How to keep fit during lockdown 2.0

Are you struggling to stay active during the Isle of Man Government’s ‘circuit breaker’ period? Fitness 360 Supervisor, Jess Ward shares some tips and gives virtual class times to provide motivation.

Here it is. Another lockdown, but this one is different. This time we’re facing the cold, which can make it difficult to commit ourselves to a fitness routine… but not impossible!

During that first lockdown in the spring of 2020 our days were filled with bright sunshine and long hours, which got us outside of our walls to go on daily walks, runs or cycling trips.

Now that the island’s second lockdown is taking place in winter it can be a struggle to get out of bed, let alone expose ourselves to the cold elements beyond our snug interiors. We might also be feeling a total lack of motivation after having our hopes of starting our New Year’s Resolutions inside a warm gym or class studio setting dashed.

It needs to be said that a dip in motivation during this season is completely natural. However, staying active is vital to our physical and mental health, especially when it comes to aiding our immune system in the winter months and during a pandemic.

To put it positively, there are a bunch of ways in which you can keep your fitness levels up during lockdown – including accessing a plethora of fitness classes being livestreamed each day by local and global instructors via Zoom, Facebook and Instagram.

Here is some guidance and fitness class information to help you during this lockdown:

• Set specific goals and create a routine

Goals need to be realistic and broken down into easy targets, otherwise they are bound to fail. An example is starting every morning by doing at least 10 minutes of stretches. Stretching is important for keeping your muscles flexible, preventing muscle injury, helping joints and back pain and more. It activates the body and often I find that the earlier I move my body, the more eager I am to exercise later in the day.

Other ideas could be simply doing 15 sit ups and squats first thing in the morning every day and increasing this number slightly over time. Maybe you’ve always wanted to do press ups on your toes, achieve a difficult yoga pose or do a handstand. As always, the internet is a good source for information on how to achieve these goals. It’s up to you on how you pace yourself to gradually reach that milestone over lockdown.

Or perhaps getting into the practice of running is something you’re more interested in. A lot of runners suggest jogging for 10-15 minutes each day before increasing this also, rather than focusing on the mileage. This allows you to enjoy the experience more instead of constantly worrying whether you’ll reach the target distance.

Most importantly, reflect on the week to see what worked and what didn’t work for you. Make some changes if necessary.

• Have someone help motivate you

We all struggle with self-motivation at times, but the good news is there are great ways to keep in contact with friends and fitness instructors to encourage you over lockdown.

If exercising outdoors is more of your thing, then set challenges with a buddy and use Strava – a running and cycling tracking app – to show your progress or race them.

If you’re part of a sports team, see what members are getting up to or even create a workout challenge with them.

We are spoilt for choice when it comes to live classes at the moment. For instance, Fitness 360 ‘s class instructors are holding regular Zoom classes every week. Here is what’s available:

Online Pilates and Yoga with Sanchia

• Monday 5.15pm – Pilates
• Tuesday 5.15pm – Yoga
• Wednesday 12pm – Pilates
• Thursday 5.15pm – Pilates

Follow @be_well_with_sanchia on Instagram or @sanchiaferreiraphysio on Facebook for more details.

Virtual Fitness with Angela

• Monday 10.30am: Kettlebells
• Wednesday 10:30am: Legs, Glutes and Abs
• Saturday 10.30am: Sculpt

Angela’s classes are free, but donations are greatly appreciated.

Zoom Meeting ID: 6776864367
Password: 103185

Live Yoga with Aoife

Fitness 360 class instructor, Aoife, is running her 21 days for £21 sessions that include 5 virtual sessions each week. Drop-in classes cost £7.50

• Monday 7.30pm – Yin Yoga
• Wednesday 7.30am – Rise & Flow
• Thursday 9.30pm – Yoga Nidra
• Saturday 9.30am – Yin/Yang

She is also holding a free community Yin Yoga class on Wednesday at 7.30pm. Find out more by following @omazingaoife on Instagram and Facebook.

Virtual Fitness Classes with Keisha

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday 7am – Breakfast Bootcamp
• Monday 6pm – Legs, Bums and Tums
• Wednesday 6pm – AMRAPs and EMOMs
• Friday 6pm – Bodyweight HIIT

Follow @kikinetic_fitness on Instagram or Facebook. Message her your number to be added to a WhatsApp group for updates on classes.

• Get creative with equipment!

Your kitchen cupboards provide you with more than just the beans for energy, use cans as dumb-bells or why not use your milk as a kettlebell?! Anything is possible.

• Lastly – stop being so hard on yourself!

It will be unlikely that you will achieve the same things as you had done in the previous lockdown due to the different weather conditions as well as different personal factors coming into play. So don’t put pressure on yourself when comparing the two.

Going for a walk or run in the sleet and bitter Manx winds takes a lot of mental endurance. Winter is calling us humans to slow down from our usual busy lifestyles and it’s good for our bodies to rest at times. The trick is to do little and often if you are finding it a struggle to keep active this lockdown.

If you need help with routine, motivation or accessing any of the above mentioned classes, please get in touch with the Cycle 360 Fitness Team: fitness@cycle360.com.

As featured on the Isle of Man Examiner on Tuesday 19th January 2021.