Wellbeing & Motivation > Physical & Mental Wellbeing During Lockdown

Physical & Mental Wellbeing During Lockdown

6th Nov 20

As we enter another Lockdown, it is important to remember to take care of our mental and physical wellbeing. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to start running marathons, but it is important to remember to get some movement, especially if you are housebound. With the addition of dark mornings and even darker nights, unlike the first lockdown, we now have less time to exercise in the daylight.

To help figure out how to look after ourselves during the month ahead, we are going to look at some ways to exercise during Lockdown:


Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.


Managing your Mental Wellbeing

woman exercising during lockdown in her bedroom from a laptop

During this new lockdown, keeping a check on your mental wellbeing is really important. Some of us are still stuck at home, some are in quarantine, and others are still going out to work, this can affect everyone differently.

Exercising is a great way to keep yourself mentally healthy as it improves your energy levels, boosts motivation and helps relieve stress, anxiety and depression. All of these things are vital to helping you make it through another lockdown. It is important to remember that is if okay to feel anxious and stressed. However, being able to complete something as well can help massively if you are struggling with the lack of control over your current situation.

Not counting lockdown, this time of year alone can impact your mental health, as there are more dark hours than light. It can make you feel unproductive, and you may be more likely to turn to gyms for the warmth and light, especially if you are someone who enjoys exercising. Being unable to get to the gym can really throw you off in terms of fitting any kind of workout in at all.

It is important to put at least 10 minutes, if not more, aside a day during the next month, and just get your body moving. Do it as a family or on your own, and you could even join an online class. There are so many options out there to help you, such as apps, videos online or other articles and workouts.

Setting Goals

a notebook showing goals

Setting goals for your days is a great way to improve mental wellbeing, especially during lockdown. This is a situation in which we don’t have a lot of control, and so setting achievable goals for yourself is a great way to boost your motivation and allows you to focus on other things. Even something as small as making your bed in a morning, doing that and ticking it off of your list can have visible results and pushes you to achieve other goals in a day.

So when you get out of bed, make yourself a little list of things to do each day. Start small (make your bed) and work up to bigger things (exercise for 20 minutes), and as you tick each thing off, the feeling of achievement will push you to complete the rest.

Exercising Indoors & with Limited Space

It is important to remember that everyone’s experience in lockdown will be different. Some of us have houses with gardens, some of us are in flats, and it can be difficult to find equipment that fits into certain spaces. That and the fact it is now getting darker earlier, exercising at home could be your preferred option.

There is a lot of equipment out there to help you. If you have space, an exercise bike, cross trainer or even a treadmill could be really helpful for cardio. Smith machines and multi-gyms are great for strength training. Buying one, for now, isn’t just a temporary investment. Buying a machine during lockdown means that on those future days when you don’t fancy the gym or exercising outdoors, you have something at home to hand.

If you don’t have a lot of space, or you need something you can pack away when you are finished, there is equipment out there for you too. There is a lot of equipment that is built to be folded away, such as bikes, strength cages, trampolines and benches. These can be just what you need to get a workout, plus keep your space.

Big pieces of equipment aren’t for everyone, though or you might want something cheaper just to get you through the Lockdown. In which case, try out some fitness accessories such as dumbbells or resistance bands. These can be used in your own workouts or integrated into online classes and videos to make your workout a little bit harder.

Just remember, your space is only limited to what you make it. There is always space somewhere, so grab it and get started!

Use What is Around You

man and child using the sofa to do push ups together

Exercise equipment is in high demand right now, but who said you needed it. If you don’t have anything you can use to work out with, take a look around your house.

  • Cans of food or bottles of water are good makeshift dumbbells.
  • Chairs and sofas can be used to help with push-up or step-up exercises.
  • Stairs are a good cardio workout.
  • Your children can be great to use as weight if they are happy to join you.

Basically, if it is in your house, you can likely use it in some way to workout. So get imaginative, but remember to be careful!

Remember! Don’t Compare Yourself to Others!

Finally, remember, social media can be great to keep you connected during lockdown, but don’t compare yourself to others. So your colleague has done a 5k run today, that doesn’t mean you have to. Focus on what you can do, because doing something is better than nothing at all!

Overall, it important to remember to take care of your wellbeing this lockdown. Do what makes you feel better, and make sure to keep yourself healthy mentally and physically. Exercise is important, and a great way to keep your energy and motivation up during the month ahead.


man doing lunges

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

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