- Do you exercise less (or even at all) these days due to COVID?
- Do you feel like you have no “me” time due to working from home, providing full-time daycare, etc?
- Do you want to create/implement a fitness goal/routine to stop feeling horribly both physically and mentally?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, read on…
I’ve worked from home virtually for several years now… even as a Sr. Staffing Consultant for 15 years before starting my dream business as an Organizing/Productivity Pro. As a result of being homebound, I’ve developed a lot of great fitness habits over the years. Now don’t get me wrong… I’m not a fitness expert by any means. I’m just someone who loves how much better I feel both physically and mentally when I practice a combination of cardio, strength training and yoga on a regular basis.
So why is this the topic of my August blog? For a couple of reasons:
1) I was away from home for 2 weeks last month and as a result, my routine fell through the cracks. I felt like garbage physically and as a result, I beat myself up psychologically as well. I don’t want that for you too.
2) Because I’ve spoken to a LOT of people lately. Not just clients but also family members and friends. People are so overwhelmed by COVID that they’ve spent the past few months trying to figure out how to work from home, how to have virtual meetings, how to help their kids learn virtually, etc.
When I think about them, I picture a juggler trying to keep all their balls in the air without dropping one. But what’s the one ball that gets dropped the most? Their health. Because they’re so busy taking care of everyone else first that they neglect themselves. But just remember the in-flight instructions you get when you’re in an airplane that’s about to take off… “if you’re traveling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your own mask on first, and then assist the other person.” The same holds true for your health because if you don’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of everyone else
In order to be successful, you need to be organized and develop a plan. Because if you wake up on Monday morning and decide you want to incorporate a comprehensive fitness regime into your busy days at home starting that day, chances are you won’t be as successful as you could be if you put time and energy into getting prepared in advance. Here are some basic things to do to prepare:
- Set a daily fitness goal: Is it to burn a certain number of calories, to walk a certain number of steps, etc.?
- Decide if you’ll exercise alone or with others.
- If you decide to go it alone, you may want to consider finding an accountability partner to report your success (or failure) to each week. People are typically more successful when they’re accountable to someone else besides themselves.
- Decide in advance what type of exercises you’ll do. Hint: You’ll be more successful if you choose things you enjoy doing.
- Do you have the equipment/tools you need? if not, purchase it/them first.
- Decide where you’ll exercise… outside? Inside? A combination?
- Decide when you’ll exercise. Do you prefer to work out before work, at lunch, after work or another time? Be sure to incorporate it so it makes sense with your other commitments.
- Decide how long you’ll work out.. 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes?
- Schedule it on your calendar as though it’s a critical appointment with an important client. You’re worth it!
My Favorite Tips
- I prefer to workout in the a.m. so after I wake up in the morning and have that critical cup of coffee, I have my workout clothes laid out next to the bed and I immediately change into them before I change my mind. If you have to, sleep in your workout clothes so you have NO excuse in the morning.
- Try to have a dedicated space. Even if you don’t have an extra room, designate a zone within a room to be your fitness area with all the essentials at your fingertips.
- I’m blessed to have a treadmill at home which means I have NO excuse not to use it. To encourage exercise while working, I place a board across the treadmill armrests and use it as a home for my laptop or tablet so I can work while on it.
- I love to start each morning with professional development so I’m learning something new every day. So I multitask and while on the treadmill, I listen to my preselected videos, podcasts, etc.. For example, if I watch videos that don’t require note-taking, that enables to me to run. But if there’s info I want/need to document, I’ll slow it down and walk in order to multitask.
- I have a weighted vest I wear that enables me to burn more calories by just walking.
- I also wear my Fitbit 24/7 using it to track my calorie intake, calories burned, steps, number of flights of stairs, my water intake, etc. to hold me accountable.
- My Fitbit also reminds me to take at least 250 steps/hour every hour between 6am and 6pm. That may not seem like a lot but it’s an additional minimum of 3,000 steps/day I may not have taken otherwise.
- No time for a 30 minute workout? I do short, micro workouts throughout the day. That can include jump-roping, using hand weights, ankle/wrist weights, kettlebell, kickboxing, yoga and of course, dancing up a storm to my favorite disco tunes (because as we all know, disco is NOT dead)! Even if I just burn 25 calories, they say it revs up your metabolism and torches calories for up to 24 hours after exercise.
- Want to up your game from just walking? Find a set of stairs and use those instead. It engages multiple muscles, improves balance and is an efficient, low-impact cardio workout!
- Have you tried mini resistance bands? OMG.. what an unbelievable workout! I LOVE them!
- Not sure what exercises to do? YouTube has a million free videos and yes, some that even only 5-10 minutes long!
- I have an adjustable standing desk which allows me the option to either sit or stand while working. By standing, I burn more calories.
- I walk during social phone calls. Of course, I always carry a mini notebook in case i need to jot something down. Can’t walk during a business call? Then stand instead of sit. This will also allow you to take notes if need be while burning calories.
- Do you have a traditional office chair with a back? I don’t. I use a Bosu Ball which is placed on top of an ottoman. It forces me to sit up straight and engage my core.
- Have kids? Workout together. Find something you’ll all enjoy doing. The added perk for both of you is that more physical exercise typically results in better sleep so maybe the kiddos will go to be bed early while may give you a little more of a break.
- Change your mindset about exercise. Make it fun so that you’ll look forward everyday… something you WANT to do not HAVE to do. I don’t know about you but I never procrastinate doing something I want to do.
- Don’t think you have time to exercise? Get up 30 minutes earlier. Make the time. And if you’re still thinking you don’t have the time, call me! I love helping people with Time Management and finding time hidden in their schedules they didn’t realize they had!
The Moral
So what’s the moral? You don’t need a lot of equipment or money to exercise while you’re home. But what you do need is a plan. Spend time in advance researching activities you enjoy that can be done from home and schedule them on your calendar in advance. Search for YouTube videos that you save and can quickly/easily access when you’re ready. And if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me! I’d love to help you.
“What hurts today makes you stronger tomorrow.”
Jay Cutler, (pro bodybuilder and four-time Mr. Olympia)
Brenda Tringali, CPO® (Certified Professional Organizer)
Organizing | Productivity | Speaker
At Your Fingertips Organizing
Serving Greater Myrtle Beach, SC or “virtually” anywhere via video
Cell/Text: 603.490.6062
Brenda Tringali is the owner of At Your Fingertips Organizing. She provides Speaking, Organizing & Productivity services to Workplace/Residential clients both in person in the greater Myrtle Beach, SC area & “virtually” anywhere else via video, phone, etc. Brenda is an active member of NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing professionals) and the former Chair of NAPOCares, NAPO’s Social Responsibility Committee.