Over the last month, we as a country are adjusting to a new normal. Many of us have had to leave our jobs and our schools to protect the health of ourselves, our families, and our society. During this time, most of us are stuck at home and practicing social distancing. While this is crucial to our physical and public health, this can be troubling for our mental health. While spending time at home, it is easy to experience large spans of boredom, anxiety, or stress and indulge in screen time and food. In order to maintain healthy lifestyles and make eating healthy a priority during these troubling times, I’ve listed several suggestions down below to help the HerCampus community be kind to their bodies.
Meal Prep
When spending so much time at home, it can be natural to eat out of boredom or crave your favorite snacks while watching TV, scrolling through social media, or binging Tiger King. However, it is important to give your body the vital nutrients it needs and avoid overindulging. One way to stay on track is to meal prep, or cook your meals in advance to avoid grabbing the first thing you see in the fridge when you’re hungry. One advantage of meal prepping during these trying times would be to unleash your inner chef and get creative with your meals. Allow yourself to have fun planning and cooking meals while trying new recipes.
Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Peanut butter protein balls are a great option when looking for a source of protein, a filling late night snack, something to eat before a workout, or anything in between. They are also easy to make and they don’t need to be put in the oven. All you’ll need is six simple ingredients including peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, flaxseed, chia seeds, and honey. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and roll the mixture into balls on a plate or cookie sheet. Refrigerate the protein balls for thirty minutes to an hour and that’s it! (Insert chef’s kiss.)
Body Positivity Journal
While self quarantining, many of us miss doing our everyday activities like visiting our friends, going out on the weekends, and living our normal lives. That is why we should prioritize the kindness we give to ourselves and others as we navigate the new normal. So whether you want to try to stay up to date with a fitness plan, a meal plan, or enjoy your favorite comfort foods whatever you choose, it’s ok because we’re all trying our best. In order to remind ourselves of the strong, confident, women we are, the ones who will eventually be able to overcome this situation and everything else that comes our way, we can create body positivity journals in the meantime. Simply find a journal, notebook, or piece of paper and jot down something you love about your body or something you are proud of accomplishing. By doing this everyday we can try our best to remain positive.