As Hongkongers endure the city’s most sweeping restrictions yet due to a third wave of the coronavirus, a new reality has emerged. David Jacquier, the director and co-owner of Joint Dynamics physiotherapy clinic, calls it the “new normal” in which local athletes, weekend warriors and fitness aficionados of all levels must adjust to regular life being locked down again. As Hong Kong breaks daily records for Covid-19 infections , the city’s lockdown restrictions have been extended, this time until August 2. These restrictions include – related to fitness – the closing of all public recreational facilities, gyms, yoga studios, outdoor fitness equipment and gatherings of more than four or more people, which applies to team sports. Jacquier, who helps train some of Hong Kong’s elite athletes, said a big part of this has nothing to do with the body, and everything to do with the mind. “Mental fitness and your ability to deal with stress is all about resilience,” said Jacquier, who holds a Fellowship in Applied Functional Science from the Gray Institute in the US. “How to become resilient is a big and very open question, but how I break it down to something bite-size would be to say ‘control the controllables.’” Multiple studies in the US and UK have shown the coronavirus is having a detrimental impact on people’s mental health. This includes worries about catching the virus, but also the ramifications of being locked down and unable to carry on with normal day-to-day activities. How three women stopped swiping left on their exercise habits Jacquier said doing little things every day to make sure we manage our mental well-being is critical during such unprecedented times. “What can I do every day to improve my mental state and immune system to ensure I can deal with life’s next speed-hump?” Physical activity’s proven mental health benefits are wide-ranging and have been studied for decades. Even 60 minutes of exercise three times a week has been shown to help with anxiety, depression and stress mitigation. Jacquier said elite level athletes are just the same as regular people, we all get the same benefits no matter our level of physical fitness. He added there is also a silver lining to the lockdown, one proactive people can capitalise on. “Exercise has a well-documented, science-based positive effect on mental function and hormonal balance,” Jacquier said. “And the work from home environment has given us a gift to spend more time looking after ourselves.” Hong Kong’s government has now ordered most of its 180,000 civil servants to work from home, for the second time. The government has also advised the private sector to follow suit, meaning the city’s professionals find themselves without a commute and logging on from their homes. ‘Same vibes, same energy’: 3 studios that aced online fitness Jacquier said inside this negative news is an opportunity for those who are willing to take it. “Take that 30-minute nap, do that quick 30-minute workout in the middle of the day, listen to that music that makes you feel better and have that healthy lunch with your family. Eat more kiwi fruit, get more sleep, drink more water and don’t numb your stress with sugar and alcohol. The work from home environment is a gift we won’t have forever, I hope.” Local fitness studios have adapted to the new normal, offering online fitness classes to those who want to continue with their routines. Jacquier said those who don’t think they can workout virtually should make sure any exercise they do is performance-based in some respect. “The advice I would give someone who doesn’t want to investigate the online option would be something as simple as just having a purpose. For example when you go for a run the purpose can be to average five-minute kilometres, or the purpose could be relax and don’t care about your time for your 10k, but just have a purpose.” Jacquier said if anything, keeping fit is of paramount importance in 2020 given the city is also dealing with the unknowns related to the new national security law and its potential implications for Hongkongers. “The open-endedness of Covid-19 mixed with geopolitical upheaval is hard to deal with. Staying healthy is essential now more than ever.”