relentless and it’s easy to get caught up thinking, ‘what’s the point?’
Life has been busy and stressful, and I’ve struggled to make progress in the gym. I’m sure others may be feeling similar frustration and the positivity we held onto round one, is so much more difficult to grip onto this time. While what we can deadlift or how flat our tummies look might not be at the top of our agendas right now, how we feel and looking after ourselves should be.
Here are some quick wins for training in lockdown:
Have a purpose. ‘Training With Tickle’ gave me purpose and mission to train in the first lockdown – there were days when I didn’t want to exercise, but I had to. This approach won’t suit everyone, but for some it can be key. This could be a goal, such as mastering a press up, or having a training partner to keep you accountable and on track.
Have a plan. Having an outline of what you want to achieve that week can help. This may be planning each and every workout for the next 4 weeks down to the rep, or just looking at your diary to see where you can fit your sessions in.
Be realistic & kind to yourself. This is a difficult time and there is a lot going on, the last thing you want is for exercise and movement to become another stress. For me, my plan has gone from three programmed gym sessions and two runs a week to aiming to move my body four times a week. I have still have a plan, but it’s a much softer approach.
Join a community. With most personal trainers moving online, there are no shortages of classes and communities to join. Having someone to show up for, even on a screen, makes a big difference.
Make it fun! Exercise and movement should be enjoyed, not endured. If Zumba puts you in your happy place, do it. If dancing round the house for an hour with your favourite music makes you feel great, do it. If it's yoga, do it. If it’s pounding the pavements, do it. So much is out of our control at the moment, it can help to take control of what we can and how we workout can be one of those things.
These are just some ideas for training in lockdown. Life isn’t about PBs and marathons right now, but exercise can definitely help our sanity at the moment.