It’s been days since my last workout because of cancelled races, closed gyms, pools, and the uncertainty whether it is safe to run outside.
Now with the recent Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine enforced by the government to stop the spread of COVID19 Pandemic, we are called to stay at home and practice social distancing.
Staying at home can be daunting especially for people who are not used to staying indoors. This lockdown can also be a time that we let our guards down and get tempted to make unhealthy choices because of boredom or overwhelming feeling of having too much time at home.
It is easy to be sedentary, eat a lot of comfort food, and gain weight. The following are the five (5) tips we believe you can consider to save yourself from those fats:
1. Try To Eat Healthy
With limited food choices available at home or in the supermarkets, it is harder and harder to eat healthy and have a balanced diet. Noodles and canned goods are the usual food left at our disposal.
Our household is limited to one (1) person to leave the house to procure basic necessities and for our family, for example, that would be my mom. While I have oriented her before that we should eat more vegetables and fruits, it was also hard for her to find healthy food choices these days.
In her desperation for us to still eat healthy, she combined Malunggay with the noodles that we have at home. She apologized and promised to go for more healthier choices next time but this time, she said, we need to eat what we have.
Try to eat healthy as much as possible and avoid excessive snacking.
2. Keep Moving
When everything is cancelled, closed and forced to stay home, it definitely broke our fitness routines. Roads are closed, gyms/pools closed, most of us don’t have any type of gym equipment readily available to workout at home, and running outside has not been allowed.
Being at home doesn’t mean we have to stop moving and being active. There are a lot of alternatives for us to keep our body moving and get those endorphins rising again.
This recent post from Pinoy Fitness lists all virtual workouts to keep you fit while under quarantine:
Related Article: Virtual Workouts to Keep You Fit While Under Quarantine
Doing core exercises can also make you sweat even with minimal movements. Youtube and Google have a lot of core strengthening exercises that can be done at home, even in small spaces.
Yesterday, I turned on our TV and went to Youtube and had a good 20-minute core strengthening exercises. I also searched for some Zumba dances that my sister, my nephew, and my mom were also able to follow. It became a short family exercise that morning.
Lifting weights, on the other hand, is said to be responsible for building more lean muscles in our body. It maintains or even increases our metabolism rate as muscle has a higher metabolism than fat does.
Related Article: 6 Everyday Objects You Can Use To Workout
As a runner, I’m not really used to lifting weights. Though we have a number of basic weight lifting equipment at home, I rarely use them. But this lockdown enabled me to try lifting weights again and it just feels good to be sweating after days of no exercise at all.
In this time of lockdown, it is more tempting to sit all day but it’s important now more than ever to remember why we need to keep moving.
3. Prioritize Sleep
With a disrupted schedule and no long runs or brick training to look forward to the next day, we now have an inclination to spend more time watching TV.
I, myself, is also guilty of binge-watching Crash Landing On You, Kingdom 1 and 2, and almost all of the movies and series recommended by friends on Netflix. Without a fixed schedule, it is easy to get tempted continuing the series up until 1-2 AM.
But we know that it is not healthy prioritizing finishing a Netflix series over your sleep. Because tomorrow you will only feel more tired as ever and it will definitely disrupt your sleep cycle. And worst of all, lack of sleep actually triggers your hunger hormones which can lead to overeating while binge-watching more Netflix Series the next day.
Related Article: Why Sleep is Crucial in Losing Weight
So make sure to stick to your sleep schedule during this lockdown, better yet, improve it and try to sleep earlier than usual, you have all day to finish up your chores anyway.
4. Track Your Weight
The goal now is not to gain weight. If you have a weighing scale at home, you can weigh yourself every day and actually log your weight in a monitoring form. If you are not that kind of a detailed person and don’t have a weighing scale at home, maybe a tape measure, or periodically try on your work clothes to check if your body is gaining weight or not.
5. Keep Yourself Productive
Lastly, keep yourself productive. The home quarantine is a month-long period. While most of us will be in a work from home status, it is still advisable to be productive like what you have during your normal days.
If you have been accustomed to having a daily schedule, why not try to do a schedule even if you are just at home? A to-do list may help so you know you are accomplishing something every single day.This time can also be used for hobbies and passion projects you have set aside because of your busy schedules. You might earn extra money from those projects.
You can also consider learning a new skill — from cooking your loved ones’ favorite dishes, to stock trading, to painting, to writing, to vlogging, or even to TikToking?
The possibilities are endless. You just need to keep looking and finding healthier ways on how to spend this one month of home quarantine and social distancing.
