How to Give Your Workout Program a Boost While Social Distancing

Provincial governments across Canada are gradually giving the thumbs-up for fitness centers to reopen under strict health and safety guidelines. However, don’t expect gyms to pack in patrons like the week after New Years Day. While fitness conscious Canadians are chomping at the bit to get back to their routines most are struggling with how to do so while maintaining social distancing. It’s a challenge to say the least. As a purveyor of healthy living InnerGood is here with some helpful advice on how to give your workout programs a boost while channeling your inner Howie Mandel. 

4 SUREFIRE TIPS TO ENHANCING YOUR FITNESS AND

WORKOUT REGIME AMIDST SOCIAL DISTANCING

1. ROTATE LOCATIONS

By now you have already joined hundreds of others in your community in outdoor park, track, and field workouts. With personal fitness equipment in short supply people have become quite creative in finding ways to build muscle mass and tone the body. Monkey bars and sturdy tree branches have become pull-up stations while baseball field stadium seats serve as StairMasters. But overtime you will find that even these inspired workouts become redundant. In many cases, these impromptu outdoor gyms become just as packed as the real deal. For these reasons it’s a good idea to change locations often. Find different parks in your area and get to know the times of day that they do and don’t get busy. In addition to helping with social distancing, each will offer unique “equipment” (fencing, seating, and other appendages) that you can integrate into your workouts. View our article on 5 Exercises You Can Do Without Gym Equipment for inspiration.

If you are ready to test the waters at your recently reopened fitness facility, you can still employ this same philosophy. Monitor for times of the day/week where there are fewer people in the actual gym and do your indoor workouts accordingly. Then, rotate an outdoor workout into the routine to minimize the time you spend amongst others in close quarters. Doing so will also help keep your workout program fresh.

2. BRING YOUR “SPOTTER”

Social distancing is not a synonym for isolation. You should feel encouraged bring a workout partner with you. That added support goes along way to knocking out one (or five) more reps. Your workout partner can be someone who lives with you, which alleviates the concern for social distancing. It’s also a great way to get a loved one off the sofa! Alternatively, it may be a friend or even a fitness trainer who can help you max-out while maintaining a personal space that you (and they) are comfortable with.

3. RAMP UP YOUR SUPPLEMENT INTAKE

Nutritional supplementation has always been vital to a successful fitness regime. But now that your routine has been disrupted you need to offset the challenge by ramping up in other ways. This includes your intake (as allowed by your physician) of essential nutrients. But just like with food, not all natural health products (NHP) are created equally. The following NHP brands have products that can pack a punch when it comes to boosting your workout program:

i) Klean Athlete

Klean Athlete is a line of NSF Certified for Sport® natural health products which promote peak performance for athletes and casual fitness enthusiasts alike. The line of products provides a rigid nutritional base to support training and overall well-being. View Klean Athlete products available at InnerGood.

ii) Metagenics

Metagenics products are listed among the top body building supplements for those with compromised gastrointestinal systems. Imagine what they can do for anyone seeking to provide nutritional support their workouts? Their Sports Nutrition line features science-based, targeted formulas for both serious athletes and weekend warriors alike. From ChondroCare (joint support) to Creatine UP (muscle building) this brand has what you need. View Metagenics products available at InnerGood.

iii) Genestra

Genestra offers a line of vitamins and other supplements that serve as a nutritional foundation for any workout program. Magnesium Glycinate Liquid is an especially popular choice among fitness fans as it is known to support overall muscle health. View Genestra products available at InnerGood.

iv) Douglas Laboratories

Douglas Labs has a diverse product line of supplements that provide bone, joint, and muscle support – a cornerstone of any successful workout program. Take their Cal 6+Mag for example, which is proprietary complex of six sources of calcium which are crucial to muscle function. View Douglas products available at InnerGood.

v) Pure Encapsulations

With products such as Amino-NR for bone, joint, and muscle health along with Adenosyl/Hydroxy B12 for both a pre-workout boost and post-workout recovery, this brand should be found somewhere in your gym bag. View Pure products available at InnerGood.

vi) Throne Research

Last but certainly not least we have one new-to-Canada NHP brand – Thorne Research. This brand is renowned with Olympic, NCAA, and amateur athletes along with the NBA and other professional leagues around the world. View all Throne Research products available at InnerGood.

4. MIX IT UP!

Fitness buffs may be bummed about having their normal gym routine disrupted but remember that “normal routine” is the precursor to any workout program plateau. Numerous studies prove that to avoid plateauing you must continuously change everything about your routine. This includes more than the types of exercise and amount of weight you use, but where you workout, who you workout with and when you workout, along with the types of health supplements you consume. Take everything we mentioned in Tips 1 to 3 above, and mix them up every three to four weeks.