How exercise has changed

On Thursday April 2^nd, 2020 Tennessee issued a statewide stay at home order to combat the spreading of the COVID-19 virus. Exercise, a major part of most people’s lives became hindered in the process. At home a person can remain active with a daily workout routine that is not too strenuous or time consuming.

Olivia Whitson a personal trainer of 3 years who currently works for the YMCA has provided tips to staying healthy and active while being stuck at home. “If you have yourself there is a lot that you can do, if you have yourself and a chair there are 10,000 things you can do,” said Whitson. Body-weight squats, push-ups, tricep dips, and planks are just a short number of different workouts she described that can be performed at home with no equipment except for perhaps a chair. One can even add weights to these exercises with the simple addition of things such as textbooks or even cans of soup.

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Exercise has many benefits that can help an individual especially in these trying times. With depression effecting roughly 9.5% each year this can be curbed by the simple act of exercising. A person that is stuck in their home is more susceptible to depressive thoughts and ideas which make regular exercise more imperative in this day and climate.

In a study conducted by Dr. Lynette L. Craft and Dr. Frank M. Perna, they found a decreased level of depression in individuals who worked out frequently. “Data regarding the positive mood effects of exercise involvement, independent of fitness gains, suggest that the focus should be on frequency of exercise rather than duration or intensity until the behavior has been well established,” stated Dr.Craft and Dr. Perna.

With exercise comes another important component to staying healthy and that is nutrition. While Whitson is not a professional nutritionist, she does offer her opinion that the simple act of tracking your calories is a great way to monitor what you are consuming. This can be done with the installation of the free phone application known as MyFitnessPal. Even if you are an avid gym goer the amount that you put in can’t be completely balanced with just at home exercises. “No matter how much you put in, monitoring your body everyday is going to help you stay or maintain, than if you are just eating whatever” said Whitson. If you record what you eat you are less likely to overindulge in food and keep on track.

One way to stay active at home in a fun and innovated way is by playing the video game Ringfit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch video game console. In the game you put one controller into a strap that goes around your upper thigh and the other into a fitness ring. You use a series of different exercises to progress and beat the dreaded Dragaux. The goal is to save the world from this bodybuilding dragon overlord who threatens the world.

When I showed Whitson an overview video of the game she stated, “Overall I think it’s a great application that makes exercise easy to understand and fun! I love that it incorporates movements from basic body weight movements to balance with the yoga component as well.”

Overall there are plenty of ways to stay healthy during this quarantine and benefitting your mental health during this time. “30 minutes a day, especially right now,” said Whitson “you will see something in 30 minutes a day if you’re consistent, the biggest thing is being consistent.”