My 10 Favorite FREE Exercises That You Can Do While Social Distancing
I am constantly seeking information about how to prevent diseases and increase longevity and happiness. Whether I’m learning about the brain, the body, or the spirit, one piece of advice always seems to surface: exercise is key.
It seems that exercise is an important ingredient to any recipe for improved health. This makes sense since—after all, our ancestors didn’t have the opportunity to sit for hours on end binging Netflix series (not that I’m totally against that).
The problem with exercise right now:
So, we know that exercise is important for our physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. However, with the current issues facing the world—not to mention the state of the global economy—it can be challenging to find an exercise that feels fun (and that we can afford).
That’s why I wanted to share some of my favorite exercises and exercise routines that are free and can be done while social distancing. So, without further ado…
Here are my favorite FREE exercises you can do while social distancing.
For beginners:
Spring-Walk-Sprint-Walk
I’m currently reading the book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life” by Dr. Amen. I can do a recap if that’s helpful for anyone (let me know in the comments), and though I am skeptical about certain things he says, there’s no denying that our brains need us to exercise.
In the book, there’s a section on brain-healthy exercises. He explains that one of his favorite exercises for a healthy brain is “burst” exercises. He recommends going for a thirty-minute walk. During that walk do a set of 4–5 sprints (60 seconds each). Then, come back to a walking recovery for 1-2 minutes. Then do it again.
If sprinting is too difficult, try power walking or doing jumping jacks—anything that feels like you’re exerting yourself and getting your heart rate up.
I love this yoga channel because there’s a yoga class for everything. She’s really great for beginners because she calmly walks you through everything step by step. Here’s a link to her yoga for beginners session.
Rise & Shine flow with Ally Maz
I also love this morning flow from Ally Maz for Lululemon. In fact, I just finished it before sitting down to edit this blog post. Because it’s a morning flow, it is very gentle, which is great for beginners who have completed maybe one or two yoga classes before.
For intermediates:
Mad Fit is a YouTube channel with some nice HIIT-style workouts. I love this channel because she has a little countdown and buzzer to let you know when to stop, rest, and pay attention for the next exercise. She also has low impact workouts which I need because I live above someone in my apartment building.
If you want something more than a HIIT workout, you can also dance along with her while listening to a top hit song. (She also has beginner workouts).
Self’s YouTube channel has some intense HIIT workouts that leave me huffing and puffing. They’re not low impact, so make sure that you have a space where you can jump. There are also modifications if any of the exercises are too challenging or if you have anything that prevents you from completing them as they’re shown.
Natacha is another really fun YouTuber who shares HIIT workouts (no equipment needed). She’s upbeat and shares exercises that you can do on her Instagram as well. Because I’m American, her English accent seems to motivate me more as well :).
Ally Maz’s 45 Minute Power Yoga
I’m back to Lululemon’s channel for Ally Maz. To be honest I’ve tried other instructors of theirs (on YouTube), but I don’t enjoy them as much as this video (or that morning video). What I love about this yoga vinyasa is that it is both restful and challenging at the same time. It allows you to stretch, relax, workout, tone, and feel like you’ve had a bit of meditation.
Corepower offers a free virtual community class on Friday afternoons. They are midday so it can be difficult to squeeze in, but if you have the free time, why not do a bit of yoga to stretch and energize yourself in the middle of the day?
Intermediate/Advanced
A New Zealander in Hawaii, this Instagrammer was first introduced to me by one of my Hawaii friends who explained that she and her husband were struggling doing her workouts. I’d been doing a lot of HIIT-style workouts at this time, so I thought I would have no problem completing a Rocamoon workout.. I was very wrong… about 10 minutes into this video and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. It was SO challenging.
It’s also fun to follow along as her cute little groms run about. Her videos make me think of home. So, while I’m sweating and hating burpees, I’m also comforted by Hawaii vibes.
30 Minute Alo Yoga Flow with Josh Kramer
If you’re an avid yogi, this probably won’t be too challenging. In fact, it might be considered moderate. However, as someone who is a basic vinyasa girl, this yoga session was difficult and had me sweating. I loved the fact that he spent a lot of time at the beginning stretching out his wrists. I feel like this is something that is so overlooked in yoga practices in general. As someone with sensitive wrists, I really appreciated this.
If you have any other free workouts that you love, please let me & others know in the comments. Would love to give them a try!