Staying Home and Exercising are not Mutually Exclusive

"You might not be able to see the kind of progression that you would with conventional weight training, but that doesn't mean you can't maintain the progress  you have."
"Or if  you're at a beginner level, [you can still] kickstart it."
"Chances are the first time  you do it, your form is going to need some attention to detail. Even if you change your pushup tempo from a regular one-second-up, one-second-down to one-second-up, three-seconds-down, that will drastically change the difficulty of the exercise, and can be applied to almost anything. You notice [the difference] right away."
"Body weight exercises aren't going to do a ton of central nervous system damage. [They are] not going to give you that super fatigued after-burn effect."
"Any kind of activity is going to be beneficial, even if it means just going up and down the stairs ten or twenty times to burn some calories."
"To say people need to stay home is a good thing. To say people need to stay sedentary is a huge mistake because it can contribute to [cardiovascular disease or  hypertension] and make you more susceptible [to the virus]."
Nicolas Pagnotta, personal trainer, Toronto

When the grim news of the novel coronavirus inevitable spread to Canada became evident with an increasingly large number of people being diagnosed and then deaths occurring, the realization that the country was in the grip of an infectiously greedy virus seeking hosts to replicate within and spread uncontrollably, fixed the minds of health authorities on the possibility that the health system would collapse unless strict measures were taken to convince the public to isolate themselves, to severely limit social contact.

It wasn't long before all places where people tend to socialize, to congregate, to carry on with life as normal, were forced to respond to reality, necessity and government edict. So, among other places whose services are so valuable under normal conditions to society, fitness facilities responded as they had to, both private and public by shuttering in an effort to help curb the spread of COVID-19. No one can look into the future to assay an opinion as to when life may return to the normalcy we know.

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In the interim, remaining home in isolation can lead to depression, a sense of being abandoned by the world, as loneliness sets it, when a sense of purpose, belonging and normalcy is interrupted. Add to that the lack of an urge to exercise as we languish alone and health becomes affected through the loss of our daily routines. There is a need to exercise our minds and our bodies and it should not be overlooked.

People are urged to consider a basic workout that can be accomplished in their very own homes; for the young and the fit, pushups, lunges, squats and lifting limbs in the air when lying face down on the floor, the 'superman hold'. Truth be told, people can, in effect, put together any kind of exercise routine that seems to fit the level of their physical capability taking into account age, mobility and determination. And if people have convenient access to an outdoor landscape that too can be explored. No one can underestimate the benefits to health of simply walking or cycling.

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In the absence of weights, use household objects; for the more restive and fitness-advanced, variations on a theme from workouts at fitness facilities are feasible in variations of basic exercises augmented by jumping, squats and lunges. All exercises help to reduce tension. Regardless of fitness level, exercising as many muscles in the human body as possible is important. For the middle-aged and elderly, exercise takes on just as much importance, to overall health.

And for that elderly age group to keep moving is vital, even remaining within one's own  house. Remaining sedentary for a lengthy period can exacerbate cardiovascular disease or hypertension. Anyone of any age is capable of dynamic stretching, active movements to put joints through a range of motion. The self-hug is one such simple exercise where arms are flung wide then brought together to surround the body in a close hug.

"Even just stretching will help you to feel a lot better. You're going to get sore from sitting on the couch. You have to move  your body and take your joints through their ranges of motion."
"However long this pandemic lasts, I would encourage people to get creative [with their fitness] and mix it up."

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