It’s hard to believe that less than a month ago we were all living our normal lives, with nothing but our normal worries and problems to think about. With the COVID-19 pandemic upon us and national quarantine guidelines it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you’ve lost all of your structure in your day to day life. Chad, Pete, and I sat down for another episode of the LIFT Bodcast and we all shared some great strategies to get through these troubling times with some sense of normalcy. If you haven’t checked it out then give it a listen, but here’s some tips to find the positives in our current situation and come out of it with a sense of productiveness and a direction to build on:
Control what You Can Control
This may seem obvious, but there’s a lot of things going on in the world right now that we have absolutely no control over. However, it’s important to find the positives in every situation and sit back and reflect on what we can be doing with our new found “free time.” I have spent more time connecting with family and friends (over FaceTime of course, 6 FT people!) and I’ve read more books than I ever have. It’s easy to get really wrapped up in our daily lives so taking a step back and focusing on our personal/mental/spiritual health during this time can help us reset and reevaluate what’s truly important to us.
Routine
I know the biggest thing for me during this quarantine is to still have some sort of established routine. I still wake up and go to bed at the roughly the same times I did when life was running as normal. I try to ensure I either listen to a podcast or take time to read part of a book every morning to get some sort of mental stimulation. I still try and eat my meals around the same times (getting to eat an actual breakfast has been awesome BTW) and this has helped retain some sort of sanity through this process. Don’t get me wrong, I still get in plenty of Netflix and Xbox during the day, but it’s important to me to feel like I’ve had some sort of productivity throughout the day.
Nutrition
For anyone who’s main excuse was they don’t have time to cook or meal prep, this is a great time to finally let that excuse go and get their nutrition dialed in. I know it’s super easy to pick up your phone, order something from Uber Eats, and then sit on the couch until it arrives. Preparing and cooking your food is not only a healthier option, but will also give you a sense of accomplishment and control in your life. It’s a great way to get the significant other/kids involved in a fun group task. Now is a great time to experiment with some new recipes or test out some new food groups. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with letting loose every once in a while, and ordering some take-out food, I do it myself pretty much every week. A general guideline for me is to keep 80% of the food I eat as healthy, unprocessed foods and then that leaves 20% of the time for going out to eat or splurging on some snacks/desserts.
Food blog: How to read food labels and make quality food decisions
Focus on YOU
The majority of us are in a position that we don’t normally find ourselves in; a time in our lives where we consistently have available free time to use during the day. Take this opportunity to pick something you want to either learn and develop and do it! Focus on dialing in your nutrition, learn how to cook more, focus on your hip mobility or glutes. It doesn’t even have to be fitness related. Learn how to play the guitar, or start learning a new language. Anything that will keep you physically and mentally engaged during these times will only help you come out of this as a better and stronger person.
Relax
It’s easy to get stressed out during this current situation, but do the best you can to try and relax. Stress has numerous adverse effects on your health and well-being. Take time out of your day to go on a walk, hop in on one of our LIFT Live classes and de-stress for 30 minutes, take 10-15 minutes out of your day for meditation or yoga, anything that allows YOU to relax and take your mind off what’s going on in the outside world. Remember, we are all in this together and only together can we overcome this and get back to resuming our normal lives. Be kind to each other, help out those in need, stay active, stay fit, and stay positive!
