By Michael Heath / selfpublishingUS.com
The gym I belong to is normally open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The establishment is always staffed and there is no lock on the front door. It had operated continuously for 35 years until 4 weeks ago when the governor shut all such facilities, restaurants and bars. I miss it and admittedly have not done much exercising since then. With my morning workouts upended, I resorted to occasional four-mile oceanside walks until the mayor shutdown the boardwalk. That’s when I reached out to my son Christopher, a personal trainer, for some ideas. He suggested a few home exercises, some of which require a stability ball, dumb bells or kettlebells:
Floor cobras or ball cobras
Bent-over rows
Bicycle crunch superset with hip thrusts (one-legged hip thrusts if I could handle it)
Walking lunges
Squat-to-curl-to-press
The last exercise is a great one as it works a lot of muscle groups and, if conducted as part of a circuit group, requires significant heart action (see YouTube: https://youtu.be/6t4mI6VDX5g. I used to do that one when I attended my gym and can attest that it is a good upper-body workout. How-to instructions on all the above exercises can be found online. Of course, I could consider some of the more familiar conditioning routines such as pushups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, hip raises and planking. A lot can be done at home; it is just a matter of finding the motivation to get started.
Although the above exercises are good for conditioning, it is also important to get fresh air and some sunlight. I have decided to refocus some of my conditioning to include a morning run where I can enjoy the outdoor elements while still adhering to the social distancing mandate. Earlier today I went on the Internet to order running shoes and shorts. Thank goodness for the Web, where most anything can be found and delivered right to my door. Now, if only I could log on and get a haircut.