Physical Distancing: Sports at Home by Nakama
Humans can always find ways to keep “moving” in any situation, and exercise is one of those ways.
Almost every type of sport is currently on hiatus. However, as long as humans live on earth, it will never really stop. The COVID-19 pandemic is teaching us many things, such that humans can always find ways to keep “moving” in any situation, and that exercise is one of those ways.
To celebrate World Health Day, Nakama decided to share how they take care of their health by exercising at home. Let’s sneak a peek and hear their stories…
“I decided to run every morning”
Zaid Zulfikar, UX Designer at Tokopedia, had a routine of riding the commuter line every time he went to the office. The routine made his body accustomed to going up and down the station stairs and exercising indirectly. During this Work from Home (WFH) period, Zaid felt he had to replace his routine of moving with a morning run.
“I decided that during WFH, I had to run every morning at 5–6 am. Why 5 am? Because I want to avoid crowds and meet other people. If it’s already late, the road is already quite busy which increases the possibility of being exposed or transmitting the virus to other people.”
Zaid uses the method of running in the morning to maintain health and avoid fatigue. According to him, running can generate endorphins — for which one of the effects is happiness. Zaid is now accustomed to running as far as 3 km in 20 minutes. That’s what makes him excited to start WFH every day.
“Many requests for live streams of Zumba classes online!”
Novasari Putri, Senior Category Development at Tokopedia, believes she has far less free time when working at home than working at the office. That’s why on weekends, Putri will resort to doing fun things, like holding online Zumba classes!
As Putri has a side job as a Zumba Instructor at 20FIT Studio and Kanara Studio (which are unfortunately closed indefinitely as we are physical distancing). But her students and followers requested that Nova organize her Zumba classes online.
“There are a lot of other sports that you can do via Instagram TV, but Zumba can’t be broadcasted on Live Instagram or Instagram TV because of its copyright. But fortunately, I can still teach via online meeting platforms, such as Zoom. So, I’m very happy!”
“Do home workouts at least 2–3 times a week”
Before the period of physical distancing took place, Johanes, Web Platform Engineer at Tokopedia, was one of Nakama who routinely exercised 1–2 times a week. However, after this period, Johanes’ home workout routine became more intense, which includes a workout almost every day.
“Around 8 am, I leave my apartment complex to exercise for 10–15 minutes. I used to do push-ups and sit-ups or other light movements. I’ve been doing this for almost 2 weeks, and this makes my body fitter and less tired. By exercising and eating regularly, our bodies will be in good condition and not get ill easily.”
According to Johanes, it is very important to maintain good health and good physical condition by exercising at least 2–3 times a week, coupled with discipline to do physical distancing.
“We also have to remain up-to-date with news from trusted sources. Don’t hesitate to contact family or friends if you need help. In this situation, let’s put our humanity first, so that we can get through this situation as soon as possible.”
“Live yoga is a necessity for social beings.”
Similar to Putri, Firda Abdi, Social Media Specialist at Tokopedia, also actively teaches yoga in one of the sports studios in Jakarta. Because the yoga studio where Firda teaches is temporarily closed, she decided to teach yoga via Instagram Live twice a week to encourage her Instagram followers to stay active and healthy.
Firda also tries not to let physical distancing get in the way of creating a safe space for anyone who might need it — even if it has to be virtual, because she believes in the power of the community.
“We cannot forget that we are human beings who need social contact with other humans. It’s incredible to see the enthusiasm of people on Instagram Live all this time — meeting the needs of social beings to be seen and heard.”
