We’re wanting to know what you are doing to stay happy and healthy in response to the Covid restrictions. How have you adapted your fitness routine? What are you doing to stay healthy and positive? Your ideas could help others, so please share!
I have been teleworking & experiencing a lot of anxiety. So my routine has become very sedentary unless I consciously choose to move. Yoga is my #1 activity for both fitness and well being. I’ve found it much more beneficial to do shorter (20-40 minute) classes twice a day, rather than one long class. So I try to do a more active class in the morning and then a quieter class in the evening. I also found that following one of the Challenges is very helpful; I don’t have to make many decisions. During the day, I have to take a walk. Walking outdoors is just as critical for my mental health as is yoga. 2-3x / week I do a traditional weightlifting workout.
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I got hit with the double whammy of Covid restrictions and pregnancy! I moved my workouts from the gym to outdoors when the weather was nice and I was still able to run. Now, I’m inside and enjoying DYWM’s pre-natal series and some HIIT interval training videos I found on youtube. I’m finding shorter, more frequent exercise sessions are serving me better than longer sessions. It helps break up the day a bit more and accommodates my changing energy and physical abilities better!
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I’ve been working from home for what will be a year in March. I am a college professor, so I’ve taught remote and online courses. The three most important things that have helped me have been (besides the support of family and friends) my yoga practice, SUP (which I do even in winter!), and meditation. I don’t know how I could be making it through these Covid restrictions and shutdowns without my yoga and meditation. Through the very difficult challenges I have had mentally and emotionally through the Covid restrictions and shutdowns, my yoga practice and meditation have helped me keep my sanity. Being able to get outdoors and SUP has also been a Godsend. I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy!
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I did a lot of cycling during lockdowns 1 and 2 - when the weather was decent. Picking a route and going exploring was absolutely wonderful: I keep a leisurely pace and manage 20/30 miles which takes me either through an urban route ( it takes a lot of miles to get out of London ! ) or out via the rivers and canals. Both wonderful options.
With this last lockdown unfortunately it’s been too cold and wet for that so it’s been mainly walks ( I try the 10,000 steps one or twice a week).
Throughout the whole period though yoga has really been pivotal: I come here 5 or 6 times a week and depending on my mental and physical needs of the day I either do an active and challenging class (Fiji, Tracey) or one of the slowflow/yin classes.
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I have been doing well. I live alone but have been able to stay in touch with friends through various zoom groups I’ve set up or joined. At this point I have a zoom meditation group, 2 zoom book club groups, a zoom writing group and then infrequent zoom gatherings with friends. I walk my dogs further as a means of exercise. I’ve been trying to do more yoga, sometimes successful sometimes not. Meditation is my mainstay. It really has been important to daily life, it helps with presence of course, but also with perspective. Oh another really fun thing I’ve just started is Nature Journaling, which really is like a form of meditation if done as prescribed by John Muir Laws. Anyway, I’m happy, health and enjoying this strange time for what it has allowed me to do. Cheers to All!
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I live btw France and Germany and doing home office for almost a year now. My usual sports are hiking, running and yoga for many years now.
We have had several lock downs, one preventing from going > 1km for 1h/day so I would just:
- go running to reenergise and relax and
- climb the 8 floors of my building 1 time more each day until reaching 8 times, then I would decrease nber til reaching 1 and go back up. It is fun and give you a little challenge
and you see how fast your breath improves! - I also organized short 30min gym/yoga session with my friend girls twice /week to keep active and also connect and laugh. Everybody contributes with ideas or run a session. It is fun
- in the summer I stopped yoga and then it has been an inner battle to start again and not judge myself. I started again today with Tracey’s class and all the good memories and sensations and cocoon feeling are back
- of course my body is rusty has to get back to it 
- I will do 30-40 min classes/day to fit in work schedule with 1 or 2 longer ones on weekends and wed to dive in more. Thank you for all your classes!
I’ve just started Bullet Journaling, which gives me an extra reminder per day to practice yoga and do other things that help with my wellness. My dogs have also been super helpful, because even in a pandemic, they need long walks!
One other thing that’s been really helpful during COVID is being away from the food present at large gatherings. Yes, I still overeat for my body occasionally (a friend brought over a giant loaf of banana bread the same day that my office manager brought me chocolate at work), but when I cook for myself at home, I can regulate my portions and the ingredients that go into my food. Even when I bake and have leftovers, I’m not regularly presented with a table of brownies AND cookies AND cake to choose from all at the same time.
I have had to increase my yoga routine. Doing a longer length class is given me the peace and mental clarity to manage working from home and creating a healthy boundary between myself and society. The collective fear can be a bit overwhelming at times. I continue to skip my way happy too and making meditation something I do seems to help when I make time for it.
Namaste
I used to take in person yoga classes, but now try to take an online class each day thanks to doyogawithme. I swim most days; about 2000 meters. I often do my socializing in the pool! I am mostly retired but have continued to play in a small professional orchestra. We only play 4 or 5 concerts a year but it keeps me practicing!
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I suffer from seasonal affective disorder (depression due to lack of daylight hours during the winter season) and the COVID restrictions haven’t helped. I use my lightbox every morning and it is imperative that I get outside for a walk or a snowshoe every day. My meditation and yoga have been a great help. I also try to keep in shape with online videos for weight training.
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I did the DYWM Teacher Training, it helped pull me through the darkest months of Covid and accelerated my yoga learning massively : ))
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I noticed right away when covid restrictions started that I needed to up my self care. I got much more serious about my practice as well as my time in the forest. On the days I can’t get into the forest I always get a walk in as well.
This has made a huge difference in terms of my day to day attitude .
I also participated in a class where they talked about gratitude as a survival skill which really resonated for me.
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Hi, I live in Germany, where the lockdown has been hard on sports. The allowance for kids 12 and under to meet up for outdoor sports has also been taken away, so only two people from more than one household or families/one household can be outside for sports. My kids and I have been doing yoga, of course, on DYWM as well as walk, run or bike. Some of my kids’ hardcore swimming friends go swimming in the lakes (last noted Dec 6, 2020), as the pools have shut. Thanks for the incredible variety and quality of your teachers!
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Hi, I take long walks after working with clients recovering from Covid 19. I am so grateful for outdoor air, food from my farmer’s markets, showers and space to move inside and out.
I bring some of that energy to my clients , some of whom have not been outside for 8 weeks except for brief transport on a stretcher from hospital to rehab.
I especially share breath work I have learned from yoga and restorative positioning for comfort .
I am happy to have new challenges from teachers at doyogawithme
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What does SUP stand for?
Stand up paddleboarding.