How Can I Be Healthy While Staying at Home?
Posted: May 14, 2020 | Author: Kierstin Pitcher-Holloway | Read Time: 3 minutes
Now more than ever it’s important to take care of our bodies, and be mindful of our health. This can be difficult during a lockdown but not impossible. Here are some ways to improve your health while staying at home:
Tips for Exercising During Quarantine
Fitness Class Alternatives
If your regular fitness class has been canceled due to the outbreak, chances are you are missing it. The solution is YouTube. From kickboxing to ballet or soccer, there are tons of training sessions or at-home workouts on YouTube.
Gym Alternatives
You might not be able to go to the gym right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in your cardio or strength training. Household items, like recycled milk jugs or jump ropes can be used in place of gym equipment.
Gym memberships might be canceled but going outside is not. All long as individuals maintain social distancing, it is still okay to ride your bike or go for a run. In fact, fresh air can help boost your immune system, so get outside and enjoy the sunshine!
Tips for Healthy Eating
Meal Prep
Anyone can meal prep, you don’t have to be obsessed with fitness or cooking. The idea of meal prepping is to prepare food ahead of schedule so you have it ready when it’s needed. This reduces unhealthy food choices like freezer food or takeout. It doesn’t have to be whole meals, it can be single dishes or ingredients. Any sort of meal prepping can help create healthy eating habits.
Healthy Alternatives
How do junk food alternatives work? It all depends on your personal preferences. For example, if someone really loved milkshakes, instead of filling their blender with ice cream they could make a yummy peanut butter smoothie. Whether your guilty pleasure is sweet treats like cookies or salty snacks like potato chips, finding a healthy alternative can help you to snack guilt-free.
Enjoy Your Veggies
Vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet, but they often get left out or overlooked. It is much easier to get your daily serving of veggies when you have a few favorite ways to prepare them, so find a few simple and yummy ways to cook veggies.
Tips for Healthy Sleeping Patterns
Consistent Schedule
Having a consistent sleep schedule helps with both going to bed and getting up in time.
Enjoy Your Morning
Resisting the urge to sleep in and getting up at a regular time can be hard. Including something that you enjoy in your morning routine can really help. A few spent minutes enjoying your favorite music, a good book or a nice warm drink can give you just the motivation you need to get out of bed every morning.
No Electronics
Turn off electronics 30 min before going to bed to help wind down for the night.
No Large Meals
This does not mean you should go to bed hungry. If you’re feeling peckish before a small healthy snack shouldn’t hinder your ability to fall asleep, just try to avoid large meals and sugar before bed.
Set Two Alarms
Some people prefer to bounce out of bed the second their alarm goes off. If you aren’t one of the few that can do this, then try using this tip. Having one alarm to wake up and the other to get out of bed helps wake the body up slowly. Setting your alarms 10 or 15 minutes apart will help you wake up less grumpy and ready to meet the day.
To help students navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, CAPS created a COVID-19 Survival Guide to answer questions and serve as a reference guide for all coping with the crisis including accessing resources and support related to student’s physical and emotional needs.
Tags: Student Life
