Most of us are self-isolating due to COVID-19. With this change in your normal busy day routine, you may find yourself frequently snacking and leading a more sedentary lifestyle. Staying on track with diet and exercise is important to your physical and emotional health.
Use this extra time wisely. This time can be beneficial to practice healthy lifestyle routines and strategizing different ways to incorporate them into your “normal” everyday life.
Get your day started with exercise. Regular exercise has countless health benefits, from improving cardiovascular health, building lean muscle, giving your immune system a boost, reducing stress and the list goes on. Research suggests that getting a workout in first thing, can increase productivity, and boost a person’s metabolism, which optimizes your body’s ability to burn calories throughout the day.
Use an app, like my fitness pal to track your calories and macros. This gives you an accurate overview of your caloric intake & if this meets or exceeds our daily recommendations for weight loss. If you prefer to use a handwritten journal, we’ve attached one here for you. Tip: To calculate your net carbohydrates, take the total carbs and subtract from the total fiber.
Aim for balanced meals by including ¼ of the plate protein, ¼ of the plate carbs and ½ of the plate vegetables (even if these vegetables are frozen or canned). Attached is a hand-out that coincides with this.
Boredom usually contributes to mindless snacking. We’ve listed some ideas to help keep you busy!
Get active outside! Find local nature trails to hike or go for a bike ride. These activities can be done while social distancing from others. Fresh air is beneficial to your mental and physical health. Get outside on a daily basis if the weather permits.
Clean and organize. Choose 1 room a day to deep clean dust and sanitize. If you come across items that are no longer useful, put them aside to donate or sell in a yard sale at a later date.
Craft. Log on to your Pinterest, pick a project and get creative. Make your own body scrub with coconut oil, sugar and essential oils. If you have school aged children, you can find safe and fun science experiments that you can do with everyday household items!
Create a scavenger hunt for your family. This can be done inside your home or around the neighborhood.
Don’t forget to treat yourself.
Read. Open that book that you’ve not had time to sit down and enjoy.
Catch up with a friend or family member over the phone.
Relax. Light some candles & run a warm bath.
We can all do our best to make this unfortunate time, a positive and productive experience.
