Six ways to stay healthy, busy, and active during your quarantine
Whatever your current societal role is, it’s no secret that most of our lives have recently been turned upside down.
For those of you who find yourself with more home time and/or free time than usual, consider the following to keep yourself healthy, busy, and active:
1.) Schedule your workout times: it’s not easy to create healthy habits just to be kicked right out of them. If you are someone who went to the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:30 P.M., do your best to keep it that way. Make a designated area in your home your new gym and find an exercise program that is best suited for you. Between zoom classes, online programs, and more, there are plenty of resources out there to help you achieve your goals with what you do (or don't have) at home. It may take a little creativity, but there is no excuse not to be proactive and get it done!
2.) Get outside everyday: one of the most incredible things I’ve seen thus far is the amount of people getting outside to go for walks. It seems like we’ve had to take a step back to slow down and live life more simply - which, in my opinion, is one positive we can take away from all of this. Moving outside will not only help to improve your physical health, but may have a significant positive impact on your mental health as well.
3.) Work on projects around the house: take this time to get to projects you have been putting off for months and/or haven’t had the time to get to previously. Reorganize your closet, deep clean your bathroom, go through your food pantry (bonus points: donate any extra perishable food you have to local food pantries) - you name it. Not only will this keep you busy and moving, it will fill you with a sense of accomplishment when you complete a task.
4.) Meal plan: we can probably all agree that many times, boredom leads to overeating. A few ways to combat this are A. keep yourself busy (have I said this enough?) B. limit the amount of unhealthy snacks you have in your house and C. plan your meals… and then stick to it. Use this extra time to get creative with what you cook. This will keep you occupied and is something you can do with your family (or whoever you are isolating yourself with). Try to find at least one new healthy recipe per week and have fun with it.
5.) Manage your screen time: in most cases, it’s pretty inevitable that screen time is going to go up; we need to be able to connect with people, work remotely, stay engaged in the community, and keep ourselves informed. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the news and get caught up on social media for hours on end, so try your best to actively get away from it from time to time. Turn the TV off, put your phone in the other room, and give yourself the freedom to be still.
6.) Self-development: “I want to try this, but I just don’t have time.” Anyone else a culprit of this? If there’s ever been something you’ve wanted to pursue, whether it’s in your field or completely outside your wheelhouse, now could be the perfect time to tackle it. Sign up for an online continuing education course, practice or learn a new instrument, listen to a new podcast, read, write, think, create. Whatever it is, dive into it.
This time in quarantine won’t last forever, so let’s do what we can to make the most out of the situation we’re in…together.
Stay healthy, stay strong, and see you on the other side. We got this!
Stephanie Spoto, CSCS