STAYING HEALTHY WHILE STAYING HOME

You probably know the drill – eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. It can be difficult to manage all three of these when times are good, but during a pandemic like COVID-19 it can feel impossible. How do you maintain a healthy diet when the foods you enjoy are out of stock? How do you work out when you’re stuck at home, or sleep well when you’re anxious?

Here are some tips on how to stay healthy while staying home:

Make Healthy-ish Food Choices
Food can be comforting, and with so many of our other comforts limited, it can be easy to turn to our favorite snacks and sweets. And that’s ok – in moderation. Still shoot for a balanced diet, but when you need to splurge, try buying smaller quantities like single serving chips, ice cream bars instead of gallons, and mini size sodas. You can also make healthier versions of your favorite foods – like this healthy mac & cheese recipe.

Keep Moving
While national Physical Activity Guidelines still recommend at least 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, recent research shows that even 30 minutes a day of simple activities like walking, gardening and housework have real health benefits. You can keep track with apps like Map My Fitness that now let you log regular activities like vacuuming and walking the dog as part of your daily goals.

Make Sleep a Priority
The choices we make all day long can impact our ability to sleep at night. Increasing daily exercise; and limiting caffeine, alcohol, and screen time have all been proven to help people sleep better. If you’re having trouble sleeping occasionally, try a relaxation app like Inscape before you go to bed. If you’re experiencing poor sleep three nights a week or more, consider talking to your doctor about what treatments might be right for you.