Quarantine has added a lot of complication to staying in shape. With routines disrupted and the option of working out in a gym or with other people off the table, the Coronavirus crisis has thrown a wrench into many aspects of people’s training regimen.
Being sequestered at home with a limited amount of equipment means that a lot of workouts that previously would have been possible are no longer available. When asked how she is adjusting her exercise to fit the new environment, hockey player Addie Burton ‘20 says, “I’ve had to change the type of training that I’m doing. I’ve been doing a lot more running and biking rather than lifting.” An equipment shortage can also mean repeating many of the same exercises every day. Rower, Melanie Sun ‘21, whose coach has been sending her workouts in order to stay in shape, has been using the internet to keep things fresh: “Sometimes instead of doing the normal core routine, I’ll do a different core routine that I found on Youtube that’s the same duration and intensity instead of doing the same one over and over.”
Training alone is much different than training with other people. Another rower, Joshua Park ‘22 aptly stated what a lot of people are currently feeling: “The social aspect is definitely not there.” Without the support of peers, working out feels like a completely dissimilar experience. Burton echoed this sentiment, saying, “Just the atmosphere of being at home versus being in a gym is really different and I know that’s something that a lot of people are struggling with right now.”
The lack of routine and company has greatly decreased the amount of motivation that people have to work out, which has made sticking to a training regimen much more difficult. According to Sun, the process is much more self-motivated as she shares, “You have to find time to do it yourself, which is a lot harder than doing it with friends. The entire thing is just a big mental game.” Holding yourself accountable to train can be difficult when there is no end goal in sight as there would be during a sports season. Because of this, tangible payoff of training is harder to see. When speaking about results, Park shares, “Stick with whatever exercise routine you have, and if you don’t see any results right away, don’t get discouraged because it’s just gradual progress and it will certainly come.”
