Apr 8, 2020
5 Simple Ways You Can Improve Your Health During The COVID19 Lockdown.
All over the world, people have accepted to social distancing as a means of flattening the curve of the COVID 19 epidemic even if its against the physical and social needs of the people. In the last one month or so, various governments have enforced partial and total lock-down for their citizens. The effect of this is probably generating positive results even though new cases are being discovered everyday.
No one knows how long this will last but we can not wait for our health to deteriorate while we cocoon in our houses or wherever we may be. The most important thing that we are protecting is our health being hijacked by a virus so deadly that it confined us to our house. Of course we are all hopeful but that hope must be translated into action because when the virus is gone, what remains with us is the consequence of what we do now.
One of the best things we can do is to learn about our body and seek efforts to improve it within the scope of our space and the time we have in our hands. It could be of better help that the healthy habits we develop during this may help us live healthier and longer than if this has not occurred. Yes , we can hope but now we have to take this advantage to get healthier and better.
These are 5 simple ways we cancan improve all the areas of our health while we are stuck for the main time:
- Embrace Positive Outlook
It is as glaring as possible that during epidemic or wars, we fret and always want to be at the top of information to be able to decide fast. There are hundreds of media houses giving out minute by minute information about the epidemic. Added with the social media messages we get from friends and groups and you will have deluge of information far more than you bargain for.
Despite that we need information, but information overload can overwhelm us and put us in a state of panic which can affect our cognitive ability to make informed decision when the time come. The best we can do for ourselves is to watch less news to remain positive. Being positive might save our lives far more than being on top of the happening.
Remaining positive is the best way to improve your mental health. Being forced to stay at home is a enough burden on our mental health. In fact the recent backlash against the 5G technology is one of the herd effects of mental shock that always occur when a group of people are bored, confused and couldn't find any particular thing to blame for their helplessness.
In a study carried out in the University of Queensland,Australia, it was concluded that: “Participants who recalled more positive than negative images had antibodies in their blood suggesting stronger immune systems than those of their counterparts, who did not show this positivity in memory,” said Dr Dr Kalokerinos, the research team lead.
You do not need to read motivational books or say affirmations to get and remain positive. All you need to do is stop bingeing on news and content about COVID19 except for some few minutes or to fact check a claim. Replace this incessant need to check the news with time with yourself and your family. The more time you dedicate to people around you, doing things together, the more you stay away from negative experience, the more you move towards positive mindset.
2. Better Diet
Better diet is usually the function of time , interest and necessity. These three requirements have been been fostered on us during the lock-down. We tend to eat better food because the fast food chains have been shut down and even if we have stored the fridges and freezers with fat and sugar laden foods, we still tend to eat moderately as the lock-down move into days. Cooking that we do at home might not be the ideal of what its acceptable but it is still far better than eating out. This is because the food industry has access to food additives that tend to make us eat more and still increase our cravings and therefore make us addictive to this diets.
The home cook food might not have all the trappings of the fast food outlets but it surely have all the necessary vitamins and nutrition needed. Most people have noticed increase energy and better sleep since they eating at started eating home cooked food . There is no better time for you to eat better than now. Take advantage of this moment to learn some healthy recipe , master some cooking skills and form the habit of cooking your food which can save you thousands of money and even better your health.
3. Sleep
This is not the time to grab your phone or get addicted to Netflix. Rather it is the time to grab your pillow and go to sleep. Sleep is a necessity and not a luxury that we can relegate to the background. Sleep has more benefits and advantages than we know. Most people can go through life for days without food but only few could go through two days without good sleep.
With the fear and uncertainty in the air , sleep will be your greatest ally as adequate sleep boost your immune systems and clears your brain to think better. If you have a good sleep routine, do not ruin it by the change in schedule rather get better by adding more hours if you think you need it more.
Don’t mess up your routine by sleeping in awkward hours just because you have no work the next day , you may find it hard to get back into your sleep routine when we are back to ‘normal’ life.
The philosopher and writer Arthur Schopenhauer wrote that , “Sleep is the interest we have to pay on the capital which is called in at death. The higher the interest rate and the more regularly it is paid, the further the date of redemption is postponed.”
4. Exercise
The science is very clear on the values and health benefits of exercise. Though we are restricted but we can get average form of exercise done because we need it to stay healthy and maintain the delicate balance between inputs and outputs of calories.
All we need is to ensure we put on average of 15 minutes physicals everyday through aerobic exercise and body workouts. Walking is great too especially in the evening to clear your head if you have the space to do that without breaking the quarantine. There are many online videos that can help you in this regard especially if you stay alone or you are in isolation. You can also involve your family to make it fun and fitness habits. Use the dumbbells if you have to increase resistance. Just ensure you are getting adequate exercise per day.
5.Social and Skills
Although we are separated from our friends and families physically but we have the tools to reach them through modern technology. We can call them, chat them up or set up a video call to maintain our bonds. I have learnt how to make calls while strolling down the streets, thereby exercising and checking on friends and family at the same time.
The lock-down might have alienated us from our close neighbors but because we are in this together , we have overridden the awkwardness and solidify our expected relationship. This is the best time to better our mental health through community participation and joint community program while we maintain the expected 6 feet distance between us. Lets show more empathy towards others and look for more opportunities to help more. If we need help too, lets ask for it.
Have you been yawning to learn a skill but your job wouldn't allow you to put in time and training? Now is the time to start. You can learn together online through virtual coaching. This might be a very necessary one after the lock-down as job certainty might be affected a lot. This will keep you busy and downplay any anxieties you may have about the future.
It is stay at home and not stay out of life. It is a better to observe all the rules of quarantine but we will still need to go on and live our lives within the new “normal” such that when we are hopefully out of this lockdown, we will get stronger and better.
