Rarely will you hear from anyone that their everyday life was not disrupted by the pandemic. How we work, play, socialize and run errands was affected. Even the local supermarket can look like a medical battlefield where everyone is maintaining their distance, wearing their masks, and keeps on using their hand sanitizers.
Now that we are fighting a worldwide medical crisis, it only becomes a must that we do our best to keep ourselves healthy. One way to do this is to maintain an active lifestyle. But with the shelter in place and social distancing orders, this becomes a tricky task.
Why Many Fail to Maintain an Active Lifestyle During the Pandemic
The covid-19 crisis made us distance ourselves from others, even our family and friends. The only people we often interact with in-person are those people we live with under one roof. As we shelter in place, this led to a sedentary lifestyle.
More people are now working remotely, which means they don’t need to prepare much and travel distances just to get to their workstation. Kids are learning at home, and they don’t get to play with their peers and classmates. Running errands became more infrequent as we all try to avoid going out as much as possible.
Gyms were closed down, which meant no more workouts with or without your trainer. Shopping for one’s needs and wants turn from in-store shopping to online shopping. When you are homebound and you can do virtually everything at home with the help of technology, it is easy to fall into the abyss of a sedentary lifestyle.
Ever since workers started working remotely, more people have been sitting for long periods. This lead to body aches like back pains and headaches. Even as the states slowly open and gyms are now operational, many still find it hard to adapt and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.
Why an Active Lifestyle Is Crucial Mid-Pandemic
Regular exercise and physical activities are great ways to ensure your body is in great condition. These along with enough rest, sleep and proper nutrition can lower your risk of acquiring the virus and getting too sick. But then, many who relied on gyms and their classes are stuck at home and lost their motivation to stay active.
An active lifestyle is another way to reduce stress and anxiety while fighting depression. More people are depressed during the pandemic. But by putting your focus and energy on something productive, you get to improve your physical and mental health.
How Can One Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle?
One does not necessarily need a gym to adapt and maintain an active lifestyle. What you need is to first find your motivations and inspirations. Establish a goal and you can start planning your way to a more active lifestyle while quarantining.
You can start by improving your home to make sure it can accommodate your active lifestyle. You can do this by eliminating unnecessary clutter and turning your extra space into a physical fitness space. Don’t forget about tackling regular home maintenance like investing in a professional air duct cleaning service to ensure you get to breathe good air while you exercise indoors.
Exert more effort when doing your chores or running errands. Here’s what you can do to make household chores into a great workout.
- Use a push mower to mow your lawn
- Tend to your garden regularly
- Wash the dishes by hand instead of the dishwasher
- Hand wash delicate fabrics and air dry them under the sun
- Find time to regularly cook meals and clean the house
- Walk, skate or go biking when you need to go somewhere near
- Find a running buddy or join virtual yoga classes
- Dance more often
- Prioritize workouts early in the morning
- Stream music while walking your dog
- Play with your kids and pets more
There are things worth investing in so you can achieve an active lifestyle. This includes your yoga mat, yoga ball, and yoga blocks if you are into yoga and other personal gym equipment like some weights and a second-hand treadmill. You can choose to watch free exercise regimens online or buy a virtual fitness membership so you can still join gym classes with a personal trainer and other gym rats.
Your own pair of roller skates or a brand new bike can also be great investments. This can be the perfect opportunity to learn how to roller skate or go biking so you can be around nature while exercising and having fun. Don’t forget to invest in healthier food and drinks and to buy yourself more sleep each day.
Keeping an active lifestyle is crucial during these trying times. This will help you channel your focus and energy on something more productive while improving your health and happiness. The good news is, you don’t necessarily need to spend money just to achieve a more active lifestyle. You just need to make sure you commit and keep a regular routine so you can keep up with your active life. Choose to be healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally by maintaining a healthy lifestyle with or without a pandemic.
