Staying Healthy- and Fit- During the Coronavirus Outbreak

April 1, 2020

Major Leaguer Joey Gallo staying fresh While MLB season is on hold.

Do not try this at home! 

Texas Rangers All-Star Joey Gallo recently made the social media rounds with a video showing his indoor home batting cage.

What are you doing to help keep your swing fresh and active during the current stay-at-home orders numerous states have enacted across the country?

SSUSA player Dave Weinman offers some tips on how to stay active while quarantined...

While so many of us are rarely leaving our homes, staying healthy and fit should be on our minds.

Obviously, avoiding contracting the virus and potentially spreading it to others is job one. I am a dentist, so I know a lot about infection control methods and personal protective equipment (PPE), but there are many sources for that info; here’s one excellent source, from the Center for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

I’d like to focus here on ways of staying fit. Many of us are in the habit of going to fitness centers; this isn’t an option for most at this time. With no games going on even those in warm weather states can’t stay fit by playing. Staying fit will help us recover more readily should we get sick too.

So what can we do with little or no equipment? Lots of things.

Let’s start with cardiovascular fitness. Here’s an interesting thing physiology researchers have discovered: In general, the more hours per day a person spends on their feet the longer they are likely to live; and the more hours per day a person spends sitting the sooner they are likely to die.

So many of us seniors were once runners, but due to things like hips and knees wearing out, that’s not possible anymore. So walk! Go outside and take a walk, or to the mall if you must (wear a mask if appropriate while the COVID crisis is on), but walk! Go with your spouse or a friend -wearing masks and doing social distancing if appropriate- but keep moving. If there are nature trails available, even better. Believe it or not, lots of studies show health benefits just by being around greenery. If the weather is OK and you have a bike, get out and use it. Please wear a helmet!

What about when indoors? OK, the most important muscles to all of us, not just ballplayers, are our quads- our thigh muscles. Why? A very common thing that happens to the older population is they become ill, they wind up hospitalized and for a period of time are mostly bedridden, taken around in a wheelchair. Finally they begin to improve, but they find themselves wheelchair bound because they have no strength to stand anymore.  Our legs are our ticket to freedom, literally. A person who goes into the hospital with strong legs is more likely to be able walk out later, and is actually more likely to survive serious illnesses.

Lunges: Walk around your house, or basement, bending your front knee on each step to where the knee is at about a 90-degree bend. Do them until your legs get tired, rest, and then do another set- or two. If you have stairs and they don’t kill your knees, go up and down the stairs for a while. Do be careful though- please don’t fall and get injured, that we don’t need.

Crunches: Our core muscles are the next most important area to keep fit. Lie on your back, put your hands at your sides, then lift your shoulder blades off the floor enough that your hands move about 6 inches forward. You don’t have to sit all the way up.

Leg lifts: Again on your back, put your hands under your tush, legs straight, then lift your feet up off the floor a few inches and then back down, and do as many as possible until fatigued.

Push-ups: with a straight back ideally. If necessary, from knees rather than feet if you can’t do a traditional push-up.

Lastly- consider doing a web search for other “bodyweight” exercises- there are lots of possibilities. Keep in mind certain exercises require a level of flexibility some of us no longer have. For instance, people with knee issues may find it’s painful to bend their knees greater than 90-degrees. So do what you can- but goal number one is- get off your butt!

Stay well everyone….
Dave Weinman, DDS
Dr. David Weinman graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences. He then received his DDS from the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.