With the threat of COVID-19 being part of our lives for the foreseeable future, many of us have taken to spending a lot more time at home. In addition to helping keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, regularly staying in and limiting public outings plays an important role in curbing the spread of the virus. However, staying close to home doesn’t mean personal health should be placed on the backburner. Just because you’re not venturing out into the world on a consistent basis doesn’t make it okay to neglect proper diet and exercise. Fortunately, maintaining your health from the comfort of home isn’t as daunting as you may think.
Be Mindful of What You Eat
Even in the best of times, eating right is essential to good health. Among other things, smart diet choices are conducive to longevity, weight loss, and improved memory. Still, during periods of extended downtime, the temptation to break with healthy eating habits can be quite strong. Luckily, there are numerous ways to get a handle on this issue. For starters, limit the amount of junk food you keep in the house. The less of it you have, the less likely you are to be tempted by it. Secondly, if you’ve grown accustomed to ordering takeout on a consistent basis, place limits on the number of meals you order and use this opportunity to try out health-conscious recipes and hone your cooking skills. You may also have luck experimenting with meal substitutes, like delicious shakes made from protein powder.
Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule
There are many benefits to a good night’s sleep. In addition to providing you with plenty of energy for the day ahead, a peaceful night’s rest can improve mental clarity and help you maintain a healthy outlook. However, when you’re stuck at home for long periods, the days tend to blur into one another, and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule can prove somewhat challenging.
To nip this in the bud, make a point of giving yourself a general window in which to go to sleep and wake up each day. Once the clock strikes a certain hour, begin winding down and carrying out your bedtime routine. If you have trouble falling asleep, set a time at which to stop engaging in activities that keep your brain awake and active every night. For many of us, watching television, surfing the web or playing video games right before bedtime can make falling asleep a difficult prospect, as our minds are still firing on all synapses. On the flipside, relaxing activities like reading, meditation and deep breathing exercises can relax your mind and leave you primed for a good night’s sleep.
Develop an At-Home Exercise Regimen
Exercising on a consistent basis can be highly beneficial to both your physical health and mental wellbeing. In addition to providing your body with a vigorous workout, physical fitness can help enhance concentration, improve memory and relieve stress. For some people, being housebound has meant neglecting their usual exercise routines. After all, if your pre-pandemic fitness regimen entailed going to the gym or crowded public places, it’s easy to see why being stuck at home would lead you to a standstill.
Fortunately, there’s no shortage of ways to get a good workout from the safety of home. Stretches, strength training, cardio, and many other forms of exercise can be comfortably carried out without setting foot outside. If your preferred type of exercise involves the use of gym equipment, now may be the right time to invest in home fitness tools. Furthermore, even video game developers have gotten in on the fitness craze. With countless titles built around physical movement currently available, there’s never been a better time to be an active gamer.
If you aren’t a natural homebody, spending excessive amounts of time holed up in your residence can prove trying. Frankly, even if you are a fan of hanging out at home, there’s a good chance the novel coronavirus has tested your limits. However, no matter how accustomed you’ve become to spending the bulk of your time at the old homestead, you shouldn’t regard your personal health as an afterthought. Homebound individuals looking for effective ways to stay healthy amidst the current crisis can benefit from the previously discussed pointers.
