In a time when everything is on your computer, we hope you’ve been adjusting well. Transitioning from everything being in person to suddenly staring at a laptop screen for hours on end was of course, tough for all of us. Everyone is struggling to buy a new pair of ‘blue light glasses’ online and suddenly doing eye exercises. Hours of zoom meetings, after-work FaceTime meetups with friends, and family nights playing some online games. School, college and work, all of it upended. When every part of our lives has been uploaded online, why not our fitness as well? Following online YouTube workouts and routines is not enough sadly. We’re all bound to give up at some time, especially because we’re doing it all alone.
What we’re lacking most during this pandemic is a sense of community and togetherness. While some of us have been quarantining with family or loved ones, a few have been quarantining alone. While this is detrimental to their mental health, it also doesn’t bode well for their physical health. So how do we translate physical wellbeing to its online counterpart? The answer is: virtual runs. These can be participated in at any location of your choosing, making it a perfect choice for a pandemic fitness routine. You can do it virtually at your own home using a treadmill. Or if you prefer the open air, you can safely exercise outside in your own neighbourhood. You can run at your own pace, over a period of days depending on what type of virtual run you choose.
One of the most important pros of app runs is the fact that it is entirely on your own terms. You don’t need to stress out about the start or end of the track, because you’re the one deciding when or where it is. If you have a stressful day at work and just want to unwind for about 20 minutes, you don’t need to finish the exercise from start to end. You create your own progress, so no added hassle, apart from school/college/work obviously. What’s more is that you don’t even have to run the entire distance. You can walk or jog as you like. Depending on your energy level and your mood, you can adjust your fitness routine.
Moreover, some of these events also support charities and causes, just like in-person marathons. This can help you give back to your community or a cause you particularly believe in and want to contribute to. No matter which cause you support, be it awareness or prevention of diseases, support of disadvantaged groups or helping animals, there is probably a virtual event you can look for that can support the same. Hence, you will be able to achieve your personal fitness goals while helping a good cause. Also, considering the monsoon season is coming up, you don’t have to postpone your exercise even if it’s raining. You can still be on track and achieve your weight loss or fitness goals at home, regardless of the weather.
A virtual run provides you the option to set and achieve your goals. Even though you won’t be competing next to hundreds of runners like in a real marathon, you will have the same objective and goal. These consolidate a sense of community in the same way a marathon does. A 2017 study showed that the benefits of social media for female Olympic athletes was that they could connect with their fellow athletes. This is especially important during a pandemic when building connections is more important than ever. Through this online exercise, you can inspire and motivate other runners, while gaining motivation yourself. Build and beat your own personal record using these, especially using mobile apps such as furo.fit!
Furthermore, when things go back to normal, which might be sooner than we think, you will be ready to tackle in-person marathons. While completing one at home, you will be building your tolerance and stamina for a real life jog. Your new skills and practice can be applied to marathons, races e.t.c. and a good tool for practice. If you’ve never completed a marathon before, you can measure your current capability and create a plan to improve as you get closer to your marathon date. You can work to your final objective, i.e. running a 5k or 10k. Hence, they can create positive energy within you by motivating and encouraging you to work harder in preparation for any future events.
Even though an online run is not a proper race, you must prepare for one as if it is an actual one. This is to enhance performance and reduce any injury during the exercise. Prep for this may include warm up exercises, stretches and eating well before you do it. Make sure you’re ready with a bottle of water and all your exercise gear, which includes proper well fitting shoes. Preparation also includes checking in on your mental state. This may be before, after or during the virtual run to make sure you’re not pushing yourself beyond your capacity. Training by yourself and running a virtual event is more difficult than if it were a regular one.
You can work on mental strategies, positive self-talk and motivation to get you to finish with flying colours. We at furo.fit can help you do this as well. We provide fun, exciting opportunities and allow you to complete at your own time and pace. Choose your own distance and win goodies on completion. There will be other participants as well, and the social feature allows you to connect with other runners.
Hence, this form of exercise is a wonderful way to start your fitness journey and work towards a healthier, fitter you. You don’t need to wait until gyms open up or lockdowns are lifted, because you can do this from the comfort of your home or neighbourhood. No need to worry about keeping track and staying on course, because an app does that job for you! So enjoy your workout routine and participate in a virtual run today!