Everyone would agree by now that the last 12 months have been a tough mental and physical challenge. Where to start with? We are spending more time at home, sometimes sitting in front of the computer eight hours a day, eating more, worrying more, sleeping, and moving less.
After all, it is not everyone who has a big house with a huge backyard to join whichever exercise you may possibly think of. Some of us live in quite tiny spaces, and yes, it is tiring and we already had enough of lockdowns.
And with no gyms or sports facilities closed at this moment, our best shot is looking for a creative alternative to usual physical activities and eating as healthier as possible.
The truth is that “no body” is the same. We have different metabolism, some may be losing weight during the quarantine, and others may gain a few more pounds. And I will be honest with you. I am in the second category, trying to find effective weight management in the middle of this chaos.
The last time I have been travelling around was at the end of 2019. But it seems like decades ago. For me, that usually walk at least ten thousand steps when travelling, it seems surreal to be back on track living inside a small flat in northeast Birmingham.
But it is not just that. There is a study that suggests 22% of adults reported gaining weight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yep, you are not alone. The struggle to keep a healthier and balanced fitness routine is real. But it does not mean you do not have some alternatives to stay more active during the lockdown. Here are my best ideas to help you in the battle for effective weight loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Understand Your Body
First things first, it is highly recommended to face the idea that you may have put on weight and need to take some action now. My first step, in this case, was calculating my ideal body weight.
It seems something obvious, but we sometimes forget that our body is a complex mechanism. And we just understand this mechanism when we research it.
Fortunately, we have nowadays excellent and precise online tools to help you with this task. You can check BMI, IBW, and other tips on the best exercises for weight loss as well.
Joining Online fitness Routines
My best shot for losing weight, so far, is looking for YouTube videos on keeping my fitness during the lockdown. It is quite addictive process, to be honest.
There are so many fitness instructors, athletes, celebrities, and professionals doing a great job out there. And you can find exercise routines online tailored for people of all ages and tastes, from Zumba to taekwondo, etc.
One of my favourite ones is dancing. You can lose a lot of weight following dancing routines. I am stuck to the K-Pop fitness now. But I already enjoyed Zumba, salsa, and Brazilian cheesy music. YouTube world is your oyster. Make the most of it now!
Join Virtual Fitness Challenges
This is a recent hobby, joining walking challenges. I am notoriously known for being a person who likes walking indoors as well. Yes, you heard. I can easily manage my ten thousand steps at home, if I put a great effort into this or if I do not have too much job to be done, of course. But the game changed for good, as soon as I joined the incredible world of the conqueror challenges. What are the best home gyms?
If you are not familiar with the app, it is all about joining virtual fitness challenges to receive a real medal upon completion of them. There are a series of quite a challenge walking to join, and I already completed my first one – walking the length of the English Channels. Now, I am on my way to conquering Mt. Fuji. And you know what, I cannot stop thinking about all the medals that I can earn this year. Not to mention, that it is helping me to keep active.
Invest in Fit Apps and Smart watchers
Fitbits, the gamin, google fit, keep running – you name your favourite. Here is my ultimate tip on losing weight without investing in a gym membership. Fitbit has helped me to keep active when working from home. It is quite helpful to keep track of your daily steps and even reminds me of how many steps I should be doing each hour.
It can be a bit pricey, but it is definitely the best money spent last year since gyms are closed and we cannot receive our personal trainers at home yet. In addition to this, you can always join some free fitness apps online to help you boost your exercise routines.
There are so many ways of starting your journey on weight loss nowadays. The most important is trying to keep both, the mind, and body in a good shape too.
