How to Avoid Gaining the Corona 15
When stuck at home it can be easy to gain a little extra weight—it’s hard to maintain a solid exercise regimen, and the stress of being homebound and in the throes of a pandemic can take its toll on your health and appetite. Establishing a consistent food, exercise, and rest routine can help you avoid unnecessary weight gain.
1. Make sure you are getting enough rest.
Stay off televisions and screens for at least an hour before bed, and try your best to get eight hours of sleep per night. If you find yourself lying awake in bed fretting, get up, do something else (read, write) that does not involve the use of your phone or a screen, then try again to go back to sleep when you feel tired.
2. Eat properly.
Make healthy food choices more often than not. Start by eating breakfast—do not start the day without some sort of healthy food intake. Include one portion of protein, one portion of fruits and vegetables, and one portion of grains or carbs with every meal (Each portion should be the size of your closed fist.) Have healthy snacks in between meals (i.e. fruits, vegetables, nuts) of approximately 300 calories to keep your blood sugar levels normal throughout the day. Choose water more often than not—don’t drink your calories. If you are drinking alcohol at night, count each drink as a portion of your meal and cut back on the carbs or sugars. Slow down your pace as you eat to avoid eating more than you are actually hungry for.
3. If you find yourself “stress eating,” use mindfulness to overcome the urge.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out, filling your belly as you inhale, then your chest, then exhaling by collapsing your chest and then your belly. Repeat 3-10 times, then notice if you still want to stress eat, and make a healthy choice instead.
4. Get exercise, and stay active throughout the day.
Make sure you are doing at least 30 minutes a day of exercise. If you are home working, make sure to stand up at regular intervals. Consider getting a standing desk so you can work standing, which will burn more calories than sitting. If you are on a call, put on headphones and walk up and down your stairs while talking, or just roam around your home and get your blood flowing.
5. Do some form of weight training even if you do not have weights.
Use other objects in your home—soup cans, wine bottles, bags of rice or beans, pots and pans.
6. Consider taking up yoga.
Yoga not only builds strength and flexibility, but also helps your mind as you focus on your breathing. It’s also easy to do in any small space, and there are thousands of free yoga classes of many different lengths on YouTube. Start with a ten minute session and do what feels good—then build from there.
7. If you do gain weight, it’s not the end of the world.
Know that you are doing the best you can in a difficult circumstance—and focus on making the choices you need to make and are able to make in the future.