One of the most important questions of people in self-isolation is how to fulfill the norm of physical activity at home: to go through 10 thousand steps and maintain sports adaptations - recommendations are given by Elena Kalashnikova, Garmin ambassador, CCM in athletics, blogger.
The load on the treadmill should be reduced by 20-30%
At home, conditions for running training are not the most comfortable, as there is not enough oxygen, and the mechanics of movement on the track are different from running on the street, so the load is distributed differently: running in the usual volume can cause muscle overstrain. Reducing the load by 20 - 30% at home will help you get used to the new movement. However, there are options for making running at home fun and rewarding.
Ventilate the room more often
Lack of oxygen, insufficient ventilation provoke a decrease in immunity. Ventilate the area one hour before and immediately after training and several times a day.
Make your run interactive
Modern technologies make it possible to diversify running with a functional interactive component. For example, this can be done by connecting the Zwift app to a Garmin smartwatch and a monitor (laptop, TV screen). You run along the path or pedal, and what happens on the screen resembles a computer game, only you work not with your hands, but with your feet, and the "little men" running by are real people from different parts of the world who today also study with you ...
Free: iOS | ANDROID
Thus, your workout on the simulator turns into an exciting process, being in isolation, you can create new communication connections - get to know the runners, exchange life hacks, how to maintain yourself in self-isolation. Unlike watching a movie on a screen, which is often a distraction, running in an interactive world helps you fix your attention and track your physical performance on the screen.
Use a foot pod
This is a handy tool that will allow you to more accurately determine the pace of walking or running on a treadmill, exercise bike, more accurately determine the distance traveled and also calculate the cadence (the frequency with which the runner's feet touch the surface), which allows you to track the dynamics of running technique. Garmin Food pod paired with Zwift allows you to more accurately track your running speed and integrate you into competition with runners from other countries. For example, if you are overtaken by Marcello, it means, indeed, a certain Marcello has increased his speed at the moment, running at home in Italy.
Add OFP
Despite the fact that we continue to run, our workload has decreased significantly along with daily activity: we do not need to go to the office or other public places. Instead of 10 thousand steps a day, we walk about 2-7 thousand or 10 thousand, but not as efficiently as we should. The lack of physical activity must be compensated for. Add GPP, stretching and other cardio activity to your leisure time.
For example, in the morning - exercise, in the afternoon - workout for 20-30 minutes, in the evening - running workout in Zwift. Three workouts a day will allow you to keep active as in the pre-quarantine period and keep the adaptations gained by training. With the help of various smart Garmins, you can monitor the body's ability to self-isolate.
Be gentle with high intensity exercise
During a pandemic, it is not recommended to do high-intensity exercise, since an increased load is, to some extent, stress for the body, and stress lowers the body's protective functions. Try moderate to light general fitness exercises. You can track your exercise level using your smartwatch: if your heart rate is displayed in zone 5, it means that you are currently doing a high-load workout. Heart rate level 2 on the smartwatch means that the body is loaded in moderation, the workout is easy.
Check your pulse regularly
Check your pulse in the morning, when you wake up, and before and after your workout. During the period of self-isolation, we are mainly placed in conditions of hypodynamia, from which we try to get out by organizing home workouts. But training in an apartment is not as effective as in the fresh air, there is a possibility that the body will lose some of the sports adaptations developed over the years of training, so I recommend monitoring the body's indicators and recording them. This can be done using different smartwatches.
In Garmin smart watches, all data, including sleep, calories, the female cycle, are recorded and built into dynamics - thus it is convenient to analyze the indicators obtained in 2 weeks - a month and you can track at what level your physical tone during the period of self-isolation. If your pulse has changed under the same loads, for example, it has become higher, then the body is weakened or due to physical inactivity or other factors, the body's performance has decreased.
