ROCHESTER, Minn. ― Home workouts have become popular again as people stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can hop on a bike, perform some yoga, jump rope or follow fitness trainers who lead workouts online.
“People have been trying to find normalcy,” says a performance coach Mayo Clinic Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Rochester. “During times of stress, structure is key. Give back to yourself through movement, nourishment and exercise.”
Our coaches encourage you to take a thoughtful, progressive approach to exercise so your sessions don’t just become a string of random workouts. Success needs a road map.
These tips help reach your goals and keep momentum in your workouts:
- Stack your habits.
For example, if the kids are up at 6:30 a.m. each morning, get in a 30-minute workout before they’re up. If your work team has a daily conference call at noon, set some goals that you want to accomplish right before, during or after that call. Perhaps you aim to finish your glass of water by the time the meeting is over. - Have a defined space for your workout session.
Not everyone has a separate room to dedicate to a home gym. Consider creating a space in the basement or your garage. - Tailor the workout to your abilities.
You may be new to exercise. Or you may be coming back after recovering from injury. Or you may be an elite athlete. Choose workouts suited to your situation. - Rely on a knowledgeable expert.
This will help take the guesswork out of your fitness and wellness program. Mayo Clinic Orthopedics and Sports Medicine have performance programs that incorporate strength training and wellness tips for all ages and abilities. - Rethink what success means.
Before the pandemic, you might have judged yourself by how much weight you lifted or meters you rowed. Now your goal could be creating new fitness habits in this new environment.
“To create a habit that you’ll be successful at, it needs to be easy, obvious and something you’ll enjoy,” notes our performance expert.
