Do you find it difficult to remain healthy during the quarantine? You may find it hard to keep up your healthy lifestyle if you had a schedule before the stay-at home orders were implemented. You may find it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle at this time.
You may also find that your unhealthy lifestyle habits are getting worse. Stress, an increased schedule, news headlines that cause anxiety, and being closer to the kitchen are all factors that can make things worse.
No matter how you feel about your past, it’s never too late to start preparing for a better future. You can do this by prioritizing health and fitness right now. Although we do not yet know the exact duration of stay-at home orders, we can be sure that the future will look very different.
Look at your lifestyle honestly and see if there are ways to make it healthier. Start today! It’s important to stay healthy, especially with a strong immunity system that can help you fight off illness. You cannot do this if you make bad lifestyle choices. Here are our top tips for staying healthy while in quarantine …
How to Stay healthy during a quarantine 101
1. Fuel Your Body Wisely
Stress can cause you to consume more calories than you need. However, you must also eat enough to support a busy life. The trick is to not eat as much food. Choose nourishing foods that will fuel your mind and body, as well as help you burn calories instead of storing them.
It is important to choose foods that will fill you up, satisfy your palate and provide the most nutritional value for your money. People often choose “fast” foods over “healthy” but they don’t know that both can be the same! Once you start feeling better after making a healthier choice, it’s likely that you will choose the same thing next time.
When choosing foods, you should choose those that are whole and have as little sugar added as possible. Consider making these swaps for your meals when you’re putting together your weekly grocery list.
- Try whole wheat toast with raw honey and peanut butter instead of waffles with maple syrup
- Try Greek yogurt with berries or cottage cheese instead of a bagel stuffed with cream cheese
- Try an egg white omelette with lots of veggies and turkey bacon instead of scrambled oats with bacon.
- Try a smoothie instead of a bowl or cereal…
- Try a “roll-up” sandwich instead of a white bread sandwich… Use your favorite meats and cheeses wrapped in lettuce leaves.
- Instead a bowl or spaghetti… try baked chicken breasts with cheese and tomato sauce, along with roasted vegetables.
2. Craving-Crusher Snacks
If you crave sugar or other foods that are “bad for you”, there are many ways to satisfy your cravings while still being healthy. Even when you are snacking, it’s important to make healthier, more nutritious choices.
Smoothies that replace meals using clean, tasty ingredients can help you to satisfy cravings. You can start a smoothie off with the best diet powders, which are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and quality protein.
Diet shakes often contain whole foods that can help you increase your energy and improve your mood. You can also add a variety of healthy and delicious ingredients to these smoothies.
You can use these healthy foods to satisfy your cravings and nourish your body in a variety of ways.
- Plain Greek Yogurt– Use it as a base for smoothies or top with fruit, nuts or coconut flakes.
- Cocoa Powder – Add to plain yogurt or peanut butter. Or add it to smoothies for a chocolate fix.
- Frozen Bananas– Add frozen bananas to smoothies for an ice cream consistency!
- MCT Oil – Add to smoothies, or eat by the spoonful. It will give you an energy boost and help control your cravings.
- Peanut Butter Powder– Although peanut butter is a good choice for health, you can add peanut butter powder (or PB2) to smoothies and other recipes, which will give them a nutty flavor, but without the calories.
- Fresh Berries or Other Fruit– All fruits are naturally sweet, but they also contain fiber. They’re an excellent way to satisfy a sweet tooth.
- Raw honey– A small amount of raw honey can help to curb your sugar cravings and strengthen your immune system.
- Nuts & seeds Sprinkle them on anything! Cashews and pecans are great choices, as well as chia, sunflower and flax seeds. Add these high-fiber, healthy-fat foods to your diet and you will reduce the desire to consume sugary or carbohydrate-rich foods.
3. Exercise Routines: Change it up
Along with a better diet, you should also include exercise in your daily routine! Exercise is not only essential for maintaining a healthy body weight but also for the total wellness of your body: mind, spirit, and body! Exercise can reduce stress, improve mood and promote better sleep. It may also help you to control your diet, make better snack decisions and even better control your weight.
Fitness doesn’t have to be difficult! You don’t have to go anywhere special. It’s okay if you don’t have your favorite yoga, barre or spin classes, or the gym you used to rely on for your fitness. There are many ways to keep fit at home.
A great benefit of the current “stay at home” orders is, if it’s nice out, you can go outside. You can exercise in the great outdoors as long as you maintain a safe distance.
Find a beautiful place to hike or go for a walk. Play tag or go on a bike ride with your children! It’s not important to reach a specific calorie target, but it is more important to stay active. There are many ways to get your cardio, but you should also include strength training or other exercises that work and build your muscles.
There are many online fitness routines and apps that you can use to get fit at home, such as Nike Training, Peloton or Tone It Up. If you do not have the necessary equipment, you can still achieve your fitness goals. Your body weight can be used to power you through, as well as some “weights “… such as peanut butter jars and liters water!
It is important to be as active as you can, as a sedentary life is bad for your health. This is especially true now. It’s important to keep your body fueled with good nutrition to stay active.
Do not give up on your fitness and health goals because of a change in your lifestyle. You can still maintain your diet and feel great, even if you are at home. Use the above tips and keep in mind that wellness is a top priority even when you have other obligations.