Staying Active While Maintaining Social Distancing
by Taylor Rock, DPT
AzOPT Goodyear Physical Therapist
COVID-19 is causing major disruptions to all areas of life and currently presents a serious threat to our health. We support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for staying safe and avoiding unnecessary exposure – staying home to self-isolate and maintaining social distancing when out in public.
However, maintaining social distancing doesn’t mean that your physical activity and daily workout routine needs to stop just because gyms are closed. It can be easy during this time to binge watch a new series on Netflix and just push everything else aside. Regular exercise and physical activity are needed to maintain and improve overall health and well-being, especially during these stressful and uncertain times.
There are many ways to be creative and stay active at home. Start by utilizing body weight exercises such as:
- Lunges
- Squats
- Push ups
- Planks
- Bridges
- Calf raises
- Mountain climbers
Try using a deck of playing cards and assign an exercise to each number or suit. Then go through the deck for a circuit workout. For an example, check out this video created by Buckeye PT Genevieve.
Another way to stay active is to participate in an at home guided workout. There are hundreds of free channels on YouTube, other fitness apps, and live streaming on social media. FaceTime with friends to interact and stay motivated by making exercise more fun.
If you are looking for a workout for stretching or just to get moving, yoga can be a great workout. There are specific workouts for flexibility, strengthening and overall relaxation. I follow “Yoga with Adrienne” on YouTube. She is good about slowing down and walking you through each pose, especially good for beginners.
One way to keep the entire family active is to get outside and enjoy the weather by walking, running, or biking, while maintaining social distancing and taking necessary precautions.
Be sure to continue checking out our social media @AzOPTTherapy on Facebook and Instagram, as well as our website, for additional stretches and exercises.
