5 tips to stay active as lockdown restrictions ease

Now that we’ve moved into Level 2, a lot more movement is returning into our lives. Both work and leisure trips are beginning to fill our diaries.

Due to lockdown being a good five months long, keeping active at home became second nature for some of us. Now, as life slowly gets back to normal, we need to ensure we keep up the physical activity.

Temptation is all around us. It’s inevitable there’ll be lots of different kinds of food, desert and beverages available to you whether or not you’ve planned for them.

• My first tip is, when it comes to food, opt for lean cuts of meat and grilled vegetables or salads as your side.

Listen to your stomach and eat based on how hungry you are, taking care to listen when you are feeling full and stop immediately.

Avoid eating with your eyes. Yes, food looks good but you don’t need to overly decorate your plate.

Grilled chicken with salad. Picture: iStock

• My second tip is, drink lots of water to keep you hydrated. It will also help with digestion.

Drink water before, during and after your meals. It will help flush your system as many other beverages are packed with sugar and therefore calories.

Picture: iStock

• My third tip is related to exercise/following training for a specific sporting event in the upcoming year or for general fitness.

Many sports have been put on hold but slowly sports restrictions are being lifted. Even with that, people are taking a break.

I suggest “active rest” to those on break. This simply means keeping active in a smart way as a form of “maintenance”. For example, if your time off is at the coast (by the beach), try a sunrise or sunset walk or light jog on the beach.

If you are at a place that is not friendly to outdoor training take a skipping rope with you and create a short functional training routine that includes skipping, squats, push ups, lunges, triceps dips on a chair and even step ups on the very same chair.

Skipping rope. Picture: iStock

Repeat these exercises for up to 40 minutes and that works out to be a full-body workout.

You can also do smaller things like parking far from the shopping centre’s main entrance and walking. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes that will entice you to walk further.

A dip in the pool with the kids is also a fun way to keep active, and running around outdoors with the kids is great exercise.

Picture: iStock

• My fourth tip is to revise your goals. Revisit them and make a decision about what direction you want to go. Whether it’s weight loss, weight gain and muscle gain.

• My fifth and final tip is, add variety to your plan. Nothing beats a variety of exciting activities to keep you on course. Variety helps to keeps your programme exciting.

Good luck for this next period. Hang in there.

Zulu is a qualified biokineticist and cofounder of PopUpGym. Follow her on Instagram: @letshego.zulu; Twitter: @letshegom; Facebook: Letshego Zulu

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