Post-Lockdown Fitness Tips

If you’ve been waiting for lockdown to finish to kickstart your fitness plans, I can promise you aren’t alone. With gyms scheduled to re-open on April 12th (at time of writing – fingers crossed) it’s a good time to think about how you will hit the ground running!

First off, there are medical guidelines (for all age groups) which recommend how much physical activity we should all be doing. In summary, for 19–64 year-olds:

• At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise/week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise/week

• Strength training at least twice/week

• Minimise sedentary time

If you can go above and beyond the above guidelines, the better!

Staying Consistent

The motivation to start exercising post-lockdown will be there, but the important thing is to stay consistent with your exercise beyond the immediate end to lockdown. Some tips I recommend are:

• Exercise with a friend so you can keep each other accountable.

• Create a (realistic!) schedule/training plan to keep yourself on track, so even on days where the motivation is lacking you know what you need to do.

• Start with exercises you feel comfortable and safe performing, and slowly branch out as you get more confident in your abilities.

• Create short, medium and long-term fitness goals that you can work towards.

• Most importantly, the physical activity you are doing should be something you enjoy.

General Tips

• With strength training, aim to exercise each muscle group at least twice a week! This means if you’re strength training two days a week, go for a full body workout.

• If you’ve been sedentary during lockdown, start low and go slow. This will help reduce the risk of injury and painful muscle soreness.

• Try and get outdoors for some cardiovascular exercise, whatever modality you choose!

• If you are consistent, you will see progress in all areas of your health! (physical, mental, social, emotional to name a few!)

Why I care

As both a doctor and fitness enthusiast, the reason I care about promoting physical activity is that it helps prevent illness. To keep it brief, here is a list of just some of the benefits of physical activity:

• Reduction in all-cause mortality; Reduced risk of stroke & heart disease; Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes; Reduced risk of some cancers.

• Improved cognitive function; Improved mental health; Improved sleep; Improved quality of life; Improved weight management.

Note, if you have any underlying health problems or reasons you think you shouldn’t exercise, always consult your GP first!

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About the author

Dr Joseph Godden is a junior doctor working in London. He has strong interests in exercise, nutrition and primary prevention of illness. Alongside his regular work, he looks to promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle to a wider audience.

Follow his Instagram @thefitlife.doctor for fitness motivation, tips and entertainment!