The emergence of coronavirus Covid-19 and it’s global spread has impacted our lives in a dramatic fashion, meaning that maintaining our usual routines is impossible. It’s times like this that what is really important comes into focus: the people we love, the basic essentials, and the health of our body and mind. While the current situation brings a lot of distractions, barriers and difficulties, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to make progress toward your health and fitness goals. Matthew Leeb of UP Fitness shares his top tips to assist in working toward your fitness goals during these turbulent times.
Remind yourself of your “why”
Remind yourself of the underlying motivation for starting your transformation journey, to reinvigorate a sense of purpose and help you to prioritise the continuation of progress. If you are just starting out, use SMART goal setting to guide you. SMART stands for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. A goal that meets these criteria will answer the five “W”: who is involved, what do you want to accomplish, where is the goal to be achieved, when do I want to achieve this goal, why do I want to achieve this goal.
Increase your daily steps
Daily step count is your secret weapon to boost your daily levels of NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). This is an easy way to expend more calories each day and the more calories you expend, the easier weight management is. Not only this, but if you’re able to get outside to accomplish your step count, it can serve as a form of stress management. It’s understandable that you are likely busy with business or family, but it is vital for your fitness progression that you create time in your day to move more. Try introducing one or more of the following options into your day to help you reach your step target.
- Go for a 30 to 60-minute morning or evening walk
- Walk to your local grocery store
- Go for a 20-minute walk during your lunch break
- Walk while taking phone calls
- Spend time with family or a pet for 30 to 45 minutes daily while walking
Stick to a nutrition plan
High stress situations can bring about poor eating. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to have a nutrition plan and to remain consistent. Prioritise animal or plant protein in your diet in order to retain lean body mass and complement this with fibrous vegetables at every meal. If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to building your own body transformation nutrition plan, or for a collection of simple to make, flavorful recipes that will fuel your fitness goals then be sure to check out The Ultimate Performance Cookbook by Nick Mitchell. The book gives you a repertoire of delicious options to help you eat and live as healthy and enjoyable as possible, for life.
Maintain your training schedule
It’s essential that whether you’re social distancing or on lock-down at home, you are staying active. You should be completing as close to your normal amount of resistance training sessions per week as possible, and trying to supplement this with cardiovascular exercise like walking. If visiting the your usual gym isn’t possible, Ultimate Performance trainer Elliot Upton has compiled a playlist of home workouts that can be performed with minimal equipment or just bodyweight. If you require additional guidance, Ultimate Performance offers online personal training to help you achieve maximum results in minimum time, no matter your location.
Keep yourself healthy
It hardly needs repeating at this time, but make sure to practice good hygiene. Wash your hands regularly, avoid touching your face, and disinfect high-bacteria surfaces like your phone, computer, door handles, etc. Continue to take your regular supplementation and consider supplementing with the following:
- Glutathione: an antioxidant heavily involved with detoxification and immune system regulation.
- Multivitamin: provides a broad spectrum of essential vitamins, enzyme cofactors, and minerals for general health.
- Glutamine – a naturally occurring amino acid that is an effective intestinal and immune system health compound, as these cells use glutamine as the preferred fuel source rather than glucose.
For more information on meeting your weight and fitness goals or to learn more about Ultimate Performance, check out upfitness.com.hk.
