Three tips for at-home workouts

We are perhaps in the most unique situation the entire world has ever seen and it has us left with a dizzying array of emotions: confusion, anger, disappointment, etc. Sports have been cancelled, people are working from home and one thing we all seem to be asking is, “When will everything go back to normal?”

Let me stop you right there, instead of focusing on the unknown, it is time to start focusing on what we can do with the time we have been given. For athletes who still want to put in work at home, it is not difficult and can be quite fun. Since I live in an apartment building, practicing stick handling drills is not going to please my neighbors, I have come up with a few tips for how I have been managing my at-home workouts.

APPS

I am certainly not a fitness trainer, nor do I have any specific workouts I carefully plan for myself. I simply target muscle groups and find workouts in my two favorite apps to help guide my training.

The Nike Training Club App is excellent because it offers a variety of workouts that range from routines with or without weights, intensity levels and fitness levels. This is my go-to app for yoga routines—they are helpful and great for beginners.

Another app I enjoy using is FitBod. It’ll be great for you if you want a more personalized workout and it offers alternative exercises if you do not have equipment.

The apps are currently offering free premium access, so take advantage of those deals! Both are easy to set up and download to your mobile device.

KEEP A SCHEDULE

With all of the extra time, I find it can be very easy to overdo workouts, which leads to possible injury. In order to prevent injury and train effectively, I keep a simple schedule of workouts three days a week. Given that I am not training for anything specifically, three days a week is enough to keep me moving and an excellent way to maintain my fitness level. During days when I am not doing a focused workout, I try to at least stay active by going for a walk or a slight jog.

CARDIO

Cardio: some hate it, some love it. I am always up for some cardio. During the hockey season, I mainly get my cardio fix during practices and games. Now that the season is over, I am doing a few different things to maintain my cardio. One of my favorite cardio routines is doing an intense session of Zumba. I LOVE Zumba and thankfully, the Nintendo Switch has a Zumba “game” you can download where it features a variety of songs and routines. I get to stay indoors and dance my heart out while getting a good sweat in.

For those who do not have a Nintendo Switch, there are a few great videos of Zumba routines on Youtube. Also, my former teacher is hosting Zoom virtual Zumba classes—they meet on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm EST and Saturdays at 4pm EST. To join, the meeting ID for Zoom is: 738 829 5950.

These are a few tips that have helped me so far while being at home and if this works for you great, if not that’s okay too! There are no wrong answers, as long as you are staying as active as you physically can, that’s what is important. For me, working out is my escape and helps to keep my mind off of the outside world for a short time. So go on, get your body moving!