3-2-1 Just Do It. Your Covid-19 lockdown exercise schedule.

Life is kind of ironic isn’t it.

Three weeks ago, we were complaining, about not having enough hours in the day. In an ideal world, we’d have time to exercise every day. And as long as we want. And since this is a fantasy, let’s go all out and imagine we can do it at any time we want! Welcome to reality where exercise can now be all of the above.

Except that being 2.5 weeks into the lockdown feels less like beach body than it does a beached whale. The days of cutting your lunch break shorter, and power-walking through the after-work crowd, just so that you can get your regular dose of exercise endorphins in class, seems a distant memory.

Exercise? Even getting changed into workout gear requires a supreme effort. Morning turns into mid-day. Afternoon is a blur. Before you know it, it’s dinner time – the day is gone and you still haven’t worked out… again.

Wait. We’re not judging you if you’re reading this after 12, from your couch, still dressed in your PJs. Before you beat yourself up, let us remind you - you’re still a bad-ass Muay Thai warrior. You’re just taking time to adjust to a set-back in training.

Humans are creatures of habit. And when our routines get out of whack, it’s natural to freak out a little. You’re not being lazy, your schedule has been turned upside down, which is why you find there’s less time to exercise – or be generally productive when your schedule is now blown wide open.

The solution is to set yourself a new schedule, and then don’t think about it. JAI Trainer Connor Bourne says his trick is when it’s time to work-out, “don’t think – just do”. Or at least just give yourself seconds to think about it. Any more than that your doubts and distractions sneak in.

We’ll give you an example of a lockdown morning routine. Feel free to adapt.

9am – Wake up (we think 9am is reasonable seeing your commute to the living room takes a fraction of the time it takes to get to the gym)

10am – Workout

11am – Shower, get on with your day

That was the short version. So this is how it rolls in real life.

9am. Alarm goes off. An extra 10 minute sleep-in, sure seems like a good idea. But 3-2-1, you’re out of bed and brushing your teeth. (Cos there’s no soul destroying feeling like the one you get when you realise it’s 6pm and you still haven’t brushed your teeth).

9.30am. You’re in the kitchen drinking hot coffee. You’re feeling good, kinda awake. Let’s just check out what we have in the fridge, oooh, last night’s taco is looking good, but 3-2-1, you’re walking to the living room and setting up the laptop.

9.45am. Thank God for workout buddies. If it wasn’t for them, nobody would know that your exercise for the last two weeks has involved, 10 push-ups, 4 sit-ups and whatever is leftover from last night’s dinner. Grab your flatmate, partner, parent – even if it’s just for moral support. While setting up the screen for the workout video – it’s tempting to scroll through Instagram – ooh, cute puppy, but 3-2-1, it’s time for working out.

10am. If you’ve wondered why we put ourselves through the embarrassment of live workouts, you’re the reason why. (Gentle reminder - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sundays) And it’s similar why you’d rather kick the bag in a group of 20 sweaty bodies with a trainer yelling at you, rather than in the comfort of your own living room. It’s authentic, it’s raw. Who wants to watch perfect workouts on Instagram when you can see your instructor sweat, tell bad Dad jokes and forget their combos. It’s the difference between powering off after two minutes and still powering on in a pool of your sweat after 20.

10.45/11-ish. Not really sure what time it is. It’s hard to check your phone when you’re lying in a pool of sweat on the living room floor. Won’t lie, that was horrible. All the pain of working out, minus the fun of kicking and punching things. You may not be Gram ready yet, but well done champ, you did it. You may even do it again tomorrow. At this rate, you’ll be the fittest one in class by the time this lockdown is over. Now… where were those leftovers….

PS We realise some people are even busier than ever at this time. Essential workers, parents, business owners – we salute you! We don’t doubt that your schedule has also been thrown into whack, so we hope you are finding time to schedule in regular exercise.