Life during this quarantine, shelter in place, lockdown or whatever you want to call it, has been, to say the least, extremely strange. Avid gym goers have been shut down and left scrambling to order equipment for their homes that probably won’t even get to them before this is all over. On the other hand a huge amount of people have used this time to actually start working out for the first time or at least first time in awhile. Is it because they’re bored? Is it because they’re packing on the lbs? Is it a knee jerk reaction to some of the COVID-19 stats that say pre existing disease states are a huge factor? I don’t know, but one thing is for sure, after this is all over we are going to have to take a hard look at ourselves in the mirror and change some things. Change things as individuals and as a country. The fact of the matter is, training should not be viewed as a commodity but as a necessity. Working with a coach or attending classes shouldn’t be viewed as something for only the rich and well off, but for everyone.
In the U.S. there are over 100 million people with hypertension, 34 million people with Type II Diabetes and 10 million people with osteoporosis and a further 44 million that suffer from low bone density. Now there is a genetic component to these 3 illnesses but that doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. Better yet, you don’t have to wait until gyms open back up to start. Honestly, I think right now might be the best time to start.
Don’t know how to cook? Great, there’s this thing called youtube and there’s about a million simple and easy to follow recipes and resources to help teach you. Don’t have a home gym or any equipment? No big deal, get outside and go for a 30 minute walk everyday (or shoot me an email and I’ll help you out). Start basic and work your way up from there. You don’t have to be an expert or a top chef to train hard a few days a week and make food that doesn’t suck. It just takes a little effort. Here’s about as basic as it gets. Eat 3 meals a day that each have a fist size of protein, a handful of carbs, a handful of vegetables, a piece of fruit per day and a bunch of water. If you’re still hungry have a small snack. Don’t judge yourself, don’t try to be perfect, just start there and keep building momentum.
For exercise, go for a 10-30 minute walk (minimum) per day and lift weights 3 days a week for about an hour. If you don’t have weights, then make it a body weight workout. If you shoot for this I promise you you’ll be a whole lot better off when this is all over. Not only that, you’ll be a whole lot better off if something like this every happens again. Don’t be another statistic, don’t overthink it, just get started and don’t be afraid to ask for help. What’s the worst things that could happen?
CB Strength and Conditioning 