Being home doesn't mean staying still! It's important to keep your body active and moving as much as possible; read to see why, and find the companies trying to help.
Why is staying active and healthy more important now than ever? It is easy to stay inside and sit in bed doing work, but it can be increasingly unhealthy(mentally and physically) to do so. The CDC recommends especially for kids and teens to get at least 60 minutes of exercise a day.
Studies have also been done that show a connection between isolation and depression. Herbolsheimer, F., Ungar, N., & Peter, R. (2018) found that being physically active outside of the home could mitigate depressive symptoms, but separation from friends and family decreased how often people were physically active. This study only tested adults, but in a time of forced separation, it supports the importance of activate living. Furthermore, the study found no connection to indoor activity, so try to get out every day the weather allows.
For more information on the importance of being outside, see our earlier post "SUNSHINE"
Below are some companies offering their exercise services for free, and some ideas on what to do to involve the whole family!
The YMCA is offering free online classes on their website, in addition to their YouTube videos with more workouts.
EDGE Fitness is doing something similar on their Facebook by posting free classes that you can log into live or watch back.
Core Power Yoga is streaming free online classes daily on its website.
Peloton was offering a free 90-day free trial of their app for people signing up as well. Their website says it only applies to those who signed up before April 30, but this may be extended as quarantine extends. Otherwise, there is a $12.99 monthly fee for their workout videos.
For more companies now offering free trials and free workout videos, this c|net article has more detailed descriptions of the range of options you have.
For parents, companies and people like Claudine Cooper have a variety of kid and family-oriented workout videos, this LA Parent article has them all listed.
Finally, this website has a long list of games and ways to help kids exercise in and outside of the home. Some of their ideas you may not have thought of yet include staging a scavenger hunt or obstacle course. These can be done inside or outside, simply with household items and imagination. Other ideas could be dance contests and races to keep kids motivated as well.
Source:
Herbolsheimer, F., Ungar, N., & Peter, R. (2018). Why is social isolation among older adults associated with depressive symptoms? The mediating role of out-of-home physical activity. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 25(6), 649–657. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-018-9752-x