Fitness at Home as The New Norm

The fan is my best friend after every workout

I am going to attempt to write this blogpost without a draft so I hope I don't ramble much. Anyway, it has been a long and boring work from home and to know that I won't be able to be in office even after the Circuit Breaker ends on 1st of June, we are in this for the long haul. But then again, we won't be able to resume the kind of work life we have always been used to prior to the circuit breaker. In order to prevent a second wave of the pandemic, which may come stronger if we let our guard down, after the ending of CB, it will open up in phases; 1, 2 & 3. Phase 1 will immediately begin on June 2nd onwards and as to when it will end, most likely in the mid of June, pending announcements.

So one of the things I missed is group fitness like my weekly Strong by Zumba. Recently I found out they changed the name to Strong Nation. Actually I don't know why this was not done earlier coz it's nothing like Zumba, lol. In my past participation, there were people who joined who got breathless halfway and had to move aside coz they didn't anticipate how tough it was. 

For now, almost daily I would do the HIIT workout and I mostly followed this popular YouTuber called Chloe Ting. She has many free work out programmes and you just have to follow her schedule based on which programme you have chosen. I don't really follow closely the same set of exercises especially the ones you have to do everyday for the whole of duration you're taking part in. It can be a two weeks or 30 days programme. 

I found that her following was mostly teens or young women who would post their progress online in popular social media and I must say their dedication was impressive as well as the results, for whatever reasons they joined the programmes. Coz it's free and easily accessible, they just have to dedicate their time each day about 20 to 25 minutes.

I hope they are in this for the long haul and not because they are motivated by the youtube videos of those who had tried out this workout, recorded their pain and suffering, lol..and then by the end of it, the before and after photos. At times there were obvious differences (that is in the before picture, they were not just bloated), and yet the girls would still feel discouraged because they didn't see much diff in terms of weight loss and definition.

However, they were so wrong. It was as clear as night and day that there was progress. But because they made the comparison with others who posted similar videos, they dismissed their hard work and the work out not being effective for them. And of course you can't compare to the instructor's abs because she does this regularly, with weight training and for a living also.

But after watching their numerous videos, I started to pay more attention like I tried to see if there was any definition on my abs. Argh, I know it isn't healthy if it turns into an obsession. Just like most people who commented on such videos, they want to come out of the quarantine looked snatched, haha.

My personal experience with home workouts? I thought since I did Strong By Zumba before and so burpees and lunges were not new to me, the HIIT workouts were actually a KILLA. So wrong.

So a little explanation first. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Trainings so there are 3 to 5 sets each and each set there will be a number of exercises. Each exercise can last for about 30 to 40 seconds, and after two or 3 more exercises, there will be a few seconds to 1 minute break, usually no more than that, to keep the momentum going. Depending on how they design the programme, one to two exercises can be super intensive but it will be followed by another exercise that is still a killer but a slower pace, ie, not jumping like crazy but perhaps, lunges.

Before this, I wasn't so conscious about my abs. It clearly needed work. Fine, every part of my body needed work, haha. But I didn't think much importance of it except of course, I do wish I looked physically better so clothes fit me better as well. However, my main motivation will always be wanting to be healthier and stronger. 

At first I loathed the HIIT workouts as it was very tough and at first, I could barely finish it when I started to breathe super heavily and got so damn tired. I was almost on the verge of passing out, I know so drama...but I just want to lie down flat on the bed, which I did..twice. I barely finished the workout which was about 20 to 25 minutes? Heh..

I didn't give up though. I still struggled when I continued with the workout on other days but I felt that if I pushed through and do it according to my fitness level, I struggled lesser. And focusing on my breathing, especially during the downtime when I'm not jumping or doing some burpees or planks. It's not about trying to catch up but doing as many as you can to the best of your ability and trying to focus on each movement so you will benefit from it more.

Also, I found some exercises more difficult and the struggle was real in trying to complete within a time limit. The 30 seconds never felt so long in my life, haha. Yet, I try my best to do however I can. If it's really impossible since I have a heavier bodyweight, I do the modified version. But I find that if I at least attempted the non modified one, it may get easier the next few rounds in future especially those that I thought was near impossible for me. 

Fitness is also about mental strength in order to complete the whole routine from start to finish. Even prior to starting it, our mind may start playing games with us already. Since they can be tough, of course there are days we absolutely loathe it. I tried to overcome it by putting on my pants and shirt so I will be in 'combat mode'. I read of others who do this too and then turned their mindset around almost immediately into doing the workout, by taking that first and most difficult step. 

If those who have been doing this for a long time and they also have days when they just don’t want to do it. Because 3 to 5 minutes into it, you will slowly feel the tiredness slipping in and you start to sweat like crazy with your heart beating so fast during times when you have to jog on the spot, hop or do burpees. This is when your heart rate start to increase which is a good thing as your body start to work hard.

Fitness is part of wanting to make your life better. Even if working out sucks at times, coz it's damn hard physically and mentally, I think if we focus on what we want to come out of this (besides look like a 'snacc', millennial speak for hot), it keeps you motivated on days where you just want to surf the net non stop. Me.

I'm actually heartened to see that more and more people of different shapes and sizes start to get into a fitness routine, whether on their own, in groups along side fitness coaches. It's a little off putting when people who are already fit or skinny, but maybe lack definition, get even more fit or skinnier and the rest of us still look like potatoes.

A friend of mine also started her fitness journey with dance fitness and recently, yoga. She always hear about us talking about it but felt that she couldn't find the time. However, during this circuit breaker, she manages to do so even if it takes place pretty late at night when her child and cats were sleeping. Then she would tell us that they were tiring and yet fun.

Fitness goes beyond the workout. We can do an overhaul in our diet. How far we wanna take it, it's up to us as long as we don't suffer from it and doable for us. There are people who will cut out carbo or go on low carbs, keto, high protein, whatever...because your diet is part of a healthy lifestyle. It may seem like pain at first when you cut out rice, whether totally or about 90% of it, but it gets easier because your body and your mind will start to accept the fact that this is the new YOU. So subsequently, when you try to eat a little more rice than usual, or generally eat more, it will start to reject.

Lastly, I think that being accountable for it and then making others aware of your fitness journey, can be more motivating. I won't post on social media but there are those who do because it's also like a personal tracker for them and a source of motivation for others too who struggle as well. I usually like to follow the posts of those who are struggling to go from flab to fab, and their personal sharing can be so heartfelt. Their struggles, their achievements..all that. It feels so much real and relatable. Because as much as I know the benefits of working out, sometimes I wish there were easier ways.

I still miss my outdoor workouts plus gym and hope it can be continued some time this year, even if it will take longer than expected. It can get pretty lonely working out alone, lol. Meanwhile, let's continue to suffer together doing home workouts :))