During these very strange times of no gyms, no recreational sports or parks to frolic in, it has been tough for fitness folks to stay motivated.

My daughter, Nikki, and I have been trying our best — while dodging Bruce Wayne the Wonder dog, fire ant hills and curious neighbors — to perform our home CrossFit workouts in the house and yard. Thanks to David, our coach at Hardroad, and his daily workout videos, for the most part, we have been pretty successful. The lockdown has been a real exercise in our improvisation skills. We find ourselves jumping on our porch steps, doing push-ups and burpees in the front yard and lifting whatever we can find. While the whole situation is less than ideal, I am here to say you can stay fit even while stuck at the house.

Here are some ideas to keep you moving until your gym is allowed to open its doors:

— Walking/Running: Walking or running in the great outdoors takes only a decent pair of shoes and a sense of direction. Three to five days per week, 30-60 minutes of cardiovascular will keep your heart happy and healthy.

— Yoga: Yoga is a great way to not only relieve stress but also build core strength and develop flexibility. All you need is a mat, Yoga block and a YouTube video.

— Cycling: Bicycling is a great way to get in your cardio. You can spend as much or as little as you like on a bicycle, depending on the type of riding you want to do. Bikes also can be fitted with racks that enable them to be ridden indoors during the winter months.

— Body Weight Exercises: Don’t underestimate the strength training benefits of utilizing your own body weight. Push-ups, sit-ups, planks and squats are just a few of the exercises you can do at home in a limited amount of space. Three to four times per week will help keep your muscles toned.

— Home Exercise Equipment: If you want to invest some money in your home program, check out some of the home exercise equipment available. One of the most popular at the moment is the Peleton series of fitness equipment. They offer cycles, steppers and even treadmills with live trainer capability. If you decide to go this route, make sure you are committed as you will be shelling out several thousand dollars for the equipment and additional money for the personal training services.

— Improvise: If you don’t have the time, money or the interest in hunting down fitness equipment, look around the house. Any odd-shaped object with some weight to it can be used for strength training. Look in the garage for an old tire to flip, a bowling ball in a bag to lift or something substantial in a wagon and pull it around. Be creative!

So, whether you are, like me, and in between gyms or just prefer doing your own thing, working out at home is an option. Just keep in mind that it is sometimes easier to skip working out if you do it in full view of your couch or favorite recliner, so be strong!

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Kathy Hansen

Contributing columnist

Kathy Hansen has more than 30 years of experience in the health and fitness field. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]