Tips to stay healthy during COVID-19
Times are tough right now, we are confined to our homes, and fear is overwhelming people. You find find yourself more sedentary than ever, stressed out more than usual, no gym, negative mindset and no routine which is throwing you off. Since things are constantly changing the best thing you can do is control the controllable. If you find yourself struggling hopefully some of these tips about mindset, exercise, and nutrition can help you out.
Mindset
You might find yourself getting depressed or becoming negative because of the situation going on. Don’t constantly watch and read the news. The best thing you can do is take this time to find the good, to spread positivity and be happy. Now I know this is all easier said than done but while you may not have control with what’s currently going on you do have the power and control on how you respond to everything. Take the time to learn something new, develop new habits, work on projects, or catch up with family and friends. Find something that makes you happy and distract yourself from all the bad going on. Keep in mind a lot of bad things have happened in the world and just like those times, this too will pass.
Stressing out over the current crisis isn’t going to make anything better and is only going to send your hormones into over drive. The best thing you can do is take the time to meditate or practice yoga to help manage the stress. I personally started following this channel and doing yoga everyday because honestly who doesn’t have the time right now.
Exercise
Since gyms are closed you might find yourself wondering what to do. Well for some people they have equipment: Dumbbells, kettle bells, bands, barbells, weight plates, ect. But you might be limited and wondering how do you still get the same workouts you were before without all this heavy weight. Well if you’ve been doing the same thing for a while now this will be a good break for your body to do something new, not stress the body as much and really work on weak areas.
So you might be asking yourself what do I do? Well if you have some equipment that’s great but really all you need is some bands and your body weight. The thing to do now to challenge yourself is focus on isometrics. Isometrics holds are a fantastic way to really get the muscles to fire, build that mind muscle connection and squeeze those muscles as hard as you can if done right will challenge you in a whole new way instead of just always lifting heavy. Tempo work is also another great way to get your body to feel the exercise and make things hard. Tempo work can be done a number of ways but basically all you’re doing is either going at a slower pace during your movement concentrically (shortening the muscle), eccentrically (lengthening the muscle) or both.
If you have equipment you defiantly have options to vary it up but what if you weren’t one of the lucky ones to have already had stuff at home or couldn’t find anywhere to purchase it since most things are out of stock. Well now is the time to be creative with that you have at home if you want to do more than just body weight stuff. Find some heavy books and a backpack, gallon of water, if you have a kid or pet, grab a broom stick and use that as a bar with bands, or find some buckets and fill them up with something then hang them off the sides, use a towel, and there is so much more but you just have to think outside the box. Click on the blue links to find videos.
Remember exercise is going to be important since you’re not moving around as much but more importantly it will help release those endorphins to make you happy and keep your mental health up. Frequency and consistency is going to be key. Especially since the workouts aren’t going to be as damaging to the muscles feel free to workout every day and multiple times through out the day. Go outside and get moving! Plenty to do outside as well if you want to get creative like using a park bench to do some exercises. But keep in mind just to get some fresh air and sun will already improve your mood. Don’t be afraid to take your equipment outside as well for workouts.
Since you have plenty of time now is a good time to focus on mobility. Mobility is just as important to be doing as exercising especially since you’re sitting around way more. If you click on mobility you will find a video you can practice daily.
Nutrition
Being home is the perfect time to focus on your nutrition. But now isn’t the time to worry about leaning out or making gains while you are at home. The best thing to do is just listen to your body and stay healthy. I’m a huge advocate for counting macros. If you’re able to I’d recommend eating around maintenance calories or slightly under since you’re not burning as much being home all day. Focus on protein, fat, veggies, and hydration. This will help you stay satiated longer and prevent mindless eating and snacking. You don’t have to eliminate carbs but I’d recommend keeping them on the lower side since you’re not doing as much. Being home and with all the stress you might find yourself going to comfort foods or alcohol and that’s okay. It is okay to have some alcohol or comfort foods but in moderation. It’s not the end of the world if you want to just enjoy some of these things because of the stressful times and this is something that makes you happy. Keep in mind that whatever we put on now we can take off later when things return to normal. Best thing we can do now is just make sure you feel good physically, mentally and emotionally.
So take the time to work on yourself, practice meditation, mobility, exercise and eat enough of the healthy stuff to be satisfied but don’t stress if you want to enjoy something.
