As most of us currently lack access to our usual forms of exercise or sports, I thought it could be useful to have some structured exercise people can do in their homes with no complicated equipment required.
In my job as a Wellness Coordinator I talk a lot about the benefits of exercise to the students and also to the staff at DC. To gain the health benefit of improving fitness, the current recommendation is to do 3 or more sessions of at least 20 minutes per week. Whether that looks like a lot or not much depends on where you are currently; more is great but less is still going to be beneficial. The crucial thing is that something is always better than nothing.
The workouts being released on the DC YouTube channel are aimed at a beginner level for the whole community. They are something a family could do together. There are always options to make the exercises easier if you feel like your current fitness level is not quite there yet or you can make it more of a challenge, if the workouts seem too easy. The important thing is that you find a good level of challenge for you, rather than how you compare to someone else.
The effect exercise has on mental health is probably as great as on physical health. It lifts your mood and really helps you move from ‘not bad’ to ‘good’. Now, probably more than ever, it is important to maintain some kind of an exercise routine. It is also more challenging than ever due to the lack of options we face. The fortunate thing is that we can still choose to do something rather than just giving in to being sedentary. This is one way we can take control of our wellbeing.
– Tuomas Viirret, DC Wellness Coordinator