Fitness in the time of corona

The gym is closed, yet you may have more free time than ever before, and keeping body and mind healthy has never been more important. How are you keeping fit during the lockdown?

Because I live in California with great weather this time of year, going outside for a walk, hike, or run is always an option. My go-to is the Effie Yeaw Nature Center / Ancil Hoffman Park, a nature preserve and golf course on the American River just 10 minutes drive from my home. A loop around the park is about 3 miles on a dirt trail, and wildlife sightings are guaranteed. Black-tail deer, wild turkeys, red-shouldered hawks, acorn woodpeckers, Northern flickers, Canada geese, swallows, shorebirds, and the occasional coyote are a big part of the fun. The park was officially closed for Easter weekend as the county tried to discourage group gatherings at the popular picnic area, but it has been open and uncrowded otherwise.

I’m a member of a small local gym named Del Norte, and I’m a fan of their Les Mills group exercise programs. I miss seeing the ladies who regularly attend the same classes I do. But I can continue some of those workouts in my living room by streaming Les Mills at Home. BodyCombat and BodyAttack don’t require any special equipment, and BodyFlow is a really nice yogalates sort of workout. The app offers one example each of a wide range of their fitness classes, all with spectacular backdrops of New Zealand. If I get tired of those, I’ll start paying their subscription fee to access the entire library of workouts.

Hubby likes Orange Theory Fitness. They offer a super 1 hr daily workout through Orange Theory at Home. (To be honest I’m not sure if it is free or not; because he is a member we are already logged in.) I love the Orange Theory workout. It’s different every day, is easy to follow and scale up or down depending on how hard you want to work. The visual style is clean and appealing. The sessions consist of multiple blocks of activity with great music, so the time passes quickly.

I’d love to hear your tips and especially get your recommendations for links. I know YouTube is full of workout videos now. Have you tried one that is worth doing? I’m especially interested in some good yoga videos. Please leave a comment. If you comment elsewhere, I’ll try to copy all the comments here on my website, and on my public Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ScienceThrillers/ .

Amy Rogers, MD, PhD, is a scientist, novelist, journalist, and educator. Learn more about Amy’s science thriller novels, or download a free ebook on the scientific backstory of SARS-CoV-2 and emerging infections, at AmyRogers.com.

Do you like my science journalism? Read Science in the Neighborhood and learn, where does my tap water come from? How are mosquitoes managed? What happens after I flush? Where does my electricity come from?

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