We don’t have to tell you everything feels completely upended.

We’re starting to wrap our brains around this new normal, but our—and, we’re guessing, your—”normal” includes regular sweat sessions.

With that in mind, we wanted to share Exercise Guidelines for Coronavirus Times.

1. Seriously, just move daily (if you’re healthy). And by move, we don’t mean huge workouts. You can walk in your jeans + tennies, practice yoga, run, ride your bike, follow a YouTube video, whatever works. You are already intimately familiar with the way a workout does a 180 for your body, mind, and spirit. These days, we all need that U-Turn as often as we can get it.

2. If you can get outside and move, bonus points. Even if clouds are hovering,  fresh air + a change of environment + forward movement=some of the best medicine going.

3. Plan in advance. It can be as basic as my Sunday morning scrawls above (I’m training for a cycling event in May) or it can be super detailed: the time you’ll go, the distance you’ll cover, etc. Sounds basic, but we promise you: Planning ahead is the most integral part of turning I-shoulds into I-wills.

Need ideas for workouts?  Might we recommend Many Happy Miles or Heart + Sole: Introduction to Heart Rate Training, two comprehensive, non-race focused programs? #smallbusinesspromo

4. Keep your routine as best you can. With school out and offices closed, it can be easy to just go into PJs-all-day mentality.

We’re not saying you need to get up and hammer at 5:30 every morning, but we are saying: Get up at your usual time. Be grateful you don’t have to rush, rush, rush; enjoy your coffee and take your time getting out the door.  But still, get out the door—or on your yoga mat or in the burpee position or…

5. Already feeling overly anxious? Get it. Keep your exercise efforts easy peasy.  There’s no benefit—and potential harm—in further spiking your cortisol levels with intense intervals or mileage in the double digits. Aim for 30-60 minutes of an easy run or a brisk walk for each workout.

6. Outside not possible? Hit up the YT or the stairs. YouTube has plenty of free exercise videos. A few of our favorite channels:

• Train Like a Mother Club: Most of the videos require just your body weight.
• Fitness Blender: Seriously, the husband/wife team offers every workout possible.
• Yoga with Adriene: A perennial favorite around these parts.
  
• And, if you’ve got a set of stairs in your house, you’ve got a great workout, as many former Stride participants can attest. (Remember, it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun.) Here’s one to get you climbing + sweating—and to confuse your dog.

7. If you’re training for a race that has been postponed for months or canceled, scale back to mileage close to your first week or two of training and hang there until you have a new plan. And listen to this immensely helpful podcast with sports psychologist Dr. Justin Ross for help with the mental side of things.

8. If you’re training for a race that has not been significantly postponed or canceled, keep your training momentum going. Stick to the program, but realize you can turn any workout into easy effort and not have it negatively impact your race. So if you’re not up for tempo intervals on Tuesday, all good. Calculate how much time that workout would take, and run easy for that amount of time. 

9. Stick with the move daily/ideally outdoors mantra for your kids. Obviously, very age- and personality-dependent, but if part of their day—could be 20 minutes, could be 2 hours—meet those two requirements, count it as a win. 

(And hey: I am not ashamed to say I’m motivated by money during tough training cycles, so if throwing a dollar or three into the pot for a bike ride is what it takes, I’m all for it. #alreadydoneit)

10. Wash your hands before and after your workout. And now is probably not the time to rewear your gear from yesterday’s workout. #justsayin’

What did we miss? Sound off in the comments below!