Covid is no excuse for neglecting your physical fitness regimen. In fact, it is an excellent excuse to start one, or enhance the one you already have. This pandemic is for real. The one thing on which experts seem to agree is that you stand a much better chance of survival if you stay healthy and fit by working out.

Everyone knows that. But not everyone has figured out how to make room for a fitness routine. Many people are still working. But they also have the kids at home doing school online. For them, workloads have doubled. There is also the challenge of finding a space in the home for exercise equipment. Not everyone has a 3,000 sqft. home with a large, unassigned, empty space.

Making exercise fit into one’s house can be as challenging as making it fit into one’s schedule. There are solutions for both. One solution for space constraints is to get out of the house and exercise outdoors. As for the schedule, try combining tasks. Here are some things you can do while you exercise:

1. Watch TV

One of the best things you can do while exercising is watch TV. It is not because there are so many great shows to watch. It is because TV has a way of being an absorbing distraction that compels you to just keep watching longer than you should. That works for exercise because you want to keep the exercise going as long as you can rather than think about how tired you are.

Just be sure to pick up a TV wall mount. That is a very important tool in an exercise room because you can angle the TV to tilt down, or up, or to wherever you happen to be in the room. That type of mount provides optimal flexibility for whatever exercise you are doing at the time. Don’t try to adjust to the TV. Adjust the TV to you.

2. Connect with a Workout Buddy

If you have an active lifestyle, you will want to get outdoors and breathe in the fresh air while you exercise. One of the best ways to do that is with a workout buddy. If no humans are available during the pandemic, find the perfect dog breed to join you on your morning walk, hike, or jog.

You can also do indoor workouts with friends via video. You don’t have to join one of those new video workout services. You can set up your laptop and do yoga with friends. You don’t have to choose between spending time with a pal and working out. You can do both.

3. Read a Book

It is amazing what you can do while pedaling away on an exercise bike. One of the better multitask choices is to read a book. Don’t bother with paper. Try Paper White, or one of the other Kindles you can find on Amazon during their Black Friday sale.

Pick a workout book, nothing too complicated. But make workout time the only time you read it. You will be motivated to keep pedaling through the end of the chapter. Exercise both mind and body at the same time.

4. Listen to Music

If you find it difficult to work with music in the background, you might be falling behind on what’s going on in the world of music. Good news! Music tends to be a boost to working out. Even better, you are not tied to a specific genre. You can do heavy workouts to straight-ahead rock-n-roll. Or you can cool down to new age, country, or easy listening. Working out is a great excuse for wearing those overpriced headphones that don’t get nearly enough use these days.

5. Give That Smartphone Camera a Workout

Hiking is an excellent form of outdoor exercise because you are just walking in slightly more challenging terrain. You also see some of the most beautiful parts of nature up close and personal. That is a perfect time to use that smartphone camera of yours and take some stunning pictures. Impress your Instagram crew while you improve your health.

You can’t combine everything with exercise. Driving while exercising is a bad idea. But you can easily catch up on TV, connect with a friend, read a book, listen to movies, or grab some excellent snaps.