With the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, there are many ways in which exercise is beneficial for your mental and physical health. Since staying inside all day during quarantine can be detrimental to your overall well being, it is important to remain active and safely engage in physical activity. While it is hard to gain motivation when you are stuck in the house all day, exercising is often stereotyped that it is the only way to get in good shape or made for people who need to lose weight. In reality, exercise is proven to be beneficial to your overall mental and physical health. Even just getting outside and going for a walk “can bring up your mood if you have nothing to do” (Victoria Reynolds).
Exercise can simply be getting fresh air and does not have to adhere to social media’s expectations of vigorous exercise which may intimidate beginners. With this, it can also reduce stress, anxiety, and mood by boosting confidence and implementing a feeling of productivity. At the beginning of quarantine, many people went into a “depressed state from sitting inside all day and doing nothing”, but, with exercise as a form of distraction, “you will feel more motivated by not sitting in the house all day, and you will actually be productive” (Evelyn Reynolds). Hence, exercising during quarantine is crucial to increase productivity and motivational rates which can boost your overall mood.
Moreover, exercise improves your physical health immensely by preventing unhealthy weight gain and keeping your body in shape during these hard times. Staying inside all day due to quarantine can greatly reduce physical activity and promote lazy habits which will be hard to break out of. Even though it is hard to gain motivation, you will gain a “feeling of accomplishment” from exercise, and therefore your overall mood in this tough time will be raised (Katrina Venizelos).
Exercise has many physical and mental benefits which will aid in further improving your overall mood and habits developed during quarantine. While this is a difficult time for us all, it is important to remember the importance of self-care and the benefits which not only affect you, but additionally will better prepare you for the future which is unpredictable with coronavirus. By staying safe and finding ways to be active responsibly, you will be able to benefit from this quarantine and use it to your advantage.
Julia Synn
Staff Writer
Graphic: Sunny Rhew