Being quarantined for an extended amount of time, with no clue as to how long we will be quarantined, can lead to high stress. But, this does not need to be the case.
Rather than looking at quarantine as a death sentence, where you must stay at home, look at quarantine as a time to work on yourself, to make yourself better and happier whenever you can go back out into the free world again.
Included here are some tips to help you build your fitness during COVID-19.
Develop a workout plan at home.
You may think that your workout plans are scuppered because you can’t go running or hit the gym. Nothing could be further from the truth, because you don’t need fancy workout equipment, massive dumbbells, or even the outside to get a good workout.
All you really need are comfortable, breathable clothes, enough space to get a good workout, and the basic knowledge of how to do good body-weight exercises to get started. It’s not a bad idea at all to get yourself some dumbbells and barbells (Unlike some exercise fads, these fitness stalwarts will always have a place in the gym, and don’t look silly and out-of-place in your home), but they are not necessary, only nice to have.
Since you’re trying at home exercise, now is the perfect time to experiment with new fitness regimens. If you’ve always focused on cardio, consider adopting some weight training. If you stuck mostly to the weight rack in the gym, consider body weight training to vary up your strength training. If yoga is your thing, you may want to consider trying a dance routine.
Regardless of what you do, whether you focus on building up your fitness repertoire to include something new or you adopt your gym workout for your home, remember that consistency is still the key.
Get your diet under control.
The pandemic has resulted in stress eating. It is so important, therefore, to learn to manage stress eating. Don’t just start eating because you have nothing better to do, but think of the reasons that you’re eating. If you are aware of the reasons that you are stress eating, you will be less likely to seek food for comfort.
When you go to the store, avoid those high-fat, high-carb options you see on the candy and cookie aisle for snacks. Instead, consider high protein options to aid in feelings of fullness; get yourself some nuts, some cottage cheese, some greek yogurt. Not having ‘unhealthy” snacks at hand will make it easier for your to keep from making bad snacking decisions.
When you are choosing your meals, consider adding more vegetables and lean meats to your dish. Adding one new vegetable to your cart a week can keep you from feeling like you’ve fallen into a nutritional rut, and can keep you from feeling like you’re trying to start a “diet.’
And, of course, drink more water. One of the unsung heroes of a good diet, water provides so many health benefits when consumed properly that adding more water to your diet should be a no-brainer.
Make sure you keep your discipline up.
Keeping an exercise and diet routine up requires discipline. And the only way to build discipline is… to work at it. To push through, even if you don’t want to exercise and eat kale today.
What can help with this is accountability; have a group of friends who are also trying to get healthy, and let them know when you’ve completed your fitness goals for a given day. Not only can they be there to ask when you fall off, they can be there to cheer you on when you do well in a day.
You will find that, the longer you do something, the less it seems like an awful thing and the more it just seems like part of your day, something that you just do without having to think about it. A good rule is to push yourself to work out three times a week for three months.
By 3 months in a new routine, you should start seeing results. By this time, you have become so accustomed to exercise that it isn’t so much some boring new thing you’re doing, as much as it is just a part of your day.
If you can keep up a diet and exercise plan during quarantine, then you will be better prepared for when the world opens up again. And won’t that be a great feeling, coming out of your home to greet your friends with a stronger, healthier body and a more confident attitude?