So I’ve been home from school for almost a month now and I’ve been in quarantine ever since Monday, March 16th. If you’re like me—or, you know, experience normal human emotions—then you’re probably feeling cooped up and like life is stagnant lately. Right now it’s easy to fall into the sluggish routine of waking up, staying in your pj’s all day, snacking on food around the house, and generally not getting anything productive done all day. I know I’m guilty of this and that a lot of people on the Internet are worried that this lifestyle will take away from their health and fitness goals. If you’re feeling this way as well, then you’ve come to the right place! I’m here to share some of the tips and tricks that I’ve found to be helpful during this difficult time. I’m not an expert by any means, but if what I share helps to make someone’s life easier, then that’s the only thing that matters.
1. Get Out of Your House
I know—you’re probably thinking, you idiot, there’s a global health pandemic going on in the world right now. That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s not easy to get up and go outside during the day when your bed is so inviting and you don’t have anything else going on anyway. However, going for a walk around your neighborhood gives you a little break from being in the stuffy house all day. I’ve been going for walks around my neighborhood every other day with my family for the last three weeks, and lately I’ve found to like going by myself even more. It’s a nice way to have a little alone time, and it’s so beautiful outside right now with the warm weather and the blooming flowers. My neighborhood is full of Forsythia plants, plum trees, flowering pear trees, Daffodils, and Periwinkles and they’re always a beautiful sight to see while I’m out and about.
2. Don’t Stop Exercising
This is kind of a no-brainer. It’s important to keep moving and not sit on your butt all day long like a couch potato. 10,000 steps per day qualifies as a healthy amount of activity, and getting out for an hour or so to walk or jog somewhere is a great cardio workout. I have a lot of hills in my neighborhood, so I’ve been trying to go for walks every other day in order to get my steps in and keep my legs toned. Also, if you’re worried about the lack of working out you’ll be doing while indoors, there’s a lot of great at-home workouts that you can look up on the Internet. On the days where I haven’t been able to do cardio, I’ve been working out for around an hour in my basement in between my classes on Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s. I’ll do a small warm up, work out my body part of choice, hit abs, and finally I’ll end with stretching. If you don’t have access to free weights or it’s simply not your forte, a calmer exercise of choice that requires no weights and can be just as effective is yoga.
3. Stop Eating—You’re Just Bored
If you’ve been finding yourself snacking more often lately for some reason, there’s a good chance you’re just subconsciously trying to find something to do with your time. I’m speaking from experience here, as I have a terrible habit of eating out of boredom. I know a couple of my friends have come to me with worries about weight gain during the quarantine, which is a thought that I’ve been pondering as well. I’m currently in the process of losing some extra pounds that I’ve packed on following the dreaded Freshman 15, so a helpful tool that I’ve utilized that has made weight loss easier for me is calorie counting. There’s a lot of great fitness apps that you can download onto your phone to do this, and the one that I’m using is called “MyFitnessPal.” You set a goal weight that you want to either reach or stay at, and the app will tell you how many calories to consume per day. I love it because it’s so handy, and I can still enjoy the junky foods that I love to eat without having to worry about going on some bogus diet.
These are some of the main things that I’ve been doing in order to stay on top of maintaining my fitness goals. I really hope that I was able to inspire someone who might be struggling out there and make things a little easier for you with these suggestions. With that being said, in order to get rid of the virus we have to work together. So please avoid contact with groups of people and visiting family members or friends that you don’t already live with. Even if you’re not sick, you might be a carrier of the virus and not know it. You could be contaminating healthy people and putting your loved ones at risk. I know it’s hard right now, but the long wait will make your reunions even more special. It’ll totally be worth it in the end, I promise. Stay safe and wash your hands!