Health, Wellness: Build an Active Home Routine That Sticks
- Details
- Category: Health, Wellness, Relationships
- Published on Wednesday, 01 April 2020 12:37
- Written by Mallory Knee
The gym is closed, fitness classes are canceled for the foreseeable future, even walking groups are out as social distancing mandates singular activities. Here are some ways to stay active while hunkered down at home.
As we fight the spread of COVID-19 together, each person plays a part in stopping the spread. Social distancing may be a challenge and it remains the single most effective means to stopping the corona virus. Until health experts and elected officials lift bans on public gatherings every citizen must adhere to the guidelines.
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In the meantime, it’s unwise to sit around binge-watching sitcoms.
Keeping active is part of the health equation—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Stanford University Medicine, exercise helps mediate stress, and reducing stress helps the immune system. Here are suggestions about how to stay active at home listing things to do to keep moving while observing social distancing.
The Home as the Gym
Take the stairs a few extra times per day. Make two of those trips carrying a basket fully loaded with laundry down to the laundry room, and back up again when everything’s dry.
Put on workout clothes and tackle a good round of housecleaning: vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting all involve reaching and stretching. Cleaning kitchens and bathrooms requires bending, squatting and a little elbow grease – a workout for legs and arms that results in cleaned and sanitized spaces.
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This is also a good time to de-clutter closets and cabinets. Packing things away for donation provides space and organization. A tidy, well-organized closet is a thing of beauty that improves morale when cooped up at home.
Carrying full boxes out to the car or garage to ready them for delivery to local charity drop off points is a way to do some good while maintaining an appropriate distance from others. Count each box as a round of lifting weights. Launder clothes before donating them.
Even though at-home visits aren’t in the cards right now, reaching out to a personal trainer is worth the effort. There are many advantages to hiring a personal trainer, including the ability to receive phone consultations. A trainer can help maintain motivation with a daily suggestions about how to stay active while at home for as long as self-isolation must last.
Rig a Standing Desk
Standing at a desk is healthier than working seated for hours on end. Place the laptop on the breakfast bar and stand while writing emails and reports. Do knee lifts while reading messages and perform arm stretches while formulating responses. Put on music and take a few dancing breaks—no one’s looking, but just to be on the safe side, cover the laptop’s webcam first. . Rock out to music that encourages movement.
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Cook Meals at Home
It’s surprising how many steps across the kitchen, from the fridge to the sink to the cutting board, it takes to prep a salad or mix up a stir-fry it. Cooking requires standing, bending, and reaching and keeps the cook in control of who touches the food. Setting the table, clearing it, and loading the dishwasher all count as movement as well.
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Everyone is worried about COVID-19, but stressing about it won’t make it go away. Drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, staying reasonably active and washing hands frequently will help deflect infection to stay healthy.
