Healthy habits to see you through lockdown
It can be easy to become demotivated spending so much time indoors at home; especially if you were used to being out of the house more often than in. However, it is important that we pay attention to our mental health and wellbeing to ensure that we are looking after ourselves. Whilst we have so much more time on our hands, we have an opportunity to adopt some healthy habits into our usual routines to keep us feeling good. Continue below for some ways to improve your wellbeing.
Drink Water
We all know that we should drink more water, but it can be easier said than done. Water is so important for our health as it performs a range of vital functions in our body. Our body is made up of 60% water! When we don’t drink enough of it, we can become dehydrated causing tiredness, poor concentration, and headaches. Most of us should drink around 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. For a different taste we can also try herbal teas, coconut water, and include foods in our diet that have a high-water content.
There are also apps that can help us to remember to drink throughout the day, such as Plant Nanny. Plant Nanny allows you to grow a virtual plant and water it every time you drink a glass of water to help it grow.
Eat Healthily
A balanced diet is a healthy diet. We should include a variety of foods in our diets to ensure that we get all the nutrients and vitamins for our body. Some ways that we can incorporate a healthy diet into our lifestyles is by meal planning. Now that we are spending more time at home, we have more time to cook meals from fresh. So now is the time to get out those recipe books or head to the many online recipes available at the click of a button.
Another tip to encourage healthy eating is to keep healthy snacks around. This will ensure that you do not binge on unhealthy treats. Baking your own healthy snacks is a great way to understand what you’re eating (such as making your own granola bars).
Exercise
Research shows that exercise can help to relieve stress, improve mood, and stimulate the production of endorphins which can create feelings of happiness for us. So, it is the perfect remedy for days where we might feel stuck in a rut. It obviously improves physical health too!
There are hundreds of free online workouts that you can follow. Or you can make it as simple as going for a walk or a run, dancing in your living room, or doing some yoga. The more we can get our bodies moving during this time the better we will feel.
Be More Present
If there is one thing that has changed for most of us during lockdown, it’s that our lives have slowed down. No longer are we rushing around from the moment we get out of bed in the morning.
We can use our additional time spent at home to learn how to be more present, which essentially means to be focused on the one thing that you are doing, or the people you are with. Practicing mindfulness can help with this. There are many apps available to try, such as Headspace. Headspace talks you through short breathing and mindfulness techniques to calm the mind and promote positive health. Keeping a gratitude diary can also help you to focus on what you have in your life without always thinking about more.
Connect With Family And Friends
Although we can’t meet up with our family and friends as normal, it is so important to stay in regular contact with them. With the endless digital tools that we have available, it’s so easy to do this. There are many ways to be inventive when connecting online through social media or video call. There are games and quizzes you can play; as well as having a good old chat. Keeping in touch with people will boost our sense of belonging as well as providing crucial support to those we care about. Our relationships are so important to us so create a habit of checking in with family and friends more often.
