Ease into a fitness routine
You can't go from couch potato to gym rat now that shutdown regulations have eased and gyms have reopened.
Getting back into an exercise routine isn't a matter of putting down the potato chips and picking up a kettlebell, according to Jacquelyn Dickey, personal trainer and certified health coach at the Butler YMCA.
“I definitely think the most important things people can do are to start very gradually, to set reasonable expectations for themselves because their bodies won't be the same as they were three to four months ago, to be patient, and to be nice to themselves as they get back into a groove,” said Dickey.
“Negativity and frustration really set people back. If they're worried about sticking with it, they should find some accountability — through a workout buddy or a personal trainer,” she added.
<h3>Ease back in</h3>Evonne Patterson, healthy living coordinator at the Butler YMCA also recommends people restarting their exercise routines start out slow.“You should do at least 30 minutes of cardio starting out and then ease back into strength machines that assist you through the movement without overdoing it,” Patterson said.Cardiovascular exercises include elliptical machines, stair climbers, running and swimming.Cardio exercise is anything that increases your heart rate and respiration, Patterson said.“It is recommended that you get 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a week, minimum,” she said.“For just starting/easing back into things that would be 30 minutes five days a week of moderate intensity, where you can carry on a conversation but be slightly breathy,” she said.“If that is too much you could break it up into 10-minute bursts three times a day, and add five minutes more a week until you are able to do 30 minutes straight,” Patterson said.Strength machines are designed to work a single muscle or muscle group at once such as a leg press or seated abs crunch machine.The key, Patterson said, is to ease back into your fitness routine. Reduce the amount of weight used and increase the number of repetitions for a week or two.Of course, going to the gym will be much different from the way it was in the spring. Dickey said people should make sure the gym they use is following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.In the gym, users should wear masks when appropriate, keep a distance from other exercisers, and clean every piece of equipment both before and after using.
<h3>Outdoor exercise</h3>For those still leery of risking COVID-19 exposure by going to a gym, there's plenty of outdoor exercises that can give you a good workout, said Jeffrey Smith, assistant professor of outdoor adventure education in Slippery Rock University's Physical and Health Education Department.For example, Smith noted that bicycle sales have increased across the country.“From my personal observations, people are now walking more. There are entire families out walking,” Smith said.“There are more people in the parks than I have ever seen before,” he said. “It's overwhelming having to share the place with people.”Alameda Park in Butler Township has a mountain bike trail, he said, for those who want to take their bicycles off the road over rough terrain.Moraine State Park in Muddy Creek Township has a well-known and quite difficult mountain bike trail, Smith said.In fact, there are miles and miles of trails at Alameda and Moraine for those wanting to be in the woods and off the roadsIn addition to walking, running and bicycling, parks such as Moraine and McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County, offer exercisers the chance to kayak and paddle board.Smith recommended a stand-up paddle board as an excellent exercise to engage your balance and strengthen core muscles.Lots of outdoor activities such as trail running and paddle boarding have been increasing in popularity, he said.Paddle boarding is growing in popularity said Ian Smith of SurfSUP Adventures which run paddle board tours at Moraine State Park.“This is our 10th year in business,” Ian Smith said, “and I've seen it grow every year. It's very inclusive.”SurfSUP Adventures offers paddle board eco tours of Lake Arthur, yoga instruction on the water atop paddle boards and after-dark paddle board excursions.Even something as sedate as disc golf has been proven to be a great stress reliever.Dickey said walking is the number one exercise that just about everyone can do, and it requires nothing but a good pair of shoes, as well as staying hydrated during this recent spate of 90-degree weather.
It doesn't so much matter what you are doing in the outdoors but just the fact that you are in a park or outdoor setting proves beneficial, experts say.“There's emerging research on the benefits of physical activity in the outdoors,” Jeffrey Smith said. “Just being outdoors in green space has positive attributes.”<h3>In house options</h3>If you want to avoid both the gyms and the outdoors, you still have options, according to Dickey.“I personally work out at home and/or outside a lot and even before the pandemic, I specialized in workouts that clients can do at home or on vacation. With really simple equipment, people can get a super effective workout,” Dickey said.Dumbbells, resistance bands, TRX straps, stability balls and medicine balls are all great options, she added.“The Y offers virtual classes to train to and follow along,” Patterson said.Jeffrey Smith said do-it-yourself gyms in garages and basements have become more numerous in this pandemic year.“People can use dumbbells and do sit-ups and push-ups,” he said.These home gyms are emblematic of more people embracing functional fitness, he said.Functional fitness exercises are designed to train and develop muscles to make it easier and safer to perform everyday activities, such as carrying groceries.Functional fitness exercises also emphasize core stability.“You are stressing muscles to strengthen them,” Jeffrey Smith said. “It lends itself to home gyms rather than the outdoor aspect.
