How to stay active during lockdown – motivation and fitness tips for lockdown 3.0

I was going to post a lovely piece about Hebden Bridge with walk tips and heritage information (as well as some nice pics obviously) However it feels like it might be frustrating as we can’t travel around at the moment and, let’s face it, the end is not in sight quite yet.

January 2021 is the most January-est January of all Januarys. In the original lockdown, at least the weather was nice so we were more motivated to go for walks, runs and so on. Now that we are yet another lockdown, and with COVID-19 taking an even greater toll than previously, the combination of horrible weather and relentless bad news makes it difficult to get off the internet hamster wheel of doom and be physically active.

Here are my pieces of advice to stay active (and motivated) during lockdown 3 at home and outdoors:

1. You only need to pick on activity to start with, and something you at least vaguely like.

If you hate running, don’t bother! Try walking. Or if you just want it to be over with faster, go for that run. The activity has to be something you get on with – my personal list is: walking (absolutely favourite), jogging and Pilates. Outdoors is widely regarded as the first choice for better well-being (see also many articles on the mental health benefits of being outdoors, plus virus transmission is reduced outside). It helps to add variety rather than looking at the same wall and indoors tends to get a bit sweaty (and not in a good way). If you need help planning a walk (or run) have a look at my previous post on How to Plan a Walk (click here). If you are finding it difficult to focus at all, try 10 mins of different things stacked together e.g. 10 mins yoga/pilates, 10 mins skipping, 10 mins run).

2. If the weather really is too awful to go outside, let’s find an indoor activity workable for you.

I don’t mind the cold (its all about dressing in layers) but breaking an ankle on the ice we had recently would be the last thing anybody wants at the moment! YouTube has a wealth of professional fitness videos. I know Yoga is popular but I still need to learn to relax more to get into this. I personally love Pilates videos (top fave is Blogilates, Cassey is so positive and motivating to listen to). There are now plenty of videos which are also ‘quiet’ or ‘no jumping’ (or has a quiet option for ‘thumpy’ exercises). This is a major benefit to any one in a flat, or can only work out upstairs, or with sleeping little ones. Many don’t require equipment which is perfect for me (and I believe you can be fit and build strength using just your own body weight).

3. If you can, try at home exercise equipment.

We have a rickety second-hand running machine bought for £90 – equivalent to 3 months gym membership (for one person) – so it has more than paid itself back many times over (we had it well before COVID-19 was on the horizon). This is a good option if, like me you do not go running or walking alone after dark. If you have outside space you could even try something really low cost like a skipping rope. If you are stuck for space there a small machines like mini steppers which are usable while you watch TV, for example.

4. Add entertainment.

Of course, it nice to go for a walk with someone, but that isn’t always possible at the moment. Quite frankly, I think we’ve all had enough time with our own thoughts in the last 10 months, and need something to fill the mental doom zone, if it’s not social conversation. I have read fitness gurus saying to keep focussed on the activity, not on listening to something/watching TV but I just can’t get on with this. I listen to music when running, for example. My taste for running music is somewhat different to my general music taste and this ruins my Itunes suggestions! But whatever floats you boat – mine is upbeat club/dance anthems (can’t remember the last time I went to a club or listened to Radio 1 by choice lol) and high-end pop (hello, new Little Mix album). Podcasts are another favourite to help pass time which may seem just too much of a grind otherwise. My favourites at the moment are:

• Fun
  • No Such Thing as a fish by the QI Elves
  • The Guilty Feminist
  • The Museum of Curiosity (BBC Sounds in general is an absolutely amazing treasure trove of archived radio shows and I could list many more here)
• Learn & Personal Development
  • How to Own the Room by Viv Groskop
  • Work like Woman/The Kindness Economy by Mary Portas
  • How to Fail by Elizabeth Day

5. How to keep going when everything is so bleak – make it satisfying.

This comes down to tracking and there are two approaches to this. Firstly, to create a habit tracker or check list to get that satisfying feeling of ticking something off. I have created my own habit tracker for various things this year and stuck a copy to the front of the fridge (yes, I have just read Atomic Habits). If you want a copy of my tracker please email hello@enjoyecobox.co.uk. I am honestly a sucker for anything I can manually tick off and reckon you will be too. The second way is through tracking apps like Strava or Runkeeper. These can track and log activities so you can see how far/how long you were active for and you can look back at how far you’ve come over time. They are especially motivating at the start, sending you notifications about how you just beat your record for time/distance etc. This is great to hear! At least someone is cheering you on. (Mine now sometimes tells me, unfortunately, my run was my 137^th fastest for this distance – cheers mate, maybe if it’s not top 100 just don’t mention it??! It makes me chuckle to see it anyway, because technology doesn’t really know what is truly worth highlighting.

Actual screen shot from my app. No one needs to know this, RunKeeper, no one. 

And finally, you don’t actually have to do anything. If you feel like it today, great! If not, don’t worry. There are many, many trying things going on at the moment – this doesn’t need to be another one. Personally, I never feel (mentally) worse after exercise (I know this is a sweeping statement that doesn’t work for everyone) so even if you just do a 10 minute YouTube video two times a week to start with, or a half an hour walk (with your favourite new podcast) once a week, I honestly think you will feel a tiny bit better. And I think that’s a pretty good achievement in the present circumstances!

Let me know what motivates you at @enjoyecobox on Instagram or Facebook.