Coronavirus Restrictions: how do people stay active during lockdown?

Recent responses on our Instagram page highlights what people have been doing to stay physically active during the lockdown.

▲Woman exercising in her living space. Photograph: Pexels

A new variant of COVID-19 has emerged and affected many people's overall wellbeing. Due to that, the government is imposing new restrictions that require people to remain at home for a certain period of time. In many countries, gyms and other places where individuals are physically active, remain temporarily closed. As a result, people are engaging in a variety of activities to stay fit and healthy.

Our reader's responses:

18 respondents said that online classes, standing up, walking and meditation are their top tips to remain active during quarantine. These recommendations can be achieved at home, with no special equipment and limited space. They can also help people in a variety of ways as follows:

Online classes

Attending exercise classes is the first step that people suggested and for a good reason. Exercise boosts the immune system and may help people avoid serious health issues including heart disease, stroke and depression, by releasing feel-good chemicals like serotonin and endorphins in the brain. There are free exercise tutorials on YouTube where people can watch and learn anytime they want. Mr Motivator– whose real name is Derrick Evans, a British fitness instructor and a motivational speaker, shares his daily workouts and fitness tips to his viewers to encourage people and help them become more fit and energetic. Another survey has been conducted to find out if people will continue doing their recommended tips once the lockdown is over. The results showed that 96.3% of respondents would no longer exercise at home once gyms are open again.

According to the WHO, adults should do moderate-intensity aerobic physical exercise for at least 150–300 minutes or do vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for 75–150, or a combination of both throughout the week. People aged 65 years and above should do a variety of multi-component physical activity at a moderate or higher intensity, on three or more days a week to improve their body function and structure. Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the World Health Organisation says:

Every move counts, especially now as we manage the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. We must all move every day — safely and creatively.

Standing up

Secondly, standing up is another way people mentioned to help them stay physically active at home. This helps improve their brain function and can help them build a stronger core. It is important to reduce sedentary time by standing up whenever possible. Ideally, individuals should aim to interrupt sitting every 30 minutes and continue to work or study while standing for at least five minutes. This can also help the muscles stretch out and can improve energy level too. During sedentary leisure time, people are advised to prioritise cognitively stimulating activities, such as reading, writing, drawing and board games. The survey discovered that around 66% of people will keep taking continuous breaks from sitting after the UK eases out of lockdown, and the remaining 33% said that they will not continue with taking breaks.

Walking

Some people chose walking as their physical exercise routine during lockdown because it is good for the body and entertaining at the same time. Outdoor exercises such as walking around- following social distancing guidelines will help individuals remain active. Additionally, there are many health benefits for walking, such as improving high blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease, making the bones stronger and preventing stress and depression. People are advised to walk for 30 minutes every day to get the health benefits. NHS has more walking tips before you start. The survey showed that around 81% of people are more likely to continue walking after the lockdown is lifted, and only 18% of them would not carry on walking as a physical exercise.

Meditation

The current lockdown can cause immense stress and affect people's mental health. Physical activity and relaxation techniques are valuable tools to help people stay calm and protect their health during this time. An example of such a technique that people suggest is meditation, as it helps individuals manage their breathing and thoughts so they are more focused and active throughout the day. You can practise meditation by sitting on a chair or the floor with your legs crossed, your back straight, the eyes are closed and then relax the body and deepen the breath for 10-20 minutes. Headspace provides information on more types of meditations and techniques. The survey found that around 55% of people are less likely to carry on meditating when the lockdown is over, and 44% said they would keep exercising meditation.

The aforementioned 4 tips on how to remain active and improve your physical wellbeing, are the top activities which the general public have found to be helpful and keep them motivated to stay fit. Given the current global situation and the pandemic forcing most countries into full lockdown, people are spending the majority of their time at home. Therefore, it is crucial that we all try to remain active in order to prevent diseases such as heart problems and respiratory diseases, and strive to be healthier by doing some of the simple activities mentioned above. The NHS provides further Fitness exercise videos for a better physical lifestyle.