Stay Healthy During Quarantine

With the evolving COVID-19 situation we have all been asked to stay inside as much as possible and practice social distancing in an effort to reduce the spread of this virus. While this is necessary for public safety, it can be a big disruption to our daily lives and routine. Here is a quick to stay healthy, both mentally and physically through these unique and challenging times.

Follow a schedule

Try to recreate your daily routine to the best of your ability. It can be difficult to stay motivated at home where it is easy to stay comfortable and be careless, but don’t let your healthy eating habits and exercise routines fall off. Stay committed to maintaining positive habits and activities.

Tips for working from home: get ready for the day! Wake up and take a shower and put on your work clothes, set regular meal times, make time to work-out, schedule a breaks and take deep breaths as often as you need.

Plan your meals

A big or sudden change in lifestyle can cause stress and disrupt even the steadiest of diets. Plan your meals out in advance, and meal prep if possible. Having a healthy meal already prepared will remove any impulsive decisions or mindless eating throughout. Often the most detrimental behavior to our diets is grazing or snacking all day, because we do not realize how it accumulates over time. 

Stay active during the day

Periodically get up to stretch, move and walk around. Even a short 5 minute break to stand up and reenergize yourself will lower stress and improve your mental and physical well being. You can take the opportunity to go outside for a walk, but remember to keep a safe distance from other people. If you do go outside for a walk, be safe and be smart.

There are also a number of free workout and exercise videos that you can find on YouTube and all over the internet to follow along with. For many you don’t even need any equipment, just a bit of space!

Create a home office

If you are working from home then make sure to take some time to arrange a home office where you can mentally put yourself in your work routine. Creating this space is also helpful for compartmentalizing work time vs leisure time. It can be difficult and distracting to try and work a full day from the sofa!

Get adequate sleep

Getting enough sleep is one of the most essential components to a healthy lifestyle. It will boost the immune system, help regulate metabolism, and keep us mentally and physically sharp. It is recommended to get at least 8 hours of sleep to keep both, our mind and body healthy.

Drink enough water

Similar to the importance of sleep, staying properly hydrated will not only keep the body functioning the way it optimally should, but it will also keep our immune system as strong as possible. Second, dehydration will lead to lethargy and drowsiness, which will only make working from home and staying disciplined with eating healthy harder. We recommend you drink eight 8oz glasses of water per day.

Eat the right foods

We should always be making the right choices when it comes to what we eat, however it is particularly important at this time. Eat foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals, as this will keep the immune system regulated. Second, eat enough protein throughout the day, this will preserve lean muscle tissue as well as keep us sated. Avoid processed foods and sugar, especially at home where snacks are right around the corner.