Most of the time, staying healthy can be boiled down to a few simple habits, like eating healthy, exercising, and getting good sleep. These actions are especially crucial right now for maintaining your physical and mental well-being. It can be easy to lose motivation while staying at home all day, especially if you’re now without the external motivators you may be used to. While it may seem easier to get a little lazy with your wellness routines, this is actually a great time to incorporate more into your daily routine. The extra time allows you to relax and focus on yourself. This is important for not only your physical health, but your mental and emotional well-being as well. Staying positive and active will help shift your mindset to get through this unconventional time period.
Here’s how to stay healthy, mentally and physically, while social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Working Out
It’s always been important to keep your body active and moving, but it is especially critical now in order to keep your immune system up. This can be as simple as daily walks or runs or even just working in the yard while you practice social distancing. If you’re working out at home, consider getting creative with things already in your house. Use your dog as a weight, dish towels for sliders, or the edge of your couch for tricep dips. There are also plenty of no-equipment-needed exercises, like squats, burpees, sit-ups, planks, push-ups and mountain climbers. For those who still have gym memberships, contact your gym to see if they are offering free online classes (many are). In addition, applications such as Peloton, Melissa Wood Health, and HIIT Workouts offer fantastic exercise options.
Meditation
Meditation is a fantastic way to reduce stress, control anxiety, and improve your mental and emotional health overall. Especially in this time of uncertainty, try meditating before bed to help your body and mind calm down before going to sleep. By using the specific breathing exercises, you can lower your heart rate and clear your thoughts. YouTube offers thousands of meditation videos for users around the world. You can also turn to apps like Headspace and Talkspace for virtual mindfulness training and therapy.
Cleanliness
It is important to keep up your personal hygiene even while self-quarantined. You may not be leaving the house, but it’s important to keep your hygiene up for your own health and immune system. In addition, having a consistent skin care routine is vital. While washing your hands is the most necessary act during this time to combat COVID-19, this can dry out your skin. Keeping a bottle of hand lotion next to the sink will ensure that your skin stays moisturized and healthy. In addition, a face mask before bed is both relaxing and rejuvenating. Our favorites at the moment are GlamGlow, Drunk Elephant, and Neutrogena Hydro Boost.
Sleep
Getting enough sleep is crucial to staying healthy. We typically think about sleep as a time when our body and brain temporarily shut off, but the truth is, our brain uses this time to oversee a wide variety of biological upkeep and preparation. Adequate sleep is necessary for our mind to stay alert, boost memory, form new learning and memory pathways, fight infections, and replenish and repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposure. Although it may be tempting to stay up all night bingeing the new shows you’ve discovered, it’s important to stick to a normal routine and get enough sleep each night so that you can be prepared and healthy to take on whatever the next day may bring.
Healthy Eating
Keeping a well balanced diet is crucial to maintaining your lifestyle inside your home. It is tempting to binge eat your groceries while working from home. Try to avoid this by eating three well-balanced meals every day. Circulate many vegetables and fruits into your diet, many of which can be a tasty alternative to unhealthy snacking. Take this time to try making something new, for example the salmon or banana bread recipes you’ve had bookmarked for months. On the other hand, if you would rather order in, take this time to support local businesses that are struggling during this time. While it’s important to be healthy, don’t forget to enjoy dessert.
