Although most of the world is already about nine months deep into quarantine, it looks like we have got a light at the end of this tunnel because there are some very promising vaccines being administered already.
So we can get cautiously excited, but we probably shouldn’t be getting complacent just yet, because in a lot of places, the United States being a pretty significant example here, the cases are still on the rise.
Lots of countries have managed to use lockdowns to get it under control, but easing restrictions has in general led to cases rising again so for the time being it’s probably best to keep ourselves quarantined.
But hey, we all made it this far didn’t we? And we can make it a little while longer. The most important thing is to keep healthy, our lives have had to change dramatically and that can have a negative effect on our bodies.
It’s up to us to make sure that that effect is minimized. There’s a few pretty simple ways you can ensure that you stay on top of your health so let’s take a look at them:
Learn How to Cook Good Food
Many people have been taking this abundance of free time as an opportunity to work on some new skills or pick up some new hobbies. You can do that too by taking up cooking, which will also help you keep healthy.
What’s happening to a lot of people right now is that because they’re missing out on a lot of things that they were able to do for fun and to enjoy themselves before, they are turning to food as a source of comfort.
People are eating a lot of junk food and ordering a lot of takeout and if you want to keep healthy then that needs to slow down. It’s also worth noting that before this, a lot of people weren’t eating healthily anyway.
Before we move on though, let’s be honest here. Considering the circumstances, I think we’re all entitled to a little bit of comfort so you don’t have to get rid of the junk food completely. Just cut back. Maybe one takeout a week, and a lower daily intake of sugar.
Learning how to make genuinely nutritious food takes time, and a lot of us just don’t have a lot of that to spare in our busy lives. We do now though, so it’s worth using it to add that skill to your repertoire.
On the subject of your diet, since you’re trying to optimize it you might as well take it a step further and incorporate some supplements and vitamins in. A lot of us would benefit from these and it would make your new diet that much more nourishing.
Have a Routine
Your body has this thing called a circadian rhythm, which in English, basically just means your sleeping pattern. A good circadian rhythm is essential for our health and it’s easy to lose that when you’re not in a routine.
Without routine you could also find yourself missing meals, falling behind on work which will lead to stress or ending up without enough time to work in exercising or keeping up a hobby. And quarantine is not a situation that’s conducive to maintaining a routine.
Before you got up, at breakfast, went to work, came home, had dinner and then settled in for the evening before going to sleep. It was simple and structured around being out of the house. Now you’re at home all the time.
And your commitment to this routine is no longer necessary and starting to falter. You have to make sure that you are strict with yourself so that this doesn’t happen. Don’t sleep in, set alarms so you know when you need to take breaks from work, schedule meals and go to bed on time.
Allowing your discipline to fail you will be bad for your overall health, but it will also make it harder to readjust when all of this is over. It will help you feel like things are back to normal too and that will be an encouraging sensation.
Exercise Every Day
The fact that you can’t get to the gym should not get in the way of you exercising every single day. And even if you were someone who didn’t go to the gym before or do much exercise at all, now is a good time to start.
Your day to day life might not feel particularly affected by the lack of exercise but it will result in long-term health problems, a lot of which can be serious or even fatal, and you probably will actually feel better both mentally and physically if you exercise.
That ‘runner’s high’ you’ve heard people talk about, it’s real. I know that’s impossible to believe when you’re fifteen minutes deep into your run and you feel ready to lie down on the sidewalk and stay there until it’s dark, but if you keep at it, you will feel that rush.
You can work out at home. If you have some equipment then that’s great, but even if you don’t there are plenty of bodyweight exercises that you can do. They don’t even have to be particularly strenuous, it’s not like you need to be a bodybuilder.
Although you could be if you wanted to, you’ve got all the time in the world to work towards it. But really, it just needs to be enough to get your blood pumping. You can go running around your neighborhood too or just go for walks. Brisk ones though, no aimless strolling.
Actually you know what? Scratch that, aimless strolling is good for your mental health, so do that occasionally too, just make sure you’re also getting some good cardio walks in too. And speaking of mental health:
Don’t Forget About Your Mental Health
At a time, like this, focusing on your mental health is arguably just as important. What so many of us are experiencing on a larger scale than ever before right now is loneliness and isolation, something most people won’t be used to.
Being alone with your thoughts for long periods of time can be helpful for some, but when you’re not used to it, it can be really upsetting. There’s also boredom and frustration to think about at a time like this.
To overcome this, especially if you are spending the quarantine completely alone, you need distractions. Keep in regular contact with loved ones, and have Zoom conversations if you can. Find things to do.
Catch up on reading, binge watch a few TV shows, learn new skills, you must keep your mind occupied. And hobbies are so important. Everybody should have at least one good solid hobby but at a time like this you could probably pick up as many as you wanted.
You could even make hobbies out of some of the things we’ve talked about here already like cooking and exercising. Do things you never thought you’d be interested in, you might find your new passion.
Have you ever tried astronomy? Or bird-watching? Worth a look, right? You’ve got the time so you might as well. The birds aren’t in lockdown! And neither are the stars for that matter.
Quarantine is not easy, and Covid-19 is essentially a global tragedy, but you can use this time well and avoid allowing your health to suffer as long as make sure to keep on top of a few different, really important things.
And fear not, because you can do it. We’re all in this together. And we believe in you!
