How to Stay Active at Home

Hi friends! Long time no see (quite literally these days). We all know what's going on in the world right now, so I don't feel the need to talk about it much here. With all of us being asked to stay home and gyms closed, it's easy for us to become couch potatoes; however, I choose to see this as an opportunity for creativity exploring new movement with our extra free time. We all have our favorite activities and workouts, and we might not have access to those right now, so I've come up with a list of different activities you can try while social distancing! Get your booty off the couch and stay active while we all await our return to the things we love (like goat yoga, deadlifting, and rock climbing!)

1. Go for a walk or run! - How many times have you thought about doing one of those "couch to 5k" guides and told yourself you didn't have enough time? Well Guess what: you have the time now! Every day I walk my dogs about 2 miles around my neighborhood, making sure to keep far away from any other person I may see. Fresh air, sunshine, and movement are great for you, so as long as it's still allowed, get outside! Many parks are still open, I just kindly ask that you make sure to maintain an absolute minimum of 6ft between yourself and any other people out and about.

2. Have a dance party of 1 - or maybe more than 1 if you don't live alone. Throw on your favorite song and dance around your house like no one's watching! you'll be surprised how good you feel and you're off the couch and moving your body!

3. Do a body weight circuit - I'm not going to write you a workout here because so many people on social media have already done just that! Check out Instagram where I promise local trainers and gyms have posted some body weight workouts for you! These workouts are perfect if you haven't been to a gym in a long time or even if you're a seasoned lifter (switch things up my dude). I prefer to do workouts like this first thing in the morning after I walk my dogs.

4. Online Yoga Class - Currently my favorite! Never done yoga? cool! Now you can try a class from the comfort of your own home without feeling the pressure of trying to keep up. Seasoned Yogi? Get ready for some fun. Most studios are offering online classes at prices similar to their in person classes, or for a donation. (For my Tallahassee people, Journeys in Yoga is doing this!) Try a class that normally doesn't fit into your schedule or even try a class at a studio in a different city or state that you've always been curious about. Or you could always facetime a friend and create your own class!

5. Deck of cards workout - You probably have a deck of cards sitting around somewhere that you don't even remember buying. Go ahead and dig those out. Pick 4 exercises (ex: squats, burpees, pushups, sit ups) and then assign each to a suit. From there shuffle the deck and pick up the top card, the suit represents the exercise you will do and the number is how many reps (I personally do all face cards=11 and Ace=1). Once you finish your exercise, pick up the next card and repeat.

6. Play with your pets/kids - I don't have kids but I have 2 BIG dogs, and playing with them is always exhausting for both me and them. Play fetch or tug of war with your dogs, play whatever crazy games your kids make up. It's not only going to get you moving, but it's good for them and sure to make all of you happier!

7. Challenge your friends to a virtual workout competition - Who can get the most steps in a week? Who can stick to their workout program? Who can work up to the longest plank? My climbing partner Liz and I are currently in a competition to see who can get the most pull ups by the end of social distancing. It doesn't necessarily have to be a competition, you can design a workout program and facetime while you do it together. Having friends to challenge you keeps things interesting, keeps you active, and keeps you engaged with the people you care about while not being able to see them.

8. @ climbers: Hang board - Okay I had to make sure this one was on here for all of my climber friends. You all better hang board at least a LITTLE BIT during our extended time away from climbing, be responsible and stay strong.

Did I miss any of your favorite at-home activities? If so, let me know! Hope you try some of these and maybe discover something new that you enjoy! I'm off to play with my pups so I'll leave you with a picture of my tug-of-war champion: