Keeping Fit While Isolating | Surge Fitness
Surge Fitness

KEEPING FIT WHILE ISOLATING

by | Apr 27, 2020 | Blog

Time for a Coronavirus confession: we miss our members. And we’re worried about you!

Our gyms might be temporarily closed and Perth fitness classes put on hold, but we still want to support your physical and mental health. Exercising for at least 30 minutes, 3-5 times a week, is good for physical health and mental resilience:

  • Lowers the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and breast cancer
  • Strengthens bones and joints, preventing hip and back problems
  • Keeps weight and body fat in check
  • Releases feel-good natural chemicals to fight against anxiety and depression

And that advice comes from the World Health Organisation, who we’re all familiar with at the moment. During these uncertain times it has never been more important to focus on fitness goals, release those feel-good chemicals, and take a mental health break.

Luckily it’s easy to exercise in Perth. As the cooler autumn days take the bite out of the sun you can get out for a quick run or set up a home workout area. Life is about balance – so if you’re tucking into the “iso snacks” a bit too often, here are our top 5 tips for keeping fit at home.

1.    Stretching

Now most of us are working from home, it’s easy to let a few hours pass without moving around. Stretching is important for mobility, especially if your new setup is less ergonomic than the office.

Spend a few minutes stretching every morning

Even 5 or 10 minutes of stretching can loosen up tight joints and muscles, putting you in a good place to start your day.

  • Stretch for mobility
  • Pull back if the stretch is painful
  • Focus on legs, hips, lower back and neck

Yoga and meditation are also great ways to stretch your body and mind at the same time.

Take breaks from work to stretch

Take a few minutes to stretch every 1-2 hours and you will feel more energised throughout the day. It can help to set a reminder alarm if you find yourself sitting still for hours at a time, or pause in the kitchen to stretch when you refill your glass of water.

You can find plenty of stretching guides on the internet or sign up for Surge On Demand to receive new content from our Perth exercise trainers every day.

2.    Surge On Demand

Our Perth fitness centres might be closed, but the Surge Fitness trainers are still here. We’re working hard to deliver daily doses of fitness direct to your house, so you can get active while following all-important social distancing guidelines.

Surge On Demand allows you to keep up with your health and fitness targets during lockdown. For a $5 weekly subscription, you get immediate access to:

  • Daily workouts and training tips
  • Your favourite Perth fitness classes led by our trainers
  • 1 brand new piece of exercise content every day
  • Weekly nutrition advice from our qualified coaches
  • Kids workouts
  • Yoga, Pilates, barre, meditation, HIIT, strength and conditioning, functional training, Tabata, combat, boxing, pump, and indoor cycle content
  • Exclusive live-streamed Perth exercise events
  • Dedicated Facebook group with support and tips
  • Direct access to Surge Fitness trainers
  • 100+ Les Mills home workouts

Plus, we’re running a special S Connect Lockdown Challenge! There’s no better way to stay in shape while we all wait for the gyms to reopen.

3.    Getting Outside Once A Day

Perth is in lockdown, but you’re still allowed outside once a day for exercise. Take advantage of the opportunity to explore a new part of your neighbourhood, run laps around a park, or push for a 5k PB on your regular route.

Fresh air is good for you. Make the most of these cooler autumn days by going for a lunchtime run or walk, or jumping on your bike in the morning while the roads are empty.

Set new targets

Working towards fitness goals is a great way to stay positive during lockdown. Set yourself a target and keep track of your progress. Never run 5k without stopping? Now’s the time to try it. Always wanted to become a 5-time-per-week morning walker? Set an alarm, mark the days on your calendar, and enjoy the solitude to start your day.

4.    Spend Time With, And Exercising With, Pets

Pets are good companions when we’re cooped up at home. But just like us humans, pets need regular exercise and fresh air to stay healthy. Daily walks will also help you to develop a good routine of leaving the house, and can help to bookend your work day so you don’t accidentally work through dinner.

  • Walk the dog once or twice a day
  • Get out into the garden to play with your cat
  • Offer to walk someone else’s dog (an elderly neighbour or family member)
  • Spend time playing at the park

We might have to keep our distance from other people, but think of it as an opportunity to bond with your pet.

5.    Use Stairs Regularly (If You Can)

Working in an office presents lots of opportunities to get short bursts of activity during the day. Walking to meetings, popping out for coffee, a quick lunchtime stroll, the daily commute. All these small things add up to a health body and mind.

Your new routine might involve commuting from bed to the living room, but you can still find ways to keep your step count up:

  • Take the stairs if you live in an apartment
  • Instead of getting in an elevator at the shops, socially distance on the stairs
  • Park a little further away from the supermarket
  • Consider leaving the car at home altogether and walking
  • Run quick laps up and down stairs in your building

Stair climbing “snacks” do the opposite of “iso snacks”. They build respiratory fitness over time and keep your legs strong in lieu of daily walks around the office.

Bonus tip: Dance!

We couldn’t leave it at 5 tips. As a fun tip to finish, we love the idea of getting behind our healthcare workers to show support for their incredible work. And what better way than a dance video? Even Kath and Kim’s Sharon Strzelecki (also known as Australian comedian Magda Szubanski) is getting in on the action, posting a fun video tribute to front-line workers.

Dancing is good for cardiovascular health, exercise stamina, and mental health as well. Whether you dance in your living room to a live-streamed concert, learn the TikTok dance routines doing the rounds, or join a virtual dance class, there are loads of ways to have fun and stay fit while dancing.

More Tips From Perth Exercise Professionals

Check back soon for more Perth fitness tips like:

  • Bodyweight exercises you can do at home
  • Perth’s best solo running trails
  • Renting gym equipment to stay in shape

In the meantime, check out Surge On Demand – and take your dog for a walk!    

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Important Information Regarding Your Surge Fitness Membership.

Yesterday’s announcement from our Prime Minister ordering the immediate closure of Fitness Facilities across the nation is significant a blow to all of us across many Industries. We understand that this decision has been based on the best advice currently available to those responsible for our safety and with the Impending state border closures, and increasing community concerns, meant that this decision was unavoidable.

As such, it is with great sadness that we today announce that all Surge Fitness clubs will temporarily close, effective from 12pm today, Monday 23rd March 2020.

At Surge Fitness, we believe that we can make a difference, change lives and build healthy communities. As a brand, we still have a lot of work to do and we all believe that we can continue to positively impact our members and the local communities at large during this time of uncertainty.

Like many of you, our business is facing unprecedented impacts both on our people and our business and we will continue to work through the issues together as effectively as possible.

During this time of closure, all memberships will be placed on complimentary freeze until we are in a position to resume our regular services. Surge Fitness has been working on contingency plans throughout the past few weeks to provide ongoing services to our members such as online & virtual training platforms including numerous resources to help support our members physical and mental health well-being.

Further announcements will be made in the coming days with communications to be published both on our social media platforms and via email once the government has clarified their position regarding the forced closure directive.

On behalf of all of the team at Surge Fitness we would like to thank you all for your ongoing support over the years. As a team we have shared some memorable experiences with you all. Today's forced closure is just a minor setback in our Health & Fitness journey together.