Lockdown is not all bad… hopefully some of you have realised that this period of time may have actually made some of your goals easier to reach.
Here are some examples of things you can do TODAY to improve your physical performance and health.
1)Improve your nutrition
Improving the quality of your nutrition can seem like a daunting task.
However, for those that have found themselves with more time on their hands, now is a great time to experiment with some different foods and nutrition strategies.
Whether this be learning to track calories, meal prep or something as simple as setting a daily fruit and vegetable goal. Many of these goals are much more achievable at home.
Some of the most common issues I hear as a coach when it comes to staying on track with a nutrition strategy are:
- Not having enough time.
- Not having much choice in certain social situations.
- Limited options at work/on the go.
Well guess what…?
All of these issues have been made easier in lockdown! (for most people).
Make the most of your time at home and experiment with new foods, meals, meal timings etc. and see what works for you before you return to a busier schedule!
2) Get more sun exposure.
Outside light exposure is incredibly important for health. The light-dark cycle of day and night is vital for the maintenance of a healthy circadian rhythm and control of melatonin production (a hormone that helps you sleep).
We are programmed to be outside and active during the day when it is light and to slowly relax and drift off to sleep when it is dark in the evening. Avoiding this natural process does not really work in our favour.
The precursor to melatonin is serotonin, which is what is increased during exposure to sunlight. In darkness or the evening, the serotonin is then converted to melatonin to promote a relaxed and sleepy state.
Therefore, sunlight/light exposure is vital and can improve energy levels and mood in the day and help produce more melatonin for a greater sleepiness feeling in the evening and enhanced quality of sleep. Even in cloudier conditions, these benefits can still be had, so get outside!
3) Train
Hopefully a lot of you are still training hard with whatever you have available to you.
Limited equipment and facilities should not mean you need to give up on training.
A great piece of research from Bickel et al. (2011) has recently been circulating social media, highlighting the benefits of maintaining even a minimal amount of training volume.
The study from Bickel et al. (2011) shows how even training with as little as 1/9th of your usual training volume can help largely maintain strength gains. With optimal muscle hypertrophy being maintained with slightly more volume at 1/3rd of your usual training volume.
Aside from maintaining your progress, this may be a great time to change training goal or training methods.
Prioritising areas of training such as mobility, bodyweight training, improving cardiovascular fitness or maybe even some CrossFit workouts are all good options to help your stay fit and in shape while also giving yourself the chance to try something new.
4) Focus on optimal recovery
For those of you that are still training, this is a great time to take advantage and optimise your recovery.
With most of us finding ourselves with more time on our hands, we can spend more of that time focusing on some of the finer details that may influence recovery.
Resting well, improving sleep quality and quantity, ensuring optimal nutrition, active recovery and controlling stressors etc. are all aspects of recovery that often get forgotten about in our usual busy lives.
Focusing on introducing a couple of new recovery interventions every week can be a great way of slowly improving recovery.
Implementing more recovery strategies may even end up becoming a staple in your routine and something you may want to continue when lockdown is over!
5) Learn!
This is a great time to experiment with new things and see what works for your body!
This could be an opportunity to try new foods, a new training routine, some new health supplements, reading new training/nutrition books etc.
Although the basics of nutrition and training will apply to the majority of people, when it comes to the fine details there may be some individual differences and personal preferences.
In this period where many variables can be controlled, experimenting with what training and nutrition methods work best for you (and much more) can be very beneficial for current and future progress.
The take away
There are many benefits to having this interesting period of time we currently find ourselves in.
The important thing is realising what you can achieve during this time!
Making the most of this time to adapt and prioritise other aspects of training and nutrition might not only continue your progress; it may also improve your knowledge and experience that could lead to greater progress in the future.
References
Bickel CS, Cross JM, Bamman MM. Exercise dosing to retain resistance training adaptations in young and older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(7):1177‐1187. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e318207c15d
