Jack Ward
Just as marathon season kicked into first gear, your weeks upon weeks of training now suddenly feel like a waste of time, with the Covid-19 pandemic stalling any race plans, or even runs with your local club or friends.
But, us runners will not let this awful virus poison our passion, and we will adapt! Here are our top seven ways you can keep on top of your fitness, even whilst confined to your own home.
- Stepping up
Swapping the pounding pavements for plush carpets doesn’t sound all too bad does it? The stairs don’t limit you to only ‘step-up, step-down’ exercises either, get creative. You can even use your bottom stair as a plinth for your hands and perform raised push-ups. Once you feel like a stair-exercise master, add weight or dumbbells to your exercises for an extra challenge. Stair exercises have been shown to help tone your leg muscles too, so you’ll be all set to flaunt your pins in the nearest beer garden once this has all blown over.
- Calisthenics FREE course
For those who don’t know, calisthenics is merely a fancy way of saying ‘exercises that only use the weight of your body as resistance in the aim to promote muscle growth and strength’. Such exercises are perfect for a time where we are trapped within the four walls we reside in, as most exercises can be performed in confined spaces and with little equipment, if any at all. The School of Calisthenics have just released a free bodyweight course worth £40 for absolutely nothing to help people during these times. You can see it here.
Inexpensive resistance bands and a doorframe pull up bar are more than enough to get you started in calisthenics. The range of workouts and activities are vast too, so if you want more information, head over to School Of Calisthenics to have a look at a wide range of training plans tailored to working at home and further information on calisthenics.
- Food Planning
Many of you will find yourself stuck inside for the foreseeable near future with your running shoes gathering dust, so at a time where you may struggle to burn as many calories as usual, it will be imperative to get your diet right. If you’ve been training for marathons and longer races, it may be a good idea to bring that calorie intake right down. If you’re stuck looking after the kids and don’t have much time to cook, then turn to recipes such as Jamie Oliver’s 15-minute meals or Joe Wickes lean in 15.
- Les Mills Training Program
If you’re prepared to go on a real fitness transformation that can make you reappear post apocalypse looking a new and improved version of yourself, then ex-New Zealand track and field star Les Mills and her stay at home complete training regime ‘LesMillsOnDemand’ could be perfect for you. This complete plan not only allows you access to over 800+ online workouts but you can tailor the plan to whatever length or results you’re after. A huge benefit also is that you will become part of a huge and motivational online group, which will help keep you company in times of isolation. The best part is that in light of the Covid-19 pandemic they have offered a free trial period. Find out more here.
- Keep running when you can!
Whether you’re lucky enough to have a treadmill or even just enough space in your garden, it will still count to all our medal challenges, just please make sure that you are keeping yourself isolated, avoiding crowds and following all recommended action by the government. You can also still go on runs alone as long as you are keeping a safe distance.
- Chat to our massive community on the Facebook Group
The thing that makes Virtual Runner amazing is our massive online community that come together to take care of each other with great advice and tips on the Facebook group. You can maintain social contact via our online closed Facebook group – we can share the highs and lows and all your top tips with like-minded people. I’m sure they’ve got some great ideas on activities to do at home too!
- Dig out old DVDs and books that you never used!
Remember that old fitness DVD you’ve got in the loft? Time to dig it out and give it a go. Why not also get online and buy some new cheap fitness DVDs? Some of my favourites are the 30-Day Shred and the videos and book of Joe Wicks. Joe has some great YouTube videos you can work on and whether in front of the TV or the computer, it’s a perfect way to stay fit and healthy.
Keep clean, safe and stay tuned for more regular blog posts on virtual runner to keep you entertained throughout the next few weeks.