If lockdown has left you feeling softer around the middle, you’re not alone. Almost 40 per cent of Australians feel they’ve put weight on during lockdown, according to a CSIRO study, with over 60 per cent snacking more, and close to half doing less physical activity.
While it’s easy to fall into a lockdown rut, fitness guru Michelle Bridges says it’s prime time to realise that our diet and exercise routine are among the few things we can control in the chaos of the pandemic. “Lockdown can be a time of reinvention – a time to lay down new habits, routines and rituals,” she says.
Re-write your routine
A healthy lockdown routine starts with keeping your weekday alarm set, and resisting the temptation to roll out of bed just in time to log on for work. Bridges suggests starting the day by putting your workout gear on, and using the time you’d otherwise spend commuting, to exercise.
To account for the lack of incidental exercise while working from home, set timers on your phone to prompt mini workouts throughout the day, she adds, and, where possible, walk during phone meetings, either outside or on a treadmill. “Remind yourself to get away from the desk every now and then, even if it’s for five minutes to do a stretch, or to go outside and kick the ball around with the kids for 10 minutes,” she says.
Tummy trimming
To bust that lockdown baking belly, it’s hard to beat simple, old-school exercises. “Push ups have stood the test of time for a reason,” Bridges says. “They work so many parts of your body, including the stomach. You can start pushing up against a wall, then work your way down to a tabletop, on your knees and then onto your toes,” she says. “Throw them in between meetings, or when you take a coffee break. If you fit things into little pockets of time, you’re more likely to do them.”
Squats are another good go-to exercise, working the abdominals and lower body. “If in doubt, squat,” Bridges says. “They work the biggest muscle in your body so can get your blood pumping and also become a cardiovascular exercise as well.” Add a few minute of planking to give your abdominals a triple-treat. “Planks are great for a strong core, which also means better balance, posture and back support,” Bridges says.
Home gym
If you’re missing the gym, it’s time to get creative. Water bottles, magazines, a backpack or even a child can replicate the effects of common gym equipment. For a makeshift climbing machine, Bridges suggests putting your feet on two magazines (ideally on carpet) with your hands on the floor, and pushing your legs back and forth in a climbing motion. Wearing a backpack filled with books can add extra resistance when doing stair runs, and also amps up your squats and lunges, while water bottles filled with sand or rice will do the job of hand weights.
For a core workout, try lying on the floor, clamping cushions between your feet as you move your bent legs in a windscreen-wiper pattern from side to side, as well as straight out and in. “You can also do a high plank, and reach your arm under your body to move a cushion from left to right,” Bridges says.
Her five year-old son, Axel, also gets in on the action: “Sometimes I put him on my back and march up and down the driveway, or do squats with my hands under his armpits, lifting him up and down. He thinks it’s hilarious.”
Make it social
Exercising as a family, running a household push-up challenge or doing synchronised workouts with friends will help make lockdown exercise fun, and keep you committed. “Make it a family challenge, tallying up your daily push-ups on the fridge, to see who gets the most, or running a skipping count, of who can do the most skips uninterrupted,” Bridges says. “Guys might do FaceTime training with their mates, or set daily push-up challenges.”
Mind the portions
Being inspired to take up home cooking during lockdown needn’t be a weightloss threat, provided you make the right choices. “Home cooking is a way to get a handle on your own nutrition,” Bridges says. Whether your problem area is your tummy, thighs or elsewhere, the dietary advice is the same: “Eat more of the things that come out of the ground and off a tree, and less that come out of a box,” Bridges says. Aim towards filling half your plate with leafy greens, a quarter with good fats like avocado, and the rest with lean protein like legumes or lean meats. “Be aware of your portion size and be conscious of your snacks, if you’re going in and out of the kitchen,” she adds.
Ask the experts
Online workouts and fitness programs has flourished during the pandemic, and having extra time up your sleeve during lockdown could be the perfect opportunity to try something new. Even if your goal is weight loss-related, Bridges says there’s far more to be gained from making positive lifestyle choices. “It gives you back your reins to your own life, a sense of self-confidence and self-worth,” she says. “The weight loss, fitness, flexibility and strength are just by-products.”
Her health and fitness program, the 12-week Body Transformation, commences on the first Monday of each month. The next round will kick off on September 6. 12wbt.com
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