COVIDiaries: How I Try to Stay Fit

And just like that-- it's already the I-don't-know-what-day-it-is-anymore day into this self-quarantine journey.

I don't know about you but it's getting brutal staying fit (it's also just difficult to stop eating). Sometimes it's my mouth wanting to chew even if I'm not that hungry.

The struggle is real, people!

Regardless, I make the effort to stay fit or be more conscious about my health. Before anyone says anything, I'm not super fit and also not a gym rat but I try to make sure I don't gain too much weight while we're stuck at home.

So without further ado, here's a list of what I try to do to stay fit:

1. 20-minute HIIT

My mom bought a 3-month HIIT program last year and I still find it very effective. Each day, it targets a particular region of the body and the whole 20-minute workout focuses on it.

Each full workout consists of the following components:

> 3 circuits- Like I mentioned, they change depending on the day and body region you're focusing on.

> 3 exercises per circuit- These varied exercises are repeated 3 times and lasts 20 seconds each.

> 1- minute rest- You get a 60 second (1 min.) rest in between the exercises within each circuit.

After the 3 sets are done, the next circuit begins and so on and so forth.

For example:

Day X - Upper Body and Abs (region)

1st circuit: 20 second body squats + 20 second glute bridge marches + 20 second ab bicycles + 1 minute rest (3 reps)

2nd circuit: 20 second body squat pulses + 20 second glute bridges + 20 second star crunches + 1 minute rest (3 reps)

3rd and final circuit: 20 second sumo squat pulses + 20 second running in place + 20 second rotating mountain climbers + 1 minute rest (3 reps)

Aside from the trainer being a real hottie, I like it because it's quick and effective for me. I do it for only 20 minutes and I sweat a lot. Then, I get on with my day. Thank you, next!

2. Online FREE Dance Tutorials/Live Lessons

My partner and I enjoy going to dance studios to take classes. Before the outbreak, we went to drop-in hip hop classes and also enrolled in progressives. Now, we are no longer allowed to go to the studios for obvious reasons.

Thanks to social media and the different dance communities I follow, free dance classes have been made available to the masses. Whether it be pre-recorded tutorials or live stories of different choreographers/teachers, they are all available on social media. If not for them, we won't be able to keep our dancing juices flowing.

I follow different studios and choreographers on social media so when they got something going on, I tune in. If you want to learn with me or just jam by yourself, here are some of the people and studios that post their tutorials or live videos on social media:

Local (Canadian):

Culturally Defined (@culturallydefined)

Harbour Dance Centre (@harbourdancecentre)

The Studio North (@thestudionorth)

The 86 Collective (@the86collective)

iDance Vancouver (@idancevancouver)

USA:

Ysabelle Capitule (@ysabellecaps)

Steezy Studio (@steezystudio) - They're a paid online dance learning platform but they have a free 1-week trial.

Kinjaz Dojo (@kinjazdojo) - You also have to pay to take their klasses.

I'm sure there are lots out there so may you need to do some more digging. It will always depend on what you like and what your schedule is so have a look-see and give it a try!

3. Walking Ronin

Ronin is our 3-year-old male Shiba Inu. Every morning, after my 20-minute HIIT, I walk Ronin to the park near our place. I let him off-leash so he can run around the park until he's tired and pooped out. The workout part for me is that I follow him around while he runs and poops. Bonus is that I get "fresh" air every time.

This part doesn't get a pass because Ronin needs to do his doggy thing so I don't just try, I do walk him every day.

4. Video games that get me moving

In addition to Mario Party and Just Dance that have a lot of games that make you dance and move, we sometimes play Ring Fit Adventure.

The game comes with two physical components: the Ring-Con, a flexible, hard-plastic ring that the user holds and one Joy-Con slots into, and a Leg Strap, a piece of fabric to be attached to the user's leg that holds the other Joy-Con.

Ultimately, it's a role-playing game (RPG) where one has to perform certain physical activities and then they reach different levels depending on how well they did.

At first, I thought it was a cop out to do real workout but when we tried it, I must say, it really kicked our butts.

5. Doing the chores

I clean the house (when I feel like it) i.e., vacuum, mop the floor, do the laundry, reorganize the kitchen, clean the washrooms, take the garbage and recyclables out, etc.

It's not much but if it gets me moving, then it's still helping me burn some calories.

The things I mentioned up here are what I, for the nth time, try to do every day. But if I end up not doing it some days, I don't get mad at myself. Like I said, the keyword here is "TRY".

It's totally okay to be lazy at times so give in and just relax... it's really no biggie!

I'm sure there are a lot of other things people do to try staying fit during this self-isolation bit. People are getting extremely creative nowadays too: I found out that some of my friends and family are trying out this app, TikTok, where they get to show their moves and edit the videos to make it look more creative and whatever.

My partner has already downloaded the app but we haven't given in to the temptation yet. If this goes on for a bit longer, then, maybe. Just, maybe we'll give it a try 😉.

How do you try to stay fit?