What 3 tips did I learn during this past week of being home social distanced from my world? How did I stay active and fit and maintain my sanity?…😧 “I feel so out of control and with all the chaos going on in my house … how do I stay fit without going to the gym?!” Have you thought this to yourself?

I know I have! Personally I’ve had this issue this past week trying to balance life, family, work, and staying active.  We all had big goals for 2020 and spring races, now that the plan has changed we can’t let ourselves dip into a place we don’t want to go!  In this blog article, I got you covered on how you can stay active and fit with these 3 tips I learned during the COVID-19 crisis.

Click the video below to hear the LIVE announcement I made on my Facebook page and within the Healthy Runner Facebook Group

I am taking it day by day but feel a little better this week now that I have a dedicated work space for myself at home. I ordered a sit to stand desk that was delivered on Monday so I have an improved workstation set up.  Historically, if I sit too long I do get lower back pain like most of my 40-50 year old friends and clients I help with lower back pain (more common then you may think if you suffer from this!). Sidebar for a second but if you do get pain with sitting too much now that you are working from home, here is a great round of exercises (video below) I highly recommend you perform at least 4-5x/ day.  They have saved me this week for sure!

So… we all had big health goals for 2020 whether it was a weight loss goal or hitting a PR at your spring road race.  Now that the plan has changed we can’t let ourselves dip into a place we don’t want to go!

For those of you new to these weekly SPARK Physical Therapy blogs, I am Dr. Duane Scotti and I am a physical therapist, educator, and creator of the Healthy Runner Podcast and Facebook group as well as SPARK Physical Therapy where we help runners stay on the pavement doing what they love without pain, rest, or multiple trips to the doctors office.

I am pivoting to keep up with your needs at this time. We are happy to offer virtual telehealth visits 7 days a week. We have always met your expectations and goals and will continue to meet you where YOU are at…and right now that includes virtual sessions.  These have been going great so far and I have had some positive feedback like the feedback from this client…

“In these days of social distancing, I really would like to get out and run more. However, when I do, I literally feel crippled for the next few days. The fact of the matter is – I’ve had some chronic pain that I’ve been ignoring for some time now. I decided to reach out to Duane Scotti at SPARK Physical Therapy via Facebook. He quickly responded and, to my surprise, was able to provide me with a virtual appointment via Telehealth. Right from the comfort of my own home, he identified areas of weakness that are limiting my functionality and provided me with a comprehensive home exercise plan which included a prescription for running as well. The exercises are going well and I’m noticing my pain levels decreasing. I’m enjoying the runs and have even been able to get my husband to join me. My only regret is not reaching out sooner.”  -Deena A.

Let’s be honest….Are you worried and scared with this pandemic going on right now?  We are all in this together and I want to use this blog as a support group of sort. We are going to persevere together…and come out stronger 💪 on the other end of this TOGETHER.

Let’s Get Into My 3 Tips that I learned this past week to stay Active and Healthy amidst all the chaos around us:

1. Embrace Change!

As runners, we typically are pretty regimented and structured (maybe considered type A personalities).  You know you are this if you measure out your portions of your food, or eat the same thing everyday (me turkey sandwich everyday), run the same route every day, have the same routine each time you go out before a run or drink the same thing after a run on a hot humid day…You know who you are….

However, we need to try and be flexible and get used to this “new normal” because it appears it will be here for a while.

2. Structure Your Day

Start your day as you would normally when you were going to work.  For example this morning I did my normal Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine of going for a 3 mile run, gym (in my house), then showered, ate my usual work breakfast (apple and protein shake), and then headed into my (home) office.

3. Get Your Workout In!

You need to exercise!!! We all need to exercise…now more than ever. Why? Let’s test you all…especially if you have read previous blog posts before.  Why do you need to exercise? I bet you realized this over this past week or two. I would even guess that many of you never even have thought about this each time you go to the gym. You probably took it for granted.

O.k. let me be real with you all. We not only need to run right now but we need to exercise (something besides running).  It doesn’t matter if you went to the big box gym for strengthening and did your own program (like me) or you went to a small group training gym or you had a personal trainer you were working with. Right now you need to keep that up so you don’t lose your fitness (and your mind) during this time period that we are socially distancing.

Remember the main principle I live by? What do we need to do in order to run, healthy and happy for the long run?

Train in order to run!!!!

What do I mean by training?… strength train, jump train, train on 1 leg, train for flexibility and recovery (click the words in bold to find the previous blog articles on those important topics!). Remember those are the first 4 principles of our SPARK blueprint.

Are You Struggling To Train And Stay Fit Without Your Gym?

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I am taking this COVID-19 social distancing situation as a way to take lemons 🍋 and make lemonade and we kicked off our Pilot Program this morning!

“Every single thing you go through is designed to GROW you. Every experience made you WHO YOU ARE TODAY.”

I am taking this as an opportunity to serve EVEN MORE of you!

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To help you STAY ACTIVE, STAY HEALTHY & Improve YOUR IMMUNITY (and mental sanity) During this crisis TOGETHER!

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📍 That is why I have created the SPARK Online Fitness Community.

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To help you continue to move forward 🔜 in your health when most people are retracting with unhealthy snacks and Netflix/ Disney+ binging.

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We are going to persevere together…and come out stronger on the other end of this TOGETHER 💯

What You Get By Signing Up…

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✅ Access to a community of people who are after the same thing…to stay active, get fit, and further improve their life (and mental well-being).
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✅ LIVE workouts 🏋🏻‍♂️ EVERY Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6am and recorded (for those not able to make the LIVE workouts via ZOOM that will be streamed to our private SPARK Fitness Facebook Group).
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✅ Engage in a virtual community of people in a world where everyone is socially distant.
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✅ Q & A with me 🙋🏻‍♂️, Dr. Duane Scotti (and maybe some other special guests) about any of your fitness roadblocks and goals.
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Click THIS LINK  to learn more
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Here is the best part…I made this program super affordable because I want to help you during this difficult time. The only reason I am charging anything is because I know if I did it for free you wouldn’t do it. You need to be held accountable and putting up a nominal fee will make sure you get out of bed (like you did when you were going to the gym) or if you are tuning in to the replay of the workout later in the day. This program is only going to be $30/month for all that this program will offer. I am no math wizard but I believe that is $2.50 per workout and you will actually do the workouts with me and I will educate you to the why we are doing these exercises.

This program is for you if you have liked the exercises I have shared with you in the past from my “sparkyourtraining” YouTube channel but you never kept up with them or didn’t know exactly how to integrate them into your normal workout routine.

We are going to do what I do in the gym 3x/week every week that has kept me healthy and running as well as the hundreds of private clients of mine that I have helped over the years. The format of the workout will be foam rolling and mobility to start, activation of your stabilizer muscles (the muscles you probably ignore when you go to the gym), then a HIIT style workout super setting 3 different exercises (upper body, lower body, core) and then finish with stretching. Basically this will be everything you have ever read about on previous blog posts all packaged up in a practical format with us actually going through the workouts together to keep you motivated and accountable so you don’t lose all of your fitness you have accumulated since New Year’s Day 2020.
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…and you can do it in the comfort and safety of your own home 🏡

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It doesn’t matter if you’re new to fitness, been working out on and off as a weekend warrior, or are a dedicated gym goer and runner 🏃🏻‍♀️…this program is for you.

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If you want to join this community TEXT “SPARK Fitness” to (203) 376-6514 and let’s get fit TOGETHER!

O.k. lets wrap up what we talked about in this article:

3 Tips that I learned this past week to stay Active and Healthy amidst all the chaos around us included embracing change, structuring your day, and getting your workouts in!  I hope this info was helpful during these uncertain times.

Thank you for taking the time to read and stay active, stay healthy, and just keep running!

Best regards

– Duane Scotti, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS

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P.S- Here is the link about the program again in case you missed it above  https://sparkhealthyrunner.com/onlinefitness/

P.S.S- Here is the Blog Article With ALL THE BONUS VIDEO of the LIVE Q & A Training I did last week on running with social distancing:

https://sparkhealthyrunner.com/coronavirus-covid-19-keep-running-with-social-distancing/

You can also listen to the audio version of the Q&A during your social distancing walk or run today on the Healthy Runner Podcast 🎤…now available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or in this Website Link

🎉 The Healthy Runner Podcast Launch 🎉
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View Episodes

I am so excited to share the content on this podcast with you to answer this question…
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How do runners like us remain active, get stronger, and heal from injuries without being told to stop running and create a healthy life for ourselves so we can continue to hit PR’s well into our 40’s and 50’s.
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If you are motivated 🤨 and want to continue running without pain and want to run faster and further then this episode of the Healthy Runner podcast is for you!  Head over to your favorite podcast platform and SUBSCRIBE to check out the first 6 episodes!

All you need to do is…

Do you want to know more about our SPARK Physical Therapy running injury clinic or our healthy runner evaluation to get you on a specific plan to PREVENT any running related injuries as you ramp up your miles for 2020?