How to Stay in Shape During a Move
Finding ways to stay in shape during a move is often a low priority for movers of all age groups. Many people may feel as though their entire fitness routine gets put on pause for that period of time during a move. When you’re moving into a new home, the moving process can be time-consuming, exciting, stressful, and energy draining all at once.
While moving throws a wrench into most fitness plans, it is important for your physical and mental health to stay active all the way up to your moving day, even if you need to make small modifications. As you prep for your move, you may find you don’t have the time to stay on top of your workout routine.
Packing up all your belongings, specifically all your gym equipment, creates an unexpected challenge. Not having the gear you normally use in your fitness routine can make it especially challenging to stay in shape during your move. Because of this, you may be wondering how it’s even possible to work out during a move, but trust us, there’s a way!
Despite the added challenges, it is still possible to stay in shape during a move, and even potentially lose weight! We partnered with DMP Fitness, a local personal trainer and wellness coach based in The Woodlands, Texas. Darryl, owner and Master Trainer of DMP Fitness created a routine that you can do a few times per week while you move. This strategy is especially helpful for staying fit while moving because you can do it anywhere! All you need is a couple of dumbbells or even water bottles. Staying healthy while moving has never been so amazing!
The routine in the video is made up of a combination of easy-peasy to tough as grit exercises for a full body workout. If an exercise is too easy or to challenging, feel free to modify it to your likening. You can perform each exercise individually before moving on to the next or you can stack them to create multiple supersets or circuit(s). The routine from the video is also broken out step by step and includes commentary on which muscle groups are being worked.
Supplement this routine by eating healthy and making smart food choices, even when your kitchen is out of commission. We love going to places like Snap Kitchen for healthy meals. HEB also offers a variety of portion controlled meals to make eating healthy meals easier than ever while moving.
We’re sure you’ll find infusing exercise and wellness into your move plan will give you a much needed energy and mental boost. Adding breaks like this into your moving plan will also help break up the monotony of the long days of moving!
DMP Fitness Curated Routine to Help You Stay in Shape During a Move
1. DB Squat, Calf Raise, Curl, and Overhead Press – this exercise is going to work your entire body including your legs, biceps, and shoulders
2. Deadlift Row – the deadlift pulls from your glute and hamstring muscles; and the bent-over for works your entire back.
3. DB Overhead Side Lunge to Balance – holding a weight overhead not only works your shoulders, but it also works your back (especially as you go through the side lunge movement). Side lunges are an often neglected exercise because a lot of people don’t moving laterally (or to the side). However, this is a great exercise for working your entire leg including your quads, glutes, and adductors (inner thigh muscles).
It’s important to incorporate some balance exercises into your routine, because they are often neglected. Balancing helps activate your stability muscles that support your larger muscle groups.
4. Table Top with a Twist – going from a seated position into the table top position helps work dynamic flexibility in your entire body. Muscularly you should feel this exercise mostly in your triceps and the arm twist is good for working your obliques (the muscles beside your abs).
5. Push-up to Knee ins – push-ups is one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do for your chest, shoulder, and triceps. Adding the knee-ins is a good way to work the abs additionally.
6. DB Crunches – we just emphasized the lower abdominal region with the knee-ins, so these DB crunches will emphasize the upper region of the abs.
Progression recommendations
Start with: 3 Rounds, 30 second per exercise, 90 second rest
Maximum: 5 Rounds, 60 seconds per exercise, 60 seconds rest
We hope these tips on how to stay in shape during a move will keep you mentally and physically healthy throughout the duration of your move. Looking for ways to stay fit after your move is complete? Check out our friend, and Master Trainer, Darryl at dmpfitness.org for your customized fitness, nutrition and supplement needs.
