The first few months of 2024 have been hard for literally everyone around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic whose effects are being felt all around the globe. Owing to how fast the respiratory virus spreads from one person to another, governments have taken several measures to cut the chain of transmission and minimize the rate at which the virus is spread. As you might already know, curfews and lockdowns are among these measures, along with isolation and mandatory quarantine.
As a result, many people are now working from home and spending more time indoors than ever before. Even as you stay indoors to protect yourself and others from contracting COVID-19, it is important to stay healthy, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But how exactly do you keep your overall health in tip-top shape while confined indoors for several weeks? Well, here are some tips on how to stay healthy while you’re on lockdown.
1. Eat Right
Spending weeks at home while on self-isolation can easily make you add a lot of weight, especially if you are not watching what you eat. As much as you have all the food at your disposal, avoid sugary snacks like ice cream, candy, cake, and other processed foods high in fats and calories. You can instead introduce your body to snacks like popcorn, nuts, and low-fat yogurt. For meats and meat products, organic is always better.
For some inspiration, you can visit cleaversorganic.com.au to get some ideas of healthy organic meat products you can easily access at supermarkets. In addition to containing more healthy fats, organic produce is free from pesticides and heavy metals that can be harmful to your body. Also, consider replacing processed juice with blended fruit juice and take lots of fruit salad and vegetables. When eating, it’s also important to stick to portion-control (eat in smaller portions) to avoid picking up unwanted calories. If you’re worried about taking regular trips to the grocery store, you can choose options like frozen fruit and vegetables. This lets you keep these products for an extended period and use them later. Healthy snacks don’t have to be boring. Fruits and veggies are great but don’t be afraid to mix in some Proper Popcorn to help your sweet tooth cravings.
2. Exercise Regularly
Just because your local gym is closed does not mean you should stop working out. This is the best time to get innovative on how you can create your own gym at home and save that penny. You can use YouTube to work out from home. Rope-skipping, morning jogs, and evening walks can also make an excellent way to keep fit. You can also make it fun and interactive by having virtual workout sessions with your friends to kill the boredom associated with working out alone.
There are many bodyweight training apps on both Apps Store and Google PlayStore, both free and paid versions so be sure to check them out and get active. If you’re sticking to a weight-lifting routine, there are multiple options to do weight-bearing activity. You could put heavy textbooks in a gym bag to do squats or bicep curls.
3. Have a Routine
To stay healthy while on lockdown, it’s also important to plan out a routine and stick to it. Having a daily program really helps you to organize your day while giving you peace of mind. Avoid activities that will interrupt your sleeping patterns as this can easily lead to sleep deprivation and stress.
Try to also eat at the same time of the day you normally do. When planning your routine, try to write down all the things you wish to accomplish by the end of the day or week, prioritize them, and get started. It’s all about trying to live life as normal as you would without breaking the self-isolation protocol. It is easy to go to sleep at whatever time you feel like and let yourself sleep in. However, this can leave you feeling disoriented and disrupt your circadian rhythm.
4. Take a Lot of Water
Water is life, so they say. It has numerous health benefits and it is sometimes considered medicine. For example, some people prefer taking lots of water as opposed to painkillers when they have a (dehydration) headache. They will only take medicine if the headache persists. We are also advised to take water at least a few minutes after every meal to ease digestion.
Water also gives your skin a glow and keeps your body fueled up for the day’s activities. Water is necessary for every organ in your body to operate properly, and you can’t expect them to keep up without it.
5. Health Check-Ups
With the rapid spread of COVID-19, it is important to keep the rest of your health in check by staying in contact with your doctor and taking visits to his office when necessary. The COVID-19 fear and fatigue should not in any way you shy away from receiving medical services for other health issues. You should let your health benefits and preventive care services work for you.
The latter can help you detect and prevent illness before they start or become worse. Many physicians are also taking part in phone-appointments. You can discuss any and all related symptoms over the phone with your physician if you are concerned. They won’t be able to assess your blood pressure or heart rate, but they can help you provide more information about your health.
Finally, you will want to stay safe while on lockdown, which means taking the utmost care of yourself. Stay home, but if you must leave the house, take the necessary precautions. Limit your alcohol intake by taking at most 2 beers in a day and avoid smoking or using tobacco at all costs. This is also the best time to lose weight if you have been having issues with your body size and weight. Other than this, be sure to get your daily dose of fresh air, meditate regularly, and keep in touch with your loved ones.
