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Six simple ways to stay active while still social distancing

April 01, 2020

One of the unintended consequences of social distancing is how it limits opportunities for everyday physical activity.

You鈥檙e no longer walking from a parking spot to your office or classroom, to lunch or to a meeting. You鈥檙e not taking regular trips to the beach or shopping at St. Johns Town Center. You鈥檙e probably spending a lot more time in front of a computer, iPad or TV screen.

鈥淩egular physical activity is one of the most important things people can do to improve their health,鈥 wrote US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar in 2018鈥檚 .

While we continue to practice social distancing, we should also pick up some new habits to ensure that we鈥檙e meeting the HHS鈥 recommended guidelines on regular, physical activity, which for most adults are:

Here are six simple things that anyone can do to begin meeting these guidelines:

Household chores

Simple tasks such as vacuuming, scrubbing the bathtub or shower and doing the laundry contribute to your overall fitness, according to HHS. Get up from your computer regularly and take care of some chore you鈥檝e been avoiding. You鈥檒l get some exercise and accomplish something, too.

Gardening and working in the yard

HHS classifies raking the yard as a moderate-intensity activity. So is mowing the lawn. You can also trim the hedges, repot those flowers or move that palm plant.

Walking

When you do leave the house, park farther away from your destination to give yourself a longer walk. Walk the dog twice as long as normal. The dog will love you for it. Walk around your neighborhood and pay attention to the landscaping. It might give you some gardening ideas. If you live close enough, walk to the grocery store.

Biking

If you鈥檝e got a bike at home, you can easily get some of the best aerobic exercise there is. Consider biking to complete your errands. A short ride at the end of the workday can help you wind down and switch gears to private time. It鈥檚 also a great way to start your day and get your creative juices flowing.

Dancing

Turn the music up and dance, no one鈥檚 watching. It鈥檚 a great aerobic activity that also helps with flexibility and balance. You can dance while you do housework, just for fun or get serious and learn new dance steps and full routines online. Any way you do it, it will improve your mental outlook, too.

Home workouts

There are old standbys from yoga and Tai Chi to high-intensity interval training to body weight exercises. Whichever you pick, you should easily find a workout out there for you that doesn鈥檛 require equipment or a large space. Now is the time to find it. If you already work out, learn a new routine or work to achieve a new personal best. Try a whole new discipline targeting something you鈥檝e always wanted to improve: balance, flexibility, strength.

For more ideas or for help in designing your own physical activity plan, visit the HHS .

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