Lessons from Home Workouts
We all had goals for 2020, we had visions for our health, finances and future. None of which included being forced to stay at home and not leave, well, at least not on purpose. Isn’t it funny how we often begged for more time at home and less time at work? Or how we sometimes dread public meetings or friends reaching out when we’d rather stay at home? But now, we are all yearning for that kind of connection, or maybe that is just me. Covid-19 isn’t something any of us saw coming, let alone this quarantine.
Through these difficult times we have learned and seen some amazing things happen, especially in the world of fitness. As a company we certainly saw the need in helping people have a way to move their bodies and train through this time of isolation and so did many other companies and brands. There are free workouts everywhere you look on the internet and through social media. We are seeing people use chairs, couches, paint buckets, cans of food, pillows, stairs, but most importantly their bodies for exercise!
The past 10 years has certainly brought on more recognition, education and increased the value of functional fitness, but nothing like what the Corona pandemic has pushed onto us. Now with no option and no equipment people start to recognize the necessity and value of simple “movement”. While we can put exercise in a category where you need to be in a special building or room with special equipment for an hour or even more, hopefully you are recognizing that we have been wrong for doing so. In a time where 70% of our country here in the US is dying from chronic disease that can be prevented with proper nutrition (cut out sugar and processed foods) and more “movement”. Exercise needs to simply be that, “movement”!
We are seeing people across the world get on the ground and get up (burpee), push up, sit up, squat, lunge, jump, run in ways that they haven’t in years! Our bodies are the only equipment we need to be healthy and fit. There was no equipment for our ancestors, yet they weren’t obese like we are, they were dying of the same preventable diseases the way we are. Years ago our lifestyles demanded us to move for survival but now we don’t have that necessity. This doesn’t mean we still aren’t designed to move because we are. As we step back and look at the experience of our fancy equipment being removed and fancy spa atmosphere being taken away, what can we learn? We can understand in full that we don’t NEED it, we don’t need anything other than our body and space to move. We can crawl, walk, run, climb, push, pull, jump, sprint, lunge, squat, twist, hold, sit up, get down, get up and in any patterns we can dream up and be the fittest version of ourselves we can imagine.
Step 1: get off the couch. This doesn’t take the desire you may think. You don’t need to have the goals of a model or physique competitor or 8 pack abs or a competitive exerciser, just turn off the TV and get off the couch.
Step 2: Imagine, dream, pretend, play. Yes these are several actions all balled into one. We must become a bit childlike to imagine ways to play and move our body. We lost this ability as we were locked into our 9-5 mentality of “make money, save money, pay bills”. Of course I’m not pretending those things don’t matter, but we must free ourselves from that mindset and simply PLAY!
Step 3: Repeat. This isn’t an easy habit to develop or stick to so you must set a schedule. There will be a new Netflix binge worthy series that pops up or a new cool app to play with on your phone, but turn away! Have a time in the day or several times in the day where you dedicate 15-20 minutes of movement. When you find something you enjoy or something you’d like to practice or work on or a goal to achieve it will then get easier.
Step 4: Be obsessed with achievement in new movement and new capacity and not the weight scale. It’s easy to only care about losing weight or gaining muscle, but that again is misleading. If you let your focus be on achieving new tasks, working out longer, doing more reps, or working out more days in a week then those results will happen over time. Be patient, have fun, and seek growth.
Step 5: Love your ability. Don’t get too caught up in what you see online, that’s the easiest way to get caught up in comparison. The only person that matters in this journey is you. Love your body and appreciate what it can do, it will improve if you want it to.
I’m hopeful that after all is said and done we will be better because of it. I don't’ know what “life” will look like as we venture back out or how we will get “back” to how things were. BUT I do hope that we all can recognize that our journey to a healthier and happier life doesn’t have to happen with a personal trainer in a gym with “special equipment” you are the equipment and it is all you need. When you run out of ideas visit our @fnx_fit IG page and we are there publishing daily workouts with minimal necessities at all! Let’s keep rising as we rise together.