FACT:
As boredom increases during quarantine, so does the amount of screen time spent on televisions, phones, video games and computers. The stay-at-home restrictions still have many of us sheltered in place. As a result, device addiction is perhaps more prevalent now than ever, especially in youths, so it's important to have some fun, tech-free activities and sports to help get everyone away from the screens and more balanced.
With remote learning the new norm now, finding an alternative to the activities that keep us glued to the screen all day is critical. Here are a few examples that can fill some of that time, away from the screen.
Basketball or Soccer
For basketball and soccer players, there are plenty of at-home practice drills that can be done while quarantined—from shooting baskets on the driveway, practicing ball-handling drills like dribbling, to kicking a soccer ball into a net or against the garage door. There are also rebounding nets that can be easily set up against the basketball hoop to help with solo practice. So whether you prefer basketball or soccer, just get outside and get dribbling!
Ping Pong
One of the more popular indoor sports is ping pong (or table tennis as it is also referred to). Having a ping-pong table is, of course, the best way to play, but if you don’t have the room or don’t want to spend the money on one, there are ways to accomplish the same thing with just a portable net, kitchen table, a couple of paddles and a ping-pong ball. Another nice feature of table tennis is that you can practice by yourself against a solid backdrop, to start developing your skills, having some fun in the meantime.
Indoor Golf
While golf courses are slowly starting to open up under some restrictions after the complete shutdown of the past couple of months, there is plenty of golf that can be practiced at home in the meantime. Indoor putting greens are very affordable and offer a great opportunity to practice what many consider to be the hardest part of the game. While swinging a club around the yard at a Wiffle ball is very economical, another great option is to grab your sand wedge from the bag, a few golf balls, a bucket, and hit some chip shots from a few yards out in your own backyard. And when it's time to hit the courses outdoors, try the best golf drinks by LIFEAID: GOLFERAID.
Water Balloon Dodgeball
This is a very simple, but fun twist on the gym-class staple that—while tutoring or wrangling the kids at home—can be a nice release of energy with the added benefit of a cool, refreshing break once the weather heat up. Instead of those old-school bouncy balls, simply replace them with water balloons and have a good old-fashioned game of dodgeball. Be sure to include mom and dad in the fun! And just like the PE teacher always said, never aim for the head.
Photo courtesy of Gaiam.com
Doga
With nothing more than a yoga mat, you can discover the combination of physical and mental exercises that have been popular for thousands of years. The beauty of yoga is that you don’t have to be an expert to reap the benefits. Plus, with doga, it is not your ordinary yoga but rather a yoga hybrid you can do with your canine companion. I mean, who doesn’t love getting to spend more time with their dog while doing an activity they enjoy? Just don’t forget to make sure you and your buddy both have fresh breath for complete peace of mind during your doga session.
Whether you are young or old, fit or overweight, doga has the power to calm the mind and strengthen the body. It's easy to be intimidated by doga terminology, and complicated poses, but don’t be. Doga is a great sport for everyone and it is also beneficial to your dog to help calm him or her.
Gardening
Aside from the sports mentioned above, you can also try planting something indoors or outdoors. Start small, pick up some packets of seeds or a few starter plants you’d love to nurture. You may never know what your green thumb can do until you try! Plus, gardening can be a great outlet to help relieve mild stress and quiet the mind, while also snagging you some fresh air and much-needed vitamin D in the sunshine.
C O N C L U S I O N
However you decide to unplug and get away from the daily ‘screen life’ during these crazy times, just remember to focus on the activities and people in your life that help bring you joy and leave you feeling less stressed. So next time you’re tempted to rush through your day, just pause, put down your phone, breathe, move your body, get outside, and enjoy the moment. Because nothing beats that feeling of creating a little more balance in your daily life.
Cover photo courtesy of Unsplash.com
All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jordan Fuller is a retired golfer who also owns a golf publication site, Golf Influence. He has loved golf since he was a kid and feels golf has been significantly helpful in improving his overall health.
> > > Stay well.
Repost of original article on TheDrum.com by Kenneth Hein | 14 July 2020 10:00am
Imagine your brand was built in lockstep with CrossFit and then let’s say more than a third of your sales came through gyms. Now imagine gyms were closed and the chief exec of CrossFit became an instant pariah because of offensive George Floyd and coronavirus tweets. That is the exact situation LIFEAID Beverage Co found itself in just a month ago.
“It was a spiraling shitstorm,” says LIFEAID co-founder and president Aaron Hinde of the CrossFit controversy. “We were the first company to step forward and say we’re not in alignment with [CrossFit] leadership in this way of thinking. We took a stand.” In addition to speaking out immediately, it cancelled its long-time sponsorship of the CrossFit Games.
While Hinde and co-founder/chief exec Orion Melehan were in complete agreement about the move, there was some “blowback for jumping ship on CrossFit,” says Hinde.
Faced with this wildly difficult environment, how is the brand doing? It sold out of its IMMUNITYAID product. Direct-to-consumer sales on its website have doubled and Amazon sales have tripled since March, per the company. Overall, the company is still experiencing growth numbers similar to as if it were a “normal” year with a stretch goal of hitting $50m in sales.
Upending the classic rules of marketing
So how did LIFEAID maintain its trajectory? In many ways, the LIFEAID founders fortified their brand for such a moment from the very start. Launched in 2009 by a sports chiropractor (Hinde) and a financial planner (Melehan), they decided to hyper-focus on specific audiences before building out their core brand.
They identified a wide-open space for a healthy alternative to energy drinks, colas and then-fringe drinks like coconut water. The first audience they targeted was golfers. They realized this highly desirable demographic was under-served, so their inaugural product was GOLFERAID. They followed suit with FITAID which soon became a cult favorite at CrossFit gyms.
The alliance with CrossFit was both a successful and obvious one. Hinde and Melehan met at a CrossFit in Santa Cruz, Calif., a stone’s throw from the CrossFit headquarters office. After draining $30,000 apiece from their bank accounts and sweet talking a local aluminum can supplier with a hand-written note and a gift card to Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, they were on their way.
“Focusing on early adopters in a single target market, really capturing and speaking to that market and getting them totally raving about the product and expanding from there really worked for us,” says Melehan.
Only after their sub-brands took hold that did they launch their core LIFEAID brand at major retailers like Walmart, Whole Foods and Kroger. Today, retail makes up 60% of sales with further distribution deals on the horizon.
“They upended the classic rules of marketing,” says Beverage Business Insights editor Gerry Khermouch. “They launched their grocery play after they launched their other SKUS. They are making it up as they go along.”
This includes the counterintuitive move of debuting new line extensions during the pandemic. Last month, the company rolled out FITAID and IMMUNITYAID go powder lines anticipating that consumers will be on the go soon. Additionally, it is expanding into the UK this month. Melehan says, “We’re really good at doing the opposite of what everyone else does.”
Protecting its core audience
Despite the brand’s expansion plans, it never lost sight of the audience that put it on the map: gym owners. That’s why it kicked off a program in April (opens in new window) that gives gyms $15 every time a members orders LIFEAID online and enters the gym’s unique code. The program concludes this month.
“They’ve become a much broader brand in multiple channels, but they recognize the base of the brand goes back to CrossFit. They need to maintain allegiance to individual gym owners and stick to their brand roots,” says Khermouch. “They are being shrewd in not being cavalier and taking them for granted.”
Rewarding gym owners is just the latest savvy move that also works to bolster its powerful direct-to-consumer e-commerce audience. LIFEAID has been smartly building its lists and even leveraged traditional snail mail offers in the beginning.
Of late, it has shifted sponsorship and sampling dollars deeper into social media and Amazon advertising. This includes, much like other DTC brands, staying active on Facebook. “There’s a reason why Facebook’s share price continues to climb,” says Melehan. “Even though everyone is boycotting them, small and medium-sized businesses have no other option. We are still a scrappy startup that needs to be ROI focused. The large conglomerates have other options.”
This new marketing mix appears to be working with online sales making up for much of the shortfall experienced from gym closures, per Melehan. In fact, as many as 80% of its consumers have set their carts to automatic reorder.
Success online and in traditional sales channels is now crucial for the brand, especially since one-in-four Americans say they will never return to a gym, according to a new study. Staying true to their counter-intuitive tactics, the study was commissioned by none other than the LIFEAID founders. “We were curious. As things reopen, we wanted to know what we can realistically expect,” says Melehan.
While a little planning never hurts, after everything the brand has experienced in just a few weeks’ time, LIFEAID's founders are ready for anything. Melehan says, “the decision matrix is expanding. You’ve got to make massive, multi-hundred thousand-dollar decisions within a couple of hours right now.” So far, they appear to be making the right ones.
This is a repost of the original article which you can view on TheDrum.com
All rights reserved.
> > > Stay well.
Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman
Athletes around the world have become all-too familiar with the struggles of trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and exercise regimen while gyms have been temporarily closed worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sharing our quarantine experiences and struggles with our fitness friends has become a major way for us to connect and stay motivated in a time of social distancing.
But what has quarantine been like for professional athletes?
We interviewed four FITAID athletes—Kelsey Kiel, Jacob Heppner, Neal Maddox and Jackie Perez—to get their take on how they’ve been not only staying fit but also what key learnings they may be taking away from their time in quarantine so far. Here's what they had to say!
QUESTION 1
FITAID: Isolation coupled with a massive change in our normal day-to-day life can be tough for everyone. What obstacles have you experienced and overcome during quarantine?
Kelsey Kiel: I think one of the biggest things people (including myself) weren't used to when we started this whole quarantine is the "being alone with yourself" thing. I always thought I was independent (I still think that), but being separated from normal life and interactions, you really have to be okay with sitting with yourself (all the thoughts and feelings that come with that). It was a tough thing for me at first, but I've really embraced FEELING and THINKING and BEING. Which is a bit abstract, but I think it's helped me grow.
Jackie Perez: Quarantine has forced me to really take a look at what I rely on for happiness. Total isolation has shown me that I rely on others and events to make me happy or motivate me. I have overcome this by trying to focus on the things that bring joy to me. The things that if they were taken away, they wouldn't take my joy. I've started doing things I would never stop and take the time to do like read and go on walks or journal. Things that don't require much but truly make me happy.
QUESTION 2
FITAID: As many of our local CrossFit boxes have been closed, what are some ways that you've been keeping fit during quarantine? What is the most unique thing you've done so far for fitness?
Jackie Perez: I created a Running Club because I found myself very unmotivated to workout. It was a huge success and had over 500 people sign up. I thrive on community so I created one where we all pushed each other and kept each other accountable. Nothing replaces the community vibe of being at the gym, but we must adapt to the current situation instead of letting it control us.
Neal Maddox: I tend to go for bike rides a lot. I put together a home gym so I am able to train still.
QUESTION 3
FITAID: Staying positive and tuning in to our emotions have been very important lately. How have you been staying present, positive and connected?
Jacob Heppner: For those of you that know me you know I'm already a super positive and connected person! One thing I recently did during the quarantine period was to start Fitness Related Awesome News (FRAN) which shares positive and uplifting news from around the globe in the fitness space!
Kelsey Kiel: I've been doing a lot of self work and reading and writing. It's also been helpful to have people around me (not necessarily physically, haha) who have been there—FaceTiming, phone calling, and connecting that way. My dog also helps me stay positive because he's so dang cute.
QUESTION 4
FITAID: Describe how you've been focusing on nutritional wellness during this time. What have been some of your favorite healthy dishes you've made during quarantine?
Kelsey Kiel: I track my macros regularly, and I recognized after a few weeks that nutrition and food is something I can control, so it actually helped me feel a sense of normalcy to continue to count and track my macros and eat the normal, healthy and tasty things I normally would.
Jacob Heppner: I've actually spent a lot of time focusing on my nutritional wellness and realized that so many others need that help and need accountability! So I recently started "Functional Eating" which is a nutrition company with a 1-on-1 coach, the same coaches I use for my diet and nutrition for competing at the Games. Our main focus is giving every person that accountability and relationship instead of just a plain ol' diet template that doesn't keep you accountable!
QUESTION 5
FITAID: What advice do you have for other athletes during quarantine? What have you personally taken away from this experience?
Neal Maddox: Advice I could give is this: get off social media and pick up a book. I have been basically going back to school and gathering as much knowledge as possible. The reason is because I want to come out of this pandemic a better person and great coach for my clients.
Jackie Perez: The best advice I can give is to only focus on what you can control. See opportunity in the situation that will help you grow. It's a great time to get back to the fundamentals and make them bullet proof. We won't have this kind of time to rebuild from square one again so focus on the basics and get really good at them so when things go back to normal, we can continue to build.
C O N C L U S I O N
This experience has shown me just how important it is to control our thoughts. This can either be the biggest tragedy we have had to deal with or an opportunity for growth in areas of our lives we have ignored because we were too busy.
As Jackie Perez mentioned in her interview, “Nothing replaces the community vibe of being at the gym, but we must adapt to the current situation instead of letting it control us.”
While it can be easy to lament the temporary closing of your local gym, remember that everyone—even professional athletes—are going through the same experience, and with that knowledge we can move forward together towards a positive and healthy future.
All images are the property of respective athlete and FITAID, all rights reserved.
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Stay well.
Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman
Is social distancing putting a cramp in your fitness regimen?
Are you finding it difficult or frustrating to get a sweat session in without access to your normal workout equipment? With so many of us now finding ourselves doing nearly everything from home, we’re longing for the days when attending a HIIT, yoga, CrossFit, dance or spin class was the norm in our daily routine.
Photos of epic and creative home/garage gyms are popping up everywhere, as we adjust to our new-found quarantine lifestyle. To help you stay fit during SIP, we've curated a list of five different types of fun and effective workouts that will get you sweating with little (or no) equipment. Bonus: if you’re missing your workout buddies, you can easily do these circuits over Zoom/FaceTimeⓇ with a friend.
Grab your water bottle, some tunes, a virtual friend, and get ready for some simple at-home workouts that will get both your heart rate and mood boosted!
HIIT (high-intensity interval training) has become popular among those who are looking for a heart-pumping workout often using just your bodyweight combined with high reps.
Check out this HIIT workout you can try at home, repeat the circuit 3-4 times:
20 Speed Skaters
10 Air Squats
10 Squat Jumps
30 Mountain Climbers
10 Sit-Ups
10 Seated Ab Tucks
10 Push-Ups
10 Burpees
10 Pulse Lunges (per leg)
10 Glute Bridges
Max. Plank Hold
HIIT workout courtesy of @healthy_bree
There are many subsets of yoga, from hot yoga to Bikram to Ashtanga Vinyasa and more! Some yoga flows can be meditative, slow and peaceful while others will send your heart rate soaring or have you completely inverted.
Check out these sans-equipment home yoga sequences. Repeat each exercise for 15 reps, complete 3-4 rounds:
Downward Dog to Upward Dog
Knee Hover to Downward Dog
Knee Hover + knee-to-shoulder taps
Handstand Tuck Jump
Hand Plank to Forearm Plank (with alternating knee hovers)
Yoga workout courtesy of @fitveganyogi
Cardio is typically defined as any sort of workout that increases your heart rate. Whether that is running, climbing stairs, swimming or high-volume body movements, it is guaranteed to spike your heart rate and get you sweating.
Check out this spicy at-home cardio circuit, try repeating the circuit 4-5 times:
1:00 Skaters
0:15 Run, turnaround, then 0:15 Run back
1:00 Squat Jumps
0:30 Run, turnaround, then 0:30 Run back
1:00 Burpees
0:45 Run, turnaround, then 0:45 Run back
1:00 Jumping Jacks
Cardio workout courtesy of @gomadtfitnesstoledo
Workouts incorporating various dance movements have become a fitness trend that has cultivated a huge following. From barre to ballroom dancing to Buti yoga, there are many dance-infused fitness routines for you to explore, even from home.
Give this at-home dance circuit a go, repeat 3-4 times:
10 Passé Jump Step Touch
10 Squat Jump Twist
10 Tricep Tap Clap Plank
10 Plank Jack Knee Crunch
Dance workout courtesy of @sequinjillian and @carbon38
If you’re wanting to get some strength training in but don’t have any dumbbells or barbells on hand, we’ve got you covered. During this time, getting creative is key! Please feel free to adjust the movements for whatever equipment you have, and always be safe.*
Here’s an upper-body strength circuit that uses items you can easily find lying around your home! Aim for quality reps and complete the circuit 2 times:
5 Single-Arm Shoulder Lifts with a weighted/full backpack (5x per side)
5 Single-Arm Fly with a weighted/full backpack (5x per side)
5 Shoulder Lifts with a heavy box/bag
0:30 Overhead Hold with a heavy box/bag
5 Arm Raises with a heavy box/bag
5 Single-Shoulder Press with a milk jug/bottle (5x per side)
5 Around-the-Worlds with a broom handle/stick
5 Tricep Extensions with a milk jug/bottle
Strength workout courtesy of @dina_homeworkouts
C O N C L U S I O N
Hopefully, these at-home workouts will help get you motivated and moving. But, like all things during this time, please don’t let failure or missed workouts become a point of shame—remember that your mental health is equally important right now. So if you find yourself getting more frustrated than fit, just give yourself a break for the day, go for a walk, then get back to it tomorrow. Utilize this unique time to explore different types of workouts and just have fun moving your body today!
*Please always consult a physician before starting any exercise regimen.
Photos courtesy of: @healthy_bree and @meganashleyfitness
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Stay well.
Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman
This is definitely an unprecedented time in everyone’s lives. As we’re self-isolating in our own homes, many people are finding creative ways to stay connected during this time of social distancing. While it might not be the same as gathering your closest friends together for a backyard BBQ, these clever ways of staying in touch with your friends are sure to help banish any quarantine blues.
CHECK OUT OUR TOP 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET SOCIAL, EVEN FROM AFAR:
- Share Your Playlists
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Curating a personalized playlist is an old throwback to creating mix tapes (or CDs, for all you millenials out there) for your best friend, and it is a classic, time-tested tradition of showing someone that you care. Not only can you create a playlist for your friends but you can also create various different playlists to share with others so they can listen while doing quarantine activities, like making dinner or cleaning out their closet. It'll make them feel more connected to you and help boost their mood.
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- Virtual Workout Sessions
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Athletes are having to get a bit creative when it comes to sticking to their workout routine from home lately. Even though we may be maintaining our fitness, most of us are missing that important social aspect of being a member of a gym and its community. A cool way to get together with your gym buddies during quarantine is to set up a WOD, HIIT, yoga or stretching session over FaceTime (video call). Not only are you getting your workout in for the day but you’re also getting the chance to connect with your fitness friends. Just knowing we're all still sweating through this together can help keep you motivated!
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- Watch Shows Together
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Streaming services (like Netflix® and Hulu®) have been churning out the content lately, so now is the perfect time to (video) call up your sister, co-worker or friends and tune into the same guilty pleasure reality series. Just because we can't physically have visitors in our home doesn’t mean we can’t have a fun night of laughing and chatting together over FaceTime, Zoom® or video calls with them.
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- Parking Lot Dinner Dates
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Want to spend time with your partner or loved one while helping to support your local economy at the same time? Try a parking lot dinner date! Many local restaurants are still safely offering take-away options for select menu items, so grab yourself a yummy meal and meet your favorite person in the parking lot. While still maintaining the six feet of required distance, you can sit in your car while they sit in theirs—with the windows rolled down—and spend some quality time catching up. Nothing beats good food and good company, and a few feet of distance is always better than a few miles.
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- FaceTime While Cooking
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Sharing recipes has seen a resurgence, with thousands of people discovering or rekindling their love of cooking and baking while in quarantine. (Finding bread and yeast online or in stores lately is like a quest for the Holy Grail!) When has there ever been a better time to try trading recipes with a friend or—as an added level of fun—try cooking together virtually! Not only can you get in some good gab time but you can also share cooking advice while attempting to master each other’s favorite recipe(s). Plus, making a mess in the kitchen is always more fun when someone is doing it with you, even if it's only virtually. After quarantine, we may have to change the saying to: "Friends who cook together stay together."
C O N C L U S I O N
This is a new way of life for everyone so it’s normal to feel days of frustration, stress and loneliness. Taking this new journey one day at a time while finding new, inventive ways to connect with our loved ones is a helpful way to make us feel more social and happy. While these creative shelter-in-place solutions may not be able to replace the joy of holding our partner's hand at the movie theatre on the weekends or meeting up with friends for brunch, we must simply do our best to stay connected and positive during this time. Being kind to ourselves by prioritizing self-care is not only about eating well and keeping fit, it's also about remaining connected with our core group of loved ones. So the next time you’re feeling down, hop on a video call with your best friend and try working out, cooking or just talking while sheltering-in-place, virtually, together.
Cover photo courtesy of @ninaghamari
Cooking photo courtesy of @foodfirstfuel
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Stay well.
Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman
Staying motivated to continue on your fitness journey during a shelter in place order can be difficult, especially if you’ve been doing the same body weight exercises in your living room for the past four weeks. Staying active can not only give your immune system a boost but it can also provide an emotional lift during a time when our day-to-day life has changed dramatically.
If you’re looking for some ideas to help amp up your fitness motivation, check out these helpful tips:
♦ Create a Schedule For Yourself
Having a structured day and a dedicated schedule can help you feel more productive, focused and willing to take on some fitness. Knowing that you have carved out some time in your day for your workout not only gives you a mental and emotional break, but it can also help you to feel reinvigorated for future workout sessions.
♦ Participate in Weekly Fitness Challenges
There are so many CrossFit boxes, Jiu-Jitsu schools and yoga studios on social media who are offering up their services free of charge to help get people moving. Look up some fun fitness related challenges that’ll get you logging some miles or videoing your daily burpees. Posting your progress on social media so your friends can virtually participate along with you or cheer you on can help you to feel encouraged to continue.
♦ Commit to the Mindset
It can be easy to be in the doldrums right now, but if you’re wanting to amp up your motivation, commit to the mindset that you’re going to get moving and get going. Being your own biggest cheerleader right now is so important for mental health. Sometimes just pledging to the process can be enough to make you feel inspired to get moving again. That also includes committing to a realistic and healthy fitness schedule that is right for you.
♦ Find a Workout Buddy
Whether it’s your dog, your partner or your friend over video chat, having someone else who is relying on you can give you the extra push to get out and get going. It might require a little extra planning and creativity, but working out with a friend can really make you feel connected and inspired to continue your training. Don’t leave them hanging!
♦ Try New Things
If you’re normally into HIIT workouts or prefer a slower paced yoga routine, now is the time to experiment with different types of fitness! It can be easy for our preferred workout to become deeply ingrained in our day to day routine pre-quarantine. Now that our schedule has been shaken up and you might not be feeling the same motivation without your gym buddies, try to use this time to find fun, new hobbies you might not have given yourself the chance to explore previously.
♦ Take Rest Days
It may seem counterintuitive, but giving yourself some time to rest and recover can give you more motivation for future fitness and less burn out. You’ll feel ready to tackle your next vinyasa flow with vigor and energy! Maintaining rest days or active recovery days can give structure to your workout schedule as well as providing a physical and mental health balance in our lives.
C O N C L U S I O N
Keep in mind that this isn’t a normal moment in any of our lives and it’s important to be kind to yourself during your training periods in quarantine. This isn’t a time to compare your fitness to others but rather an opportunity to explore, get creative and enjoy your own, personal workout journey. So, find some cool fitness challenges and call your favorite workout buddy over video chat and get moving!
All images courtesy of: @j_straty
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Stay well.
