You may have been working from home for the past week, and with many restrictions being put in place amid Coronavirus lockdown including gyms, many are left to find alternative ways to keep fit.
Hundreds of thousands of people are missing their daily routine of going to work then the gym or vice versa, and working from home can be a struggle to get motivated to do exercise or get out of the house. Especially if your morning commute is from the bed to your couch/kitchen table.
Whether you go to the gym to stay healthy, train for a triathlon, your holiday body, or are a competitive athlete, there is something that everyone can do at home to help us stay fit and healthy. Optimise your day by enabling you to get more than one exercise activity in a day. By doing a home workout in your living room or garden you can utilise going out for a walk or bike ride early/later on that day. Enabling you to gain fresh air, and some good old sunshine boosting your vitamin D.
Here are the top free workout apps and opportunities happening on a daily basis.
free workout apps
Nike Training Club - App
The Nike Run Club app has the tools you need to run better keeping up your fitness outside of the gym. The app itself includes GPS run tracking; audio-guided runs; weekly, monthly and custom distance challenges; customized coaching plans for your goals; and nonstop motivation from your friends.
Freeletics - App.
If you are dedicated to keeping fit and healthy and motivated to get your workout wherever and whenever APP Freeletics could be for you. Freeletics is a HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout based app, which you can do in any space the size of your body.
social Media workouts.
It would take you less than two minutes to find home workout routines by the thousands of fitness enthusiasts who are sharing their own home workouts whilst in the lockdown time frame.
healthy eating tips whilst working from home.
Eating is 80% of being in shape and it's very difficult to out-train a bad diet. When you are working from home there are a lot easier access and fewer steps to access food from the fridge. It is a great idea to try to have meals prepared where you can. This can help you keep on track if you are dieting, the last thing you want to do is waste food - especially in the current situation in the supermarkets.
Whilst working from home you will be moving less in general, you don’t have as many steps going from meeting to meeting or going and making a coffee from the work kitchen or canteen. With this in mind it is an idea to lower your food amounts by 10-15% this will help you not gain excess weight whilst your daily energy output will be lower. An idea could be to lower carbohydrates, why carbs?
Carbohydrates are the basis of our favourite snacks: sandwiches, crisps, chocolate bars and sweets along with many more of our go-to snack foods. This food group is super easy to over-consume and will make you feel sluggish and sleepy, not what you want when working from home when the sofa or bed only steps away for a tactical nap. A great way to track your food on the go is by using the MyFitnessPal app.
healthy foods to increase mental focus.
blueberries.
blueberries boost “concentration and memory” for up to five hours because “the antioxidants in blueberries stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to [your] brain – and keep the mind fresh”.
green tea.
Green tea helps you focus for two reasons: one, it contains caffeine, and two, it contains L-Theanine. L-theanine is an ingredient that’s been shown to increase alpha-wave activity, which increases tranquillity and releases caffeine more slowly, instead of all at once, which can lead to you crashing.
avocados.
Every organ in the body depends on blood flow, especially the heart and brain, and avocados [enhance] blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells
leafy green vegetables.
Leafy green vegetables are full of antioxidants and carotenoids, which boost your brain power and help protect your brain. Leafy green vegetables are also full of B-vitamins, which are “proven to help your memory, focus, and overall brain health and power”
fatty fish.
Fatty/oily fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which aid memory, mental performance and behavioural function. People who are deficient in omega-3s are more likely to have poor memory, mood swings, depression and fatigue.
water.
If you want to improve your focus, you need to drink enough water. Water gives the brain the electrical energy for all brain functions, including thought and memory processes, and it has been proven to help you think faster, be more focused, and experience greater clarity and creativity.
dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate (dark chocolate, not the sugary, milky kind) can help you focus for a number of reasons. First, it contains a small amount of caffeine, which has been proven to heighten mental alertness. Dark chocolate contains magnesium, which helps you de-stress, and it also stimulates the release of endorphins and serotonin, which make you feel good and heighten your mood.
Who knows how long we will be in lockdown but staying active is key to not only health, and fitness but also mental health. Be as active as you can within your home and make sure you take up on the opportunity from the government to go outside and exercise once a day. It will do you the world of good.
