Working and feeling together while apart can be a difficult dance.
Particularly for those used to breaking a sweat in group workout situations now thrust into social isolation and quarantine.
“It is challenging definitely because we’re at home and we don’t have a lot of the equipment, especially if we go out to the gyms,” said Okotoks personal trainer Tabitha Thiessen. “I find in my experience because I do a lot of group training, it’s the accountability and the motivation of having others next to you.
“So virtual training is a huge thing right now, jumping online and doing any type of zoom training with local trainers, especially around the Foothills area, there are a couple of really great resources.”
Thiessen listed the Fitness in the Foothills Facebook page as one such example, an online community featuring schedules of virtual classes.
“If you feel like the motivation and the accountability it’s finding an accountability that’s huge and being able to share photos or what you did,” said Thiessen. “Find a group online and keep accountable there.
“I encourage people who want to have that mental health and that endorphin fix to move their body for 30 minutes in a day and get that heartrate up to peak for five to seven minutes of the 30-minute window and that will kick in and rev up into that high anaerobic state which is what your heart and your cardio needs.
“To get that blood flowing and that mental clarity, those happy hormones released in the brain. And that’s super important even beyond trying to lose weight and trying to keep the pounds off, it’s that mental clarity right now.”
Thiessen noted home fitness is one thing we can control right now and it’s important to remember that and not get bogged down in what’s beyond our control in a time of uncertainty.
“Find small things that you can do, even something like making sure you’re drinking enough water, making sure you’re getting three, four litres of water a day,” she said. “Focusing on those small victories, those small successes so you don’t feel defeated when you’re not able to go to the gym or you’re not necessarily following a meal plan or a nutrition plan.
“Focusing on the small wins helps mentally, too, and it motivates you to keep going.”
Thiessen, a mother of three children, said carving out a little bit of time to work on yourself is vital as well.
“We’re so busy trying to fit in working at home, fit in teaching the kids their school lessons from home,” she said. “But to be able to schedule in a time for yourself, be it just to sit and drink your coffee and meditate and rest and just let your mind be at peace and focus on the gratitude we do have, that we are healthy, that we are able to move our bodies even if it looks a little bit different right now.
“It’s super helpful for stress relief.”
Thiessen, a coach at Orange Theory Fitness Okotoks, developed and launched her Fitness Food Freedom program (fitnesfoodfreedom.com) earlier this year catered to those who can’t get out of the house and go to gym setting.
The website features a number of resources including an app, which offers training tips, exercise videos and allows Thiessen as the trainer to go in and track individual’s progress.
On the website, Thiessen is offering a 14-day free challenge on the app for those who haven’t worked with her before.
“It’s a great little hub for accountability and support as well,” she said. “We can message back and forth and they can receive motivation from other members that are working out as well or just encouragement and motivation from me as a their coach.
“We’ve come a long way in the fitness industry, there’s a ton of virtual options out there and very cost-effective as well.
“You don’t need a gym membership to stay fit, you need accountability and motivation and just the right resources for your information.”
One more thing to remember is this social isolation period is temporary, Thiessen added.
“We feel like we’re stuck in this place that’s going to last forever, but anything we do now, any tiny little action is going to compound into a big result,” she said. “And we will get through this together and the more mental clarity, happy endorphins we can inject into ourselves, the better our whole well-being will be and it will impact our community for the greater good.”
