Staying Healthy During the Pandemic

Your Guide to Staying Healthy During the Pandemic

With much of the country experiencing spikes in COVID, it can be difficult to keep up with healthy habits. However, doing so is more important than ever today. As we collectively continue to fend off COVID, it’s crucial to keep our immune systems strong through exercise, and nutrition. Equally as important is maintaining clarity amid all the uncertainties today, making self-care a real must, as well. It’s a great thing, indeed, that these can all be done at home.

Keep Up with Exercise

Exercise is a fantastic way to stay healthy during the pandemic. However, you may need to make some adjustments if you’re still uncomfortable heading to the gym. 

Yoga is great as both a stand alone exercise session or as a warm up or cool down to a cardio workout. According to The Obsessive Yogi, these are the best online yoga classes. Get yourself a yoga mat, some room to stretch, and a TV or computer screen, and you’ve got your own home yoga studio. Make it a stress-free environment by removing bad energy with things like decluttering, understanding feng shui, and burning sage.  

The benefits of running for both physical and mental well being are well known. Running outdoors is an ideal way to exercise while still keeping socially distant. The Center for Disease Control has stated that masks aren’t necessary when running, hiking, biking or walking outdoors when you’re alone with others in your close family group.  If you’re new to running, this beginner running program has stood the test of time. 

Cardio training is a must for your heart health and you don’t need to go to a gym to get a great heart pumping workout. Here is a 20-Minute bodyweight cardio workout you can do at home. Get a good sound system and jump to your favorite up-tunes to make it fun, or better yet, try the Just Dance game available on most gaming consoles.

Keep Up Your Diet 

It goes without saying that sticking to a healthy, nutritious diet is an excellent way to care for yourself. The following resources can help you along the way. While no food or diet will prevent or treat Covid 19, you’ll still want to boost your immune system against things like colds with Vitamin C, or foods that help with decreasing inflammation.

Keep Up with Self-Care 

Neglecting self-care is a bad idea — especially when the pandemic can add to our stress levels. So, use the following resources to discover ways you can practice self-care at home. One way is learning to manage stress. During times of uncertainty, it’s normal to find yourself stressed, but the dangers of not managing it properly can wreak havoc on both your physical and mental wellbeing. Getting the proper amount of sleep, along with a sound diet and exercise habits, can make all the difference in how you feel at the end of the day.  

Self care also includes how you present yourself to the world, too. Working from home doesn’t mean staying in your PJs all day or not properly grooming yourself. How you look to yourself in the mirror has a huge impact on your feelings of self-worth and esteem. Keeping a positive mentality with things like grooming your beard or putting on makeup is key to how you feel about yourself, even if it’s only you. Remember, you’re still the same person you were before the pandemic, make sure you see that every time you glance at your reflection. 

Keep Looking Forward

There’s no telling when the pandemic will end, or if we’ll ever truly see our previous version of normal ever again. With this in mind, it’s important to lay the groundwork now for a better future, which can help you both physically and mentally. This may even be a time when changing jobs is necessary or desirable. Be prepared for some changes, expected or unexpected.

Needless to say, staying indoors thanks to the pandemic doesn’t give you a license to fall back on unhealthy habits. Rather, it’s a good time to shift your mindset and use this time as an opportunity to put yourself first, in mind, body, and spirit.

This article was submitted independently by Brad Krause. Photo via Getty Images