I choose love.

I am sitting with my eleven year old nephew on a sunny Sydney day, watching him aim and shoot for the hoop. It made me think about my trip home to Kuala Lumpur as I am going back to 14-days of self isolation in my one bedroom apartment. COVID-19 has definitely crippled the entire world, restricting travels and bringing the global economy to a halt. When I get back, it would seem that I’ll have very limited exercise and social activities, unless I resist and improvise!

Listening to Australia’s PM Scott Morrison deliver his speech encouraging every Australian to play an essential role in keeping COVID-19 at bay by practicing social distancing, restricting movement and avoiding group gatherings made me think about how people like me in isolation would spend the next 14 days. Just yesterday, Jasmine and I just launched MOVEAID to assist people working in healthcare and the elderly with their household needs. This global pandemic also presents us all with a chance to take stock of life.

How I plan to stay active at home

Your Best Buddy (The Vacuum or The Broom)

Did you know scrubbing, sweeping, mopping & vacuuming are great ways of staying active? You burn more calories while vacuuming, so let’s get fit while cleaning! Besides, here’s what the Huffington Post reports to reinforce the suggestion:

• Scrubbing the tub for 15 minutes burns more than 90 calories
• Vacuuming could make a significant dent in your 10,000 recommended steps a day burning off 119 calories per 30 minutes.
• Sweeping with the broom will burn off 136 calories.

The Disco Dance Floor (Dancing)

Dancing is a great way of exercise. It keeps you fit and it is very easy. Just turn on a YouTube dance tutorial and start dancing! You could also enjoy a playlist of songs we’ve prepared called the Move8 Playlist below:

Flexing Waxing

We take for granted the distance and weather our car go through and great time is now to whip out the car wax and work those biceps. Always remember to engage your core muscles – that’s right in the centre of your tummy, and work in wide strokes so your entire arm feels the muscles working out.

Indoor Aerobic Exercise

Exercise can be achieved indoor with body weight exercise. Use your furniture as your exercise tools. To get a good back exercise simply lie down under a sturdy dining table, extend your arms out to grab the side of the table and pull yourself up. We highly advise speaking to your fitness coach so they can design a good programme for your while at home.

So during this Movement Control Order decreed by the government in order to #flattenthecurve, stay indoors as much as you can, but keep moving in whichever manner you can. Choose love and a positive outlook and may we come through this with much character building realised. Take care now.