MAINTAINING PHYSICAL HEALTH DURING COVID-19

Our physical health has a great affect on how we feel mentally. Even though social distancing guidelines are making daily life complicated, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to maintain good physical health and staying active while we are adjusting to this new way of life for the time being. If exercise and healthy eating wasn’t part your previous daily routine, now is a great time to start. Here are some tips on how to stay healthy while practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Nutrition

It’s essential to maintain a healthy and balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins all the time, but especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. Eating well is just as important for your physical and mental health as exercising and getting good sleep.

While it is good to have a robust supply of dry and canned goods, now is a great time to buy fresh produce too. You can cut up and freeze what you aren’t using and keep in the freezer for a few months. You can also do the same with fresh proteins as well and freeze immediately if not using that day.

Physical Activity

You may not be able to go to the gym, but there are plenty of options to stay active. It’s okay to walk, run, or bike outside as long as you are keeping a safe distance – ideally at least six feet- from other people. You can even play in your yard with your family to incorporate more physical activity in their daily routines as well.

If you don’t have great access to the outdoors, at-home workout options are great. If you already belong to a gym or attend fitness classes, check to see if they are providing any virtual classes or online workouts. There are a lot of great free resources available for home exercise programs like Daily Burn, Obe Fitness, and The Body Project that have different types of workouts you can choose from and do from home. Youtube also has many free videos that fit any type of at home workout, whether you are a beginner, interested in dance classes, body weight fitness, or workouts that require no equipment.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is crucial for just about every aspect of your health, and understandably it might be harder to fall and stay asleep these days if you are experiencing stress and anxiety. Getting quality rest every night will help you feel energized and keep stress levels down during the day.

If you are experience sleep issues, yoga and meditation are great tools for managing stress and helping you calm down. Try InSight Timer, it is a free guided meditation app that can help with sleep, anxiety, and stress. Try to keep the blue light from phone and computer screens at a minimum and not use directly before you sleep.

Health Care

To limit exposure to the coronavirus, try to postpone or hold off on scheduling non-essential medical appointments, such as annual physicals and dental cleanings, and using telemedicine for pre-scheduled appointments that need to happen, other illnesses like the flu or strep throat, and for managing chronic conditions. If you have a pressing medical need, you can and should seek care, but please call your doctor’s office or hospital first before arriving, as they may have containment procedures in place now.