The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely changed the way we live, work, and study, and chances are that you’re spending more time indoors nowadays than ever before. If your region has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, you might be spending all of your time in quarantine, in fact. Being stuck at home is the worst, and even though there are some great projects you can kick-start in your free time to stay productive and make some money on the side, you shouldn’t forget about your physical and mental health.
In fact, you should actively work on reducing stress and improving your energy levels by adhering to an exercise routine and a fitness lifestyle. Why? Because exercise is a great way to stay fit and not become a couch potato, but it’s also an amazing way to minimize stress and anxiety, especially when you’re getting ready for an exam. So, here are the five pillars of an at-home fitness lifestyle that will help you stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, both mentally and physically.
Perfecting your home workouts
Hitting the gym, for many, is the only way to get a decent workout in, and yes, the gym offers everything you need to push yourself in training. If you’re still able to go to your local gym while adhering to the prescribed safety measures, then be sure to stick with your exercise routine. However, if you’re stuck at home, then you need to create a well-balanced home workout routine that will allow you to maintain your physique, build functional muscle, and improve your cardiovascular function.
It might seem impossible, especially if you don’t have a lot of equipment, but you don’t have to overcomplicate things – simply stick to the exercises that work and focus on repetition instead of variety. For example, you can combine bodyweight squats, lunges, pushups, and various cardio and HIIT exercises into one grueling workout, and simply repeating the same workout several times a week will deliver some decent results. However, you have to be consistent, so make sure to create a strict workout schedule to avoid missing a workout.
Adding some meditation and yoga
Many of us like to think that exercise and diet are the only elements of a fitness lifestyle, but there’s so much more to it. For example, a big part of fitness is learning to heal your mind from within (in other words, to stay sane while in quarantine), and the best way to do that is through meditation and yoga. The great part about mindful meditation is that you don’t need more than 15 minutes to enter a state of mindfulness, so you can meditate in the morning and right before bed.
As for yoga, this is a great way to combine meditation with movements that allow you to stretch those sore spots and really relax your body and mind. And who knows, if you get good at it, you can even turn it into a career in health and fitness.
Focusing on healthy eating and supplementation
Of course, the fitness lifestyle encompasses numerous healthy habits, one of which is nutrition. After all, you can’t work out for an hour and think that it’s enough to counteract a whole day of eating junk food, so you need to tidy up your nutrition as well. You can start by throwing out all unhealthy foods. Next, be sure to cook your own meals so that you can control your portions easily.
With that in mind, be sure to stick to a protein-rich diet. If getting enough protein in is difficult for you, then you can always look for the best weight gainer protein powder based on the micro and macro nutrients it has, so that you can get the right nutrients in if you’re trying to add functional muscle and prevent excessive weight loss during quarantine. Add other natural supplements like vitamins and minerals in there as well, and you’ll feel more energized and productive as well.
Emphasizing proper sleep and recovery
You would think that being stuck at home will free up a lot of time for some rest and relaxation, but instead most of us just end up binge-watching Netflix till the late hours of the night, which is not a great way to get a good night’s sleep. Remember, sleep is essential for a well-balanced fitness lifestyle, and it can help improve your energy for the following day and in the long term, not to mention that it can positively affect the hormone balance in your body, among other crucial benefits. With that in mind, make sure to stick a strict sleeping schedule – your body and mind will thank you for it.
Staying consistent and dedicated.
Lastly, the most important thing to remember is that fitness is a journey, so if you want to experience all of its health benefits, you have to stay consistent. You can’t just stick to these habits for a couple of weeks, you need to make them inextricable to your lifestyle over the long term. So, when you feel like skipping a workout or a yoga session, or when you feel like reaching for that fizzy drink, just remind yourself why you started and what you’re trying to accomplish.
Wrapping up
Staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic can be a challenge, but if you stick to social distancing and wear a mask when you’re outside, you can lower the chances of catching the virus yourself. As for your everyday life at home, be sure to embrace fitness as your primary way to stay healthy both physically and mentally until all of this blows over.