Staying Healthy in Lockdown

• 06 Nov, '20
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Gravity PT, Michael, is here to give you his tips for keeping both mind and body healthy during this next lockdown period: Lockdown is hard on the body both physically and mentally but with the negatives clear we need to try and focus on the positive to make the most of this time to learn new skill, new disciplines and way to stay in touch with family and friends so we don’t feel isolated. 1. Reducing Calorie intake. Due to us staying at home, we will stand and move less during the day. Therefore it’s important to reduce food consumption because we are burning less calories from daily activities. 2. Learn to cook and try different recipes. I know take-away are staying open but you should only use these to treat yourself. By cooking yourself you can control what you eat and when you eat, all while learning new skills and tasty dishes. 3. Avoid snacking. It’s easy to do when we are bored but try instead to have structured meals so you know when to eat and avoid snacking in between meals. If you do want to snack a little between meals try and make it healthy or low calorie or even a drink instead E.g. nuts, fruits, yogurt, black coffee, tea no sugar or water 4. Keep moving. Avoid seating for long periods, stand up walk around (you burn more calories stood up than sat down) If your working see if you can do it stood up or allocate times to get up and move around for 5mins. I have a habit of pacing back and forth when on the phone but it keep me moving. 5. Make the most of your time outside. You may feel trapped inside but you can still go out and exercise, so use this time to take in fresh air and appreciate your surroundings. It doesn’t have to be a run or intense exercise, just a walk and change of scenery. 6. Exercise and stretch. By having more time to yourself you can really control what goes on during your day and maximise your time. So use this time to do daily exercise and stretches. There are loads of ways to keep exercising and make it fun. Daily challenges, set yourself goals, make it a game or a competition with someone. You don’t need a gym to exercise. 7. Mindfulness. Be mindful of yourself and others. Allow time to switch off and be with your thoughts and surrounding to allow the stress and worries of the day fade. This can be done by meditation, relaxing to some music while focusing on your breathing and body awareness. Or anything that might distract you from the whole and give you mind time to heal and process thoughts. 8. Interact with people. Although we can’t meet with people in person there are lots of ways to still interact and talk to people so they know they are not alone and care about. This can be a text, a call, a letter, chest rooms, video calls. Technically today is allowing us to stay connect. So talk to your friend and family, but also think about others who you may not have spoken to and make we don’t make anyone feel isolated.