With measure and reason: Hobby athletes in the corona crisis

Keep distance. Don't overdo it. Even mass athletes do not have to sit still at home. Outdoor exercise is possible and desirable. If everyone adheres to the rules.

Berlin (dpa) - joggers, cyclists, inline skaters, walkers, even occasionally the first kitesurfers.

Now, especially for nature athletes, the motto for many grassroots athletes is the "off to nature". Sports clubs are fighting for their existence, sports halls are closed, swimming pools are closed, sports fields are closed off.

TOP RULE FOR OUTDOOR SPORTS

Cycling in the slipstream was yesterday. Cycling tours in groups are not allowed. The same applies to running or walking meetings. "Keep a maximum of two people, two meters from each other, and observe the hygiene requirements," explains Andreas Silbersack, Vice President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation for recreational sports and sports development, the rules for doing sports in nature. The 52-year-old from Halle an der Saale emphasizes: "In principle, everyone can, should and should continue to train." Among other things, he himself goes ten kilometers jogging twice a week.

COMPENSATION, DISTRACTION AND STRENGTHENING

Sport and exercise can become a mood enhancer especially in these times. "The worse we feel, the more we benefit from physical activity," says Professor Jens Kleinert from the Psychological Institute of the German Sport University Cologne: "This applies equally to the mood and the physical condition." A variety of sports and regular exercise would strengthen the immune system and are therefore "indispensable right now," emphasizes DOSB Vice President Silbersack.

Sports sociologist Hans-Jürgen Schulke (74) goes even further in an interview with the "Hamburger Abendblatt": "Sport can become stronger again or even become stronger through the crisis if it sees itself as a future-oriented field in which people can improve their physical and social immune competence strengthening resilience. What I currently lack in the public debate: What traditions, structures, potentials, and strengths does sport have that it brings to prevent such crises? "

NO unnecessary risks

Experts advise you to stick to the sports that you usually do. Otherwise there is also a higher risk of injury or accident. The following also applies: moderate training, i.e. no extreme loads, especially in the endurance area. Both athletes and recreational athletes are particularly susceptible to viruses during and after high stress, explains the head of the chair for sports medicine and sports nutrition at the sports faculty of the Ruhr University Bochum, Petra Platen.

MOTIVATION THANKS TO THE TIMETABLE

The virus Sars-CoV-2 has brought the sports world to a complete standstill, a resumption of sports operations is not really foreseeable. No competitions in sight, then what for training? There are also motivational problems with some. "Especially in the next few days and weeks, it is important to transfer the processes internalized and recurring and therefore familiar, more than ever, to everyday life," advises the Institute for Training Optimization for Sport and Health IQ Athletics: "It can be helpful here to establish a concrete plan with daily recurring activities at a fixed time and to adhere to them in a disciplined manner." In short: a timetable like in school.

SPORT IN YOUR OWN FOUR WALLS

If you don't want to run, bike, walk or skate outside, the training stays at home. From DOSB to clubs to gyms - countless courses and training ideas are taught online. "Anyone looking for sports tips will find more than ever," says DOSB Vice President Silbersack. Classic exercises from push-ups to squats, improvised swimming with rubber bands for the arms, jumping rope or whoever has: cycling on a roller, running on a treadmill. And if you do not feel like you are sweating alone, there are various tools for practicing together, at least virtually.

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Statements from Kleinert

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