Subaru Brand Ambassador and Professional Triathlete Dr Hannah Wells.
COVID-19 has meant many changes for the majority of New Zealanders, with the country now in Level 4, full isolation for at least four weeks.
Subaru of New Zealand engaged our resident wellness consultant – brand ambassador and professional triathlete Hannah Wells to provide some tips to boost your mood and stay moving while you are home.
It's important to remember that based on the Government's guidelines, if you're going outside to get fresh air, you need to stay in your local community and not come into contact with anyone outside your bubble while in Level 4. Some of the activities suggested in the article may require you to drive somewhere (e.g. a park or beach), which is only appropriate when NZ is Level 3 or below.
Tip 1: Delegate a room in the house as the play room for the kids and an exercise room for you, if you have the space in your house to do so. If not, use an outside space. Keeping a play and exercise area separate from your main living and bedrooms will help keep your mind at peace when the space becomes a little messy, because let’s face it, it’s going to, especially if you’ve got kids at home!
Tip 2: Dynamic movements. Aim to do some basic dynamic movements to keep the body moving each day, and get the kids involved too. Star jumps, squats (with weights for adults), marching on the spot and lunges around the room are all easy dynamic movements everyone of all ages can do. Aim to do these twice daily. Put some music on, get your heart rate up and get those endorphins pumping!
Tip 3: Body weight strength and stretching. Try to do a few body weight and core exercises each day and finish them off with some stretching. These could include wall-sits, planks (front and both sides) and the superman exercise for example. Finish with some stretching, focusing on the main muscle groups, hamstrings, quads, glutes, back and arms. Incorporate some deep breathing during and after stretching, particularly if you are feeling a bit anxious at this time.
Tip 4: Keep motivation up. Make a little competition out of tip 2 and 3 if you are struggling to keep the motivation up. Count how many of the above exercises you each can do in 60 seconds, or how long you can hold each of the static body weight exercises, and record it in a chart, on a sheet of paper. Adding in a bit of competition could help keep the kids (and yourself) motivated and it’ll be nice for you to see how much you’ve achieved at the end of each day, and also by the end of the entire isolation period!
Tip 5: Get some fresh air. Try to get outside in the fresh air, going out for a walk or run every day. Venture out on foot to parks, beaches and wide open spaces safely. Make the most of this and enjoy these spaces daily, even if it’s just to clear the head and enjoy some time in nature more than anything. Note: Only walk out your driveway for a walk while NZ is on Level 4 (lockdown) and ensure you're only with people that are in your bubble. Your vehicle is only able to be used if essential.
Tip 6: Try to enjoy slowing down. We live busy lives so use this time to do all those things you wish you had time for like making a photo book, binge-watch a series on Netflix or watching all eight Harry Potter movies! Pick up a book you’ve been meaning to read for ages. While we are practising physical distancing, to help stop the spread of COVID-19, it is still important for our mental health and wellbeing to stay connected, so pick up the phone and call a friend or family member who has been on your want-to-speak-to list for too long.
Do things that make you feel good, like gardening, having a candle-lit bath, applying a face mask or doing some guided meditation via an App or podcast.
“Try to remain positive everyone and know that this unchartered, disrupted time on our lives will only be a temporary thing. Life will return to normal, so keep smiling!” Hannah Wells.
Tauranga-based athlete Hannah Wells has been sponsored by Subaru since 2019 and drives either our Impreza or XV model as her daily vehicle. Hannah races as a professional triathlete and loves using her Subaru to get around the country for both her job and to access her favourite training grounds, such as Mount Maunganui and the Redwoods forest in Rotorua.
Read more about Hannah here, and find out more about the new Subaru XV here.