Why it’s so important to keep moving in lockdown

As we get into this second national lockdown in England it’s more important than ever to keep moving. Physical activity and exercise helps strengthen our physical and mental health in so many ways. Including reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and certain forms of cancer to boosting our mood, self-esteem, creativity and self-perception. It is also a very effective tool in tackling anxiety and reducing the chances of developing depression.

Exercise helps fight respiratory diseases like Covid-19

But did you know that exercise can also help protect against Covid-19 and other respiratory diseases? There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that physical activity and exercise strengthens the immune system. This is especially important at the moment as we fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his recent podcast titled “the surprising truth about exercise” with Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology Daniel Lieberman, discusses this very topic. He notes that being physically fit and active regulates key components of the immune system to produce more cells which attack viruses in the body. Not only are more of these “killer cells” produced but the body can deploy them to areas of the body which need them to attack viruses. People who are more physically active and fit therefore have more antibodies and a healthier response to vaccines. Professor Lieberman has said that one of the most effective ways of protecting yourself against Covid-19 is to exercise regularly.

So how can we keep moving?

It’s naturally harder to motivate ourselves to workout when it’s cold and dark outside. It’s particularly tough as gyms, swimming pools and other fitness facilities are are closed for the time being. There are however lots of other forms of physical activity that are still available to us during this time.

Here are some ideas:

1. Get an exercise buddy:

Thankfully the rules allow meeting one other person outside which means you can get yourself an exercise buddy. Find someone local who you know and arrange to go for a walk or a run with them at a regular time each week. You don’t have to do loads, in fact, it’s always advisable to start small and build up to more as you go.

There’s clear evidence to show that exercising with another person helps to sustain motivation and commitment. Working out with another person is also sociable and therefore likely to be more fun. You are less likely to bail out of your session if you have made a firm and regular commitment to go with the other person. They will also gain from having your encouragement and motivation and you can keep each other going if you get stuck.

2. Dance around your living room

Put your favourite songs on and have a 10 minute boogey around your living room! This is a great thing you can do with kids and other family members to have some fun. You can also burn lots of calories by doing this whilst getting your heart rate up. I am sure you’ll find it will also enhance your mood.

As expert Kelly McGonigal talks about in her book The Joy of Movement, music energises and empowers and connects us to others. Why not try this at the end of a long day sat at your computer (if you are working from home at the moment)?

3. Get out for a daily walk

Pick a time each day and get out for a walk. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes. A good time is first thing in the morning or after lunch.

You’ll get the benefits of being outside combined with being physically active and it’s pretty much guaranteed to make you feel better.

4. Try some online workouts

There are hundreds of great online workouts, classes and YouTube exercise videos to try and most of them don’t require any specialist equipment. Some of my favourites are:

Kitchen Dancing – fun dance/fitness classes to 80s, 90s and noughties music, in a disco setting, from the comfort of your own home.
The Fitness Marshall: a fun and whacky fitness solution with Caleb Marshall taking you through dance routines to pop hits.
Personal Trainer Dave Weston does an 11am boxercise workout every Saturday morning for free! Follow him on Instagram for details.
Yoga: Great for the body and the mind: There are lots of online yoga tutors including Yoga with Adriene and most yoga studios are doing streamed classes.
The Body Coach TV: Joe Wicks The Body Coach has over 250 free workouts and he’s also doing regular live streams of his workouts
Our Parks as fitness in the Parks isn’t available at the moment the Our Parks initiative have lots of free virtual classes to try!

5. Build exercise around your day

In one of my recent blogposts I talked about how succesful behaviour change starts small by anchoring to existing habits. Here are some ideas to build small habits which if successful are likely to grow:

Do two squats every time you boil the kettle
Tricep dip on your bath every time you go to the toilet
After you brush your teeth do 2 press ups
Do 5 pelvic floor exercises every time you are sitting in a virtual meeting/zoom call
When you turn the shower on do two lunges as you are waiting for the water to heat up
After you get out of bed in the morning do two minutes of meditation or breathing exercises