It’s common to let our routines and our self-care slip in times of crisis. But I must exercise, often, to keep bipolar depression and mania at bay. Here is how I’ve improvised, making a new workout routine that works for me!

Improvising Exercise

Many months into our global health crisis and a couple of months after being laid off, surprisingly, I am not constantly fighting off mild depression. Unemployment is my nemesis, yet, somehow, I feel like myself. For three miserable months in the spring of 2009, during the Great Recession, I traveled far from myself and into the land of mania.

I can go one day without Exercise. Two days off, and I start feeling tentative about things. More than two days off, and the self-doubt and negative self-talk escalate. Perhaps what is most painful is the constant indecision: Should I clean the garage first, or should I go grocery shopping first? Should I wear the red sandals or the beige flats?

Nothing else I have ever done has such a dramatic effect of keeping my bipolar depression at bay than had regular exercise. Five times a week is my magic number, and I need to exercise hard enough that I break a sweat. My exercise sessions average about 50 minutes, and two sessions a week involve Resistance training.

Of course, not everybody will need the same amount of exercise or types of exercise as I do—this is just what I need to do, personally, to stay on top of my moods.

I am also keeping much more of a daily routine than I did in 2009, to stave off manic episodes.

But, lately, I’ve had to improvise.

Gym Shutdown & Finding Alternatives

Surprisingly, I really don’t enjoy working out at a gym. But, once I had children and took on a lengthy commute, it became difficult to regularly play recreational sports, such as tennis, volleyball, and soccer. So, to the gym I went.

When my gym shut down in March 2020, I knew I would miss it, but I didn’t realize how much. As a Cal State Long Beach alumna, I was able to become a member of their Wellness Center, which features a rock-climbing wall, an indoor track, an outdoor pool and volleyball court, a free-weight area, several types of machines, a basketball court, multiple rooms for exercise classes, and more. Within the sizeable, two-story building, many large windows overlook the campus and let in lots of natural light. Biking the mile and a half there and back served as my warm-up and cool-down.

Although I find swimming boring, I made myself swim there once a week, because emerging from their outdoor heated pool made me feel as if I had just received a massage without having to plop down $85.

Sweat Room a.k.a. Living Room

My living room isn’t furnished with exercise machines or a rack of free weights, but I do have some dumbbells and an exercise mat. So, to keep myself moving, I put to use all that I learned from small-group personal-training classes, including over a dozen exercises that use my body to provide resistance. I cross the living room on a diagonal while doing exercises, such as inchworms, crab walks, bear walks, and lunges. Some of the exercises are stationary, such as planks.

Pro Tip: I have found that listening to T.I.’s “Ready for Whatever (Paper Trail),” which has perfect beats for working out, or listening to the news on NPR helps make the time pass.

DVD Workouts

My living room repertoire includes working out to one of the high-intensity workouts I have in a set of 11 DVDs. The 30-minute routines vary between cardio and resistance workouts and include warm-ups and post-exercise stretches.

Other options could include following online instructional videos (I tried a few free YouTube workout videos, but they didn’t move quickly enough for me). Also, I see others working out in the nearby park using routines on mobile apps, resistance bands strung from tree limbs, and benches for climbing up and down.

Jogging with Our Dog, Charlie

Four years ago, my daughter finally won me over, and we adopted Charlie, a one-year-old Tibetan Spaniel. Before Charlie, I only jogged in a pinch, because I found it boring and I worried about injuries. It’s a completely different experience jogging with Charlie by my side. He and I jog together twice a week early in the morning.

Biking to Run Errands

Since the spring, I have been biking more often to run errands. The average length of my round-trip rides is four miles, which is not quite a workout (for me). Long Beach has bike paths, and I feel safe, but I don’t go for longer rides to achieve a workout, because it’s not relaxing being on high alert, watching out for cars, and navigating major intersections.

A 10-mile round trip on a bike trail would be relaxing and help me break a sweat, but I haven’t taken the time to figure out how to find the hidden trails yet.

Interval Training with a Jump Rope

Want a lifetime supply of antidepressants? Buy a jump Rope. I’m joking, of course! But I can’t think of a cheaper, more adaptable exercise that you can take anywhere.

I used to jump rope in the parking lot while my son’s baseball team warmed up before their game. Now I jump rope in the backyard.

I also use my jump rope for interval training. With my phone as my timer, I jump as fast as I can for three minutes, and then I take a one-minute break. When I trip on the rope during my jumping sessions, I switch the way that I’m jumping. If I need a resistance session, I alternate the jumping-rope sessions with resistance exercises, three minutes on and one minute off.

Unlike jogging, jumping rope is considered a low-impact exercise because your feet never travel far from the ground. Because it is high intensity, you can get an impressive cardio workout within half an hour.

Versatile Kettlebells

Once you learn how to handle kettlebells properly, you can use them to do a variety of resistance exercises. Because of their range of motion, they also tone your muscles; and, if you work out at a brisk pace, you achieve a cardio workout as well. However, my two kettlebells disappeared from the mini-gym of my former workplace. I miss them, but I can’t justify spending a hundred dollars to replace them right now, because I have alternative ways to work out.

Adapting to Manage My Moods

Given all that has changed in our lives and how my routine has been interrupted, I never could have imagined being able to work out in such a limited capacity for so long.

The payoff—easing my bipolar depression—makes it worth it, though.

This is what I have found most helpful so far. What are you doing to become fit or maintain your exercise regime—whether you are just getting started or have had to adapt like me?

The post Working It Out—Improvising My Exercise in Troubling Times appeared first on bpHope.com.