8 Moves to Do At Home If You Find Yourself Under Quarantine
I just checked in with my friend from high school and Northwestern University who now resides in Italy to see how she and her family were holding up (at the time fo this post, Italy is on lockdown due to Covid-19). She jokingly said, "Send workout tips for people trapped at home," and I thought, "YES! I've got just the thing!"
I made this video a few years ago (back when there was no pandemic and I had ugly curtains) and it still holds strong today as it did then! There's SO MUCH STUFF around the house that can easily be used to help you get your sweat on. Let's face it: Exercise is KEY to keeping us healthy and we shouldn't let the Coronavirus scare us away from that.
Please watch the video below with a breakdown of what the workout will look like below that. Enjoy!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
A suitcase (to travel with! You know, up and down the hallway...)
Hand towels
A heavy book
A gallon of water/milk/detergent/etc
Two wine bottles
A very sturdy chair
Something to balance on your hand (like a slipper)
A reusable grocery bag with something in it (that has some weight to it)
Dog and/or cat*
*Do not use for exercise unless they're super relaxed. See bottom of post for example.
Do the following exercises in order with little to no rest between them. Take 2 minutes after the last exercise before doing the circuit again.
1. Suitcase carry: Do this for about 45 seconds in each hand. If you feel this in your low back despite bracing your core, make the suitcase lighter or use something else.
2. Towel mountain climbers: Perform 10-15 on each side. The leg that slides in should feel pretty weightless so you can stabilize using the extended leg. Your torso should be still enough to balance something on it.
3. Goblet Squat: Perform 10. Keep your knees behind your toes and aim to bring your thighs parallel to the floor.
4. Renegade Row: Perform 10 on each side. This is where the very sturdy chair comes in; keep your shoulder right on top of your wrist here and keep your hips quiet.
5. Step Up: Perform 10-15 on each side. Again: STURDY CHAIR. If that's not an option, perform this instead.
6. Pec Flies: Perform 15. Keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout.
7. Turkish Getup: Perform 1 on each side. Now, if you don't know this move it can seem pretty daunting. Here is an awesome post breaking it down piece by piece. If you'd rather not learn this new exercise, though, do this instead (10 on each side).
8. "Kettlebell" Swing: Do 15 of these. Keep in mind that at the top of the swing, your body is in a vertical plank position which means your glutes, abs, thighs and armpit muscles need to be tight! If this seems too complicated, try 15 of these instead!
So how was that? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment below!
Oh, and that example of only using your pet for exercise if they're super relaxed? See below.
