It’s okay if you don’t want to do at home workouts right now

[gumcareblog]

I know being limited to working out at home due to COVID has been stressful for a lot of people, and a lot of us are worried about losing muscle, gaining weight, getting out of shape, etc. etc.

I also know I’m not alone in that I haaaate working out at home. It brings me back to my orthorexic ways of being in high school doing core workouts in my bedroom .

If you’ve lost motivation during these past few weeks, trust me. You. Will. Be. Just. Fine. And you are not alone. And it’s OKAY.

Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. We’re in this for the long run, and sometimes that involves slowing down a bit (if you want to!)

Edit: I’m glad this is being really well received and it’s making my socially deprived self emotional want to hug everyone right now

 

[ck01]

@gumcareblog Wow, I really needed to see this. I've been using this downtime to actually start exercising more, but the weight of constant stress/anxiety has me more exhausted than any workout. Thank you

 

[alisonm328]

@gumcareblog I just want to add that something is better than nothing too - don’t take a view that 10 minutes “isn’t enough so why bother”. A gentle yoga session is still of value.

At the same time, I have to remind myself over and over that I’ll sleep better and reduce my anxiety (which I have plenty of right now) if I workout

 

[chichu3123]

@gumcareblog Juggling 2 ft jobs (my regular one with my 3 kids at home one) is fucking HARD.
And I'm honestly not performing my best at either.
But... but... it will have to do.

 

[mcg]

@gumcareblog Thank you for posting this!
I’m 1. Seriously feeling that stress eating urge, 2. Trying to rest so my glute strain heals and 3. SO anxious about edging back towards disordered thinking / eating during this period. You’re not alone!
Today, I read an entire book on my kindle and that really helped get my mind off my food and my body and the news.

 

[needtobsaved21]

@gumcareblog Thank you thank you thank you for posting this

 

[unitarian4jesus]

@gumcareblog I’m a nurse and my ass is beat right now. I’m stressed about work. I’m stressed about this illness and all the effects it’s having on people’s health. I’m stressed about my kids and their e-learning (just got an email from my daughters teacher that she basically hasn’t turned anything in). My house is a dump because everyone is home but me. I’m watching my friends possibly lose their businesses and livelihoods. I have very little energy to workout right now. “No excuses!” Yeah well sometimes there is.

 

[hishandmaiden7513]

@gumcareblog You don't even know how badly I needed this. Thank you

 

[stephanie1129]

@gumcareblog I love this post so much! My motivation to workout has totally tanked and I’m trying so hard to not stress about it. This is why reddit is so awesome! Thanks for the uplift!

 

[blitz659]

@gumcareblog I feel this post in my soul - so thank you. I skipped my workout today...and I ate pie. It was good pie - I’ll get back to it tomorrow.

I also like your edit. I wish I could receive a hug. Social distancing is the worst when you live alone.

Thank you for the kind words friends

 

[shouldn%E2%80%99tbethishard]

@gumcareblog Love this post. My workouts have been v random and sporadic (from all the newly free apps! so fun!) and I've been doing a ton of little ones throughout the day just for funsies. But then, I live alone and I'm bored.

My apartment is as dirty as ever though. Fuck it.

Sometimes growth looks a whole lot like standing still.

 

[truthendures]

@gumcareblog Thank you for saying this. I am having a really difficult time with cramming everything into "do everything" at home ideas - sorry, I'm not into that. Home is for relaxing, hanging with friends and loved ones, sleeping. I can't do work, relax, work out, school, AND work out there. I'm not built that way. I miss the community aspect of my gym and yoga studio - more than I ever realized. I can't wait for this to start to ease up.

 

[allie920]

@gumcareblog Thank you. I needed to hear that.

 

[northbaygirl3]

@gumcareblog Thanks for this!!!
There’s multiple reasons I signed up for the gym instead of exercising at home and I hate that my gym is closed even though I know it is necessary!!

 

[acosens]

@gumcareblog Thank you for posting this! It's just what I needed. I just started seriously working out at the gym in December, and I've been having trouble finding the motivation for home workouts.

 

[jakem]

@gumcareblog Great post. With all the time on my hands I’ve actually noticed my hours I work out best are actually in the evenings and not in the mornings. I’ve had time to evaluate my routine and tailor it to a home workout rather than being outside which oddly enough has started challenging different muscle groups. Finding that motivation hasn’t been hard though since I get pretty fidgety after sitting eight hours teleworking.

 

[raychael]

@gumcareblog thank you for making this post OP. I keep seeing posts about people worrying about their gains and you did a great job of summarizing it for them. I think this is especially beneficial for those who are newer to fitness.

Fitness is a journey. I've been on my fitness kick for 10 years now. I've gone through a pregnancy, loss in the family,.. periods where I knew that working out was indeed a privilege and during those times I needed to focus on other things. I just always jumped back on after. This COVID-19 thing is not different. I'm a runner and yogi and still able to do both, but there are days my mind just says no and that is ok. This situation is very unique but it will be temporary.

 

[bublink]

@gumcareblog Thank you for this! I feel like I am so motivated but I lost it since I don’t wanna work out at my house.

 

[quick2]

@gumcareblog Thank you for this! I'm fine running when it's nice, doing some squats or planks in my living room when it's too gross outside, but I'm not interested in virtual workout classes in my apartment. If I had a dedicated, private workout space, maybe I'd use it for online barre classes or something, but my living room is not conducive to those things, nor is any other space in my home.

It's valid to want to hang on to your routine as best you can, but it's also okay and maybe even necessary to let go of the expectation that you keep things normal, because this situation isn't normal. Let yourself take a break.

 

[tiyetta]

@gumcareblog I really needed to hear this today. Thank you!