If you haven't exercised much or at all the past several months, Brie Larson can commiserate.
On Thursday, the "Captain Marvel" actress shared on YouTube what she says was her first workout in quarantine — a routine preceded by a cookie and accomplished while on her period.
Jason Walsh, who trained Larsen for "Marvel," virtually led the equipment-free workout, which Larson had requested be only 10 minutes.
It turned out to be closer to an hour and a half, but the 15-minute video clip sums up the warm-up, the flow, the finish, and the cool down.
"It's unclear if anyone is actually going to do the workout along with us," a red-faced Larson said after, "or just enjoy watching me struggle."
Larson was open with Walsh about her current state
In the intro to the video, Larson said: "I think normalizing and vocalizing where we're at whether it's food poisoning or menstruating … being able to state that to your friend, to your trainer, and recognizing that every day is going to be different and every point in the day can be different" is important.
She told Walsh she was on her period and was feeling the cookie in her belly.
"My intention for this workout is to not throw up," she said. "It's been a while. I want to be easy on myself, be realistic about where I'm coming from and enjoy it while my mind flips out."
Despite not honoring Larson's request for a 10-minute session, Walsh stuck to the intention: Aiming to wake up her muscles and joints, re-establish her nervous system patterns, and stick to a slow tempo.
"The idea is to keep yourself off the ground," he said. "I want to keep your body in constant tension, no matter what we're doing, we want to keep moving around."
The routine focused on full-body movements
In the warm-up, Walsh led Larson in slow full-body movements like a sumo squat with lateral shifting. "This is a really good way to get every joint angle," Walsh said.
The flow included variations on yoga poses like planks, upward dog, and crab. "I feel my mortality in a way that I haven't in a while," Larson said.
"The finish" involved high-intensity cardio movements like lateral skater jumps and squat jumps. During the cool-down, Walsh and Larsen stretched and breathed.
"It's unclear if anyone is actually going to do the workout along with us," a red-faced Larsen said after, "or just enjoy watching me struggle."
Experts suggest easing into exercise after time off
If exercise has taken a backseat during quarantine or never been a part of your life at all, experts suggest being realistic about your current fitness, aiming for a varied routine to keep you motivated, keeping track of your workouts, and most importantly, having fun.
"Look for something that gets you moving and seems fun and enjoyable," personal trainer Bryan Goldberg previously told Insider. "It will make things easier to stick with."
- Read more:
- Personal trainer: How to start a new home workout routine in quarantine, even if you're new to fitness
- Chloe Ting's YouTube workouts probably won't give you six-pack abs — here are 4 things she doesn't tell you about getting fit
- A fitness model tried the 4,000-calorie-a-day Wolverine diet, but he didn't end up ripped like Hugh Jackman
- I rarely feel sore the day after exercise. Does that mean my workouts aren't doing any good?
