If you are in a vulnerable category, you are probably staying at home to protect yourself from the effects of coronavirus. Isolating can be essential to keep you safe, reducing your risk of catching the disease while shopping for groceries or walking through town. But the act of isolating presents something of a paradox. It’s necessary to keep you well, but staying indoors can also be potentially disastrous for your health. It can seem like a lose-lose situation. You have to choose between putting yourself at risk or succumbing to the effects of inactivity.
Being stuck indoors for an extended period makes it harder to get enough exercise, and you have less access to healthy food to maintain a nutritious diet. Your mental health can also suffer from isolation and lack of contact, and the uncertainty about the future could cause your stress levels to skyrocket.
So, what can you do to look after yourself? Staying fit and healthy while isolating presents a major challenge, but it is not impossible. As long as you equip yourself with the right strategies and tools, you will discover that there are plenty of ways to boost your wellbeing from home.
Here are four great tips to get you started.
Create a Workout Regime
When you’re confined to your home, you spend a lot more time than usual sitting down. While there’s nothing wrong with relaxing, prolonged periods of inactivity can lead to weight gain and a higher risk of illness. Therefore, it’s essential you keep your body moving.
When in isolation you may not be able to go outside for regular runs and bike rides, but that doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Many people have transformed their fitness levels in lockdown by working out in their living rooms. Anyone can do it, but for beginners, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Fortunately, the internet provides an easy solution. There are so many free workout videos available online for people of all ages and abilities, and most of them require no special equipment. Whether it’s high-intensity interval workouts, yoga, or lifting weights, find a selection of videos you like and do a few of them throughout the week. Planning out a weekly workout regime is a great way to keep you motivated and ensure you stick with it.
Keep in Touch
The isolation is perhaps the hardest part of being at home. Not seeing your close friends and family can make you feel like you’re missing out, and it can be a real struggle to cope with the loneliness. Social relationships are crucial for your mental wellbeing, so you should make an effort to keep in touch with your loved ones.
Tools like Zoom and Facetime have provided a lifeline for many people in lockdown, so make the most of them. Check-in with your family and friends for a quick chat now and then. As well as making yourself feel better, you may also be helping them to cope too. For the sake of your stress levels, try to steer the conversation away from coronavirus and other negative world events, and talk about more positive things in your life.
Eat Well
Another integral factor in your general wellbeing is your diet. What you eat has a major impact on your health, and it can be easy to fall into a pattern of eating poorly. Although there’s nothing wrong with indulging in the occasional fast-food takeout, a consistent diet of fatty, sugary foods will play havoc on your body.
Make an effort to cook yourself nutritious meals. There are plenty of great cookbooks out there, and the internet is packed with free recipes for delicious, healthy meals. Even if you can’t go food shopping, you may still be able to order ingredients online or ask loved ones to get supplies for you. And if you’re not particularly skilled in the kitchen, there are even websites that specialize in meal kits and food programs for seniors.
Occupy Your Mind
Isolation can be extremely monotonous, so it’s a good idea to find something to keep your mind occupied. This will help you stay happy and positive throughout your lockdown and make it easier to stay on top of your mental health. Many people have found activities like gardening, DIY, and painting to be therapeutic, but the opportunities are endless. You could also fill your evenings by reading some literary classics or making your way through the best TV boxsets of all time.
