Even before all of this craziness, exercising has always been my go-to activity for de-stressing and staying sane. My favorite kinds of workouts were the group classes. Your home girl is competitive and working out with others always pushes me more. Obviously that has changed since going to the gym is cancelled — or the time being anyways. So how do you exercise (and stay sane) while you’re in quarantine?
I thought about going running, but honestly that gives me more anxiety than it’s worth. NYC is a densely pack city and even though I live mere blocks away from the East River promenade, just the thought of having to dodge people to stay 6-ft apart while I’m out really stresses me out. If you live in a place where you can easily go out while avoiding people, then most definitely do that. But if you’re looking for ways to workout while staying inside, I got you.
How to Exercise in Quarantine
All of the workouts I got listed below can be done in your living room. Yep, these have all been “road tested” in my one-bedroom apartment. And good news: no fancy equipment is needed. All you need is yourself!
Before the quarantine happens, I can safely say any week where I exercise twice is a good week. Interestingly enough, working out is one of those things that I do way more now that I’m confined indoors (that and cleaning). Just call it my ways of staying sane by maintaining an illusion of control. Hey we all gotta do what we gotta do, right? Here are some of my favorite workouts to do indoors.
Favorite “Buns of Steel” Workout
I mean who doesn’t want a nice booty, amirite? I’ve got a few favorite workouts that are buns specific, but my favorite is one from Pamela Reif. Her workouts are no joke. At first I though: ok this is only 20-minutes. So easy! Nope nope nope. Challenging moves paired with very little break equals a very sweaty workout.
Check out my glutes workout YouTube playlist for some other favorites.
Favorite Arms Workout
Now that we’ve taken care of the booty, lets get to the arms. I gotta admit arms are not my strong suit, and I find even the short 10-minute workout to be challenging. I sometimes combine these with one of the booty workouts you’ll find above. But hey, if I don’t have time or am having an “off” workout day, I’d say 10-minutes is better than none at all.
Pro-tip:You’ll see that some of the workouts I added to my arm playlist uses dumbbells. If you have it, awesome. If not, grabb a set of canned beans or wine bottles. Just make sure they’re of equal weight.
Check out my arm workout YouTube playlist for some other favorites.
Favorite Cardio Workout
I feel like cardio workouts are my go-to when I’m having an especially bad day. Nothing distracts and helps vent out all that frustration like getting super sweaty and out of breath. Just don’t forget to open a window or turn the AC on, because this will get your temp up.
Check out my cardio workout YouTube playlist for some other favorites.
Favorite Kickboxing Workout
Ok I guess this counts as cardio (and you’ll find these in the cardio playlist as well. But kickboxing cardio holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s the kicking and punching that gets me going. And you better believe I’m getting all my grunts and yells out while I’m kicking ass and taking name. But not too loud though because Maxine is sleeping lol
Check out my cardio workout YouTube playlist for some other favorites.
Favorite Dance Workout
I’m the first to say I’m not very great at remembering choreographies, but I do love my dance classes. I swear I’m great at doing them when it’s broken down step-by-step. But once the music turns on, I’m just like: what were the moves again? The good news is that these workouts are heavy on the fitness and light on the choreographies. Even better news is that you’re doing these at home, so you can really dance like nobody’s watching.
Check out my cardio workout YouTube playlist for some other favorites.
Bonus Favorite Workout: Belly Dancing
Okay, I guess this workout technically falls under the dance category above (and probably cardio too). But belly dancing has a special place in my heart. Fun fact: I used to be a belly dancer back in my college days. It’s been a VERY long time since I shimmied and this workout really took me back. It really is a fun workout that’s going to get your core toned, and you won’t need a coin scarf to enjoy it.
Pro-tip:This is one of those workouts that’s really best done with your belly bared. Some of the movements are very small and concentrated around your abs. Doing it with a bare midriff will help you see if you’re doing the move properly or not.
