COVID fitness: how to work out with little time, little equipment, and little kids
Getting a workout in was a lot easier when I could go to the gym and didn’t have toddlers crawling all over me. Pre-coronavirus I was going just about every day and it felt great! Post-coronavirus, at least in the beginning, I was lucky if I worked out even once a week. The culprits? A combination of less time, very little equipment, and honestly? Zero motivation. But for me, daily exercise is how I stay happy, energized, and positive. When I wasn’t getting my workouts in… I was not in a good place emotionally, mentally, or physically. When I finally admitted to myself what was going on, I was able to address it. It’s gotten a lot better now, and I wanted to share what worked for me in case anyone else has been feeling the same.
Figure out what my motivator is
I finally figured out that I’m motivated when I’m around other people in a class setting. The energy of all the people around me combined the camaraderie we build is what gets me excited to work out. (Ok, and maybe I’m a little competitive.) My husband is motivated by great music and accountability to someone; everyone is different! Once I understood what motivated me, I could figure out how to replicate that in a COVID safe way. I couldn’t go to classes, but I could find:
Online workout videos with energetic instructors. Many are free on YouTube, but I’ve found most of the paid ones also have free trials.
Instructors doing live videos on Facebook. Even if I can’t see the other people working out, I know they’re there! Many gyms are now posting videos to their Facebook pages, and they’re free.
Instructors doing Zoom fitness classes. In these I can actually see other people working out. There’s usually a cost or a donation requested for these, as it’s how instructors are working to stay afloat during COVID.
Involve the kids
Some days I don’t have alone time to workout, or I want to use my alone time for something else. So, I’ve gotten good at involving the kids in my workouts when I need to. Cimorene likes to workout with me – she’ll mimic my movements, pick up the 2lb weights, and do yoga poses. If I talk to her about what I’m doing, she’ll stay occupied for quite a while. Moseah… well, he likes to “help”. He’ll crawl on top of me for crunches and he’ll crawl under me for planks. Instead of getting frustrated, now I use him as a prop. He’s extra weight on my hips for glute bridges. He sits on my shoulders for squats. He’s an – albeit squirmy – weight in my arms for deadlifts. Is my workout as efficient and effective? Maybe not, but it’s a heck of a lot more cute, and I still feel good afterwards!
Distract the kids
My cousin takes the complete opposite approach. She has a table of crafts and activities set up by her workout equipment so her daughter (almost 4) can sit – distracted – while she works out. Her set up is impressive! For my kids, I’m able to set up an activity for my 3-year-old, and then put my one-and-a-half year old in his high chair with his favorite finger food snack. It only works for maybe 15-20 minutes, but it’s definitely better than nothing! The key is to have everything set up ahead of time – workout video queued, equipment out and ready to go – so once they’re engaged I don’t waste any time.
Pick workouts that work with what I have
This was trickier than I thought. The only weights I had for the first few months of the pandemic were cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce (thanks, lasagna love!). So, a hard core strength training class just wasn’t going to work. But a barre class? I had a chair and a rug, so I could do that! And even the light weight of a 15.5 ounce can of tomatoes makes a difference in a barre class. I would also google “women’s body weight workout” and see what came up that didn’t need any equipment. Once I was able to invest in some equipment at home, we thought about what’s versatile (my husband has an off-brand TRX), what would help me reach my fitness goals (weights for strength, a yoga block or bands for flexibility), or what I enjoy.
I’m still not at my pre-coronavirus routine of working out every day, but I can definitely get a workout in every other day. I’m feeling better, I have more energy, and I know I’m keeping myself healthy. Plenty of research out there links exercise with better immune function, so in these crazy times I also like the idea that I’m at least stacking the deck more in my favor. I still look forward to the day that I can work out in person with some of my favorite instructors, but in the meantime… here’s to home workouts with pint-sized classmates!