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Find key ways to stay healthy during COVID

Staying and Keeping healthy

By RIsing Influx PhoenixPublished 4 years ago 6 min read
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Nowadays it feels that this COVID 19 or pandemic feels like a normal thing for everyone and although things seem to be opening up, it's important to still be careful and let one’s guard down by going out just like in the past. This seems to be the new normal so it seems. Although it's true gyms in some local areas might start to open up a bit while applying social distance, most areas are still closed and this could be an issue especially for one’s health.

It is important to look after one’s health and engage in various exercises and maintain an actual active lifestyle to ensure the body functions at an optimum state.

The problem of staying indoors especially with this COVID out there, would be the emotional and mental struggles that are caused due to fear or overwhelming anxiety on one’s health. In fact, according to a report from the National Academies of Sciences: “It was mentioned that social isolation has significantly increased a risk of premature mortality, including a 50 percent increase in the risk of developing dementia; a 29 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease; a 25 percent increase risk of cancer mortality; a 59 percent increase risk of functional decline and a 32 percent increase risk of having stroke”.

The issue with working from home or focusing on negative emotions could even lead to rise in anxiety levels that would further reduce one’s immunity system and make a person more prone to various illnesses or diseases. Engaging in various physical activities and being active can further help to lower one’s anxiety, stress, a boost in one’s immune system and even helps the body metabolism.

The question is this “What can you do, what can I do to remain active and fit even though I might not have any access to a gym or training equipment?”. Well, it all turns to your perspective and what you can use around you. There are several things we can do remain active

Leaving the house and walking around

It is not necessarily compulsory that you need to gear up and sprint around your neighborhood or jog to your nearest park, or even sign up for a marathon if they still do any nowadays, but just leaving the housing and walking about would do wonders for you.

If you decide to take a walk or even go biking or jogging, you tend to release lots of stress or pent up anxiety that you might have by staying indoors throughout. There is a popular saying, “An idle hand is a devil workshop”, clearly you're not a devil, but the concept highlights being bored necessarily does not make you productive or even make wise choices.

Deciding to leave the house for a walk helps you mentally to even make wiser decisions and think more clearly. Outdoor activities even help you reduce more stress and be more appreciative of nature and your environment.

If you participate occasionally in some form of exercise such as walking, jogging, running or even biking, that is much recommended and you might notice some improvements in your thinking and body functions. Perhaps you're not the exercising type or most times not in the mood to leave the house like myself, it is still recommended and productive to take some time to just work around and help your body be more active, rather than sitting all day or being stationary.

At times, it's all about perspective and not looking at exercising as a painful experience, but a means to check around your neighbourhood, socialise and enjoy hanging out with your family staying with you, or a change of scenery. In all, it would do a lot for your physical and mental health.

Engage your procrastinated task or to do list

Are there times you feel at home with so much time and lots of tasks, but it seems no progress has been made and your house chores keep on multiplying? Well, it's true in such situations it boils down to discipline and having the right attitude in tackling such tasks without postponing them, but in this case, you could also change your perspective as well.

Earlier, we spoke about leaving the house in order to be more active and have a change of scenery, but, you could also use this as a means to tackle and get engaged in various ways of cleaning or handling various house chores as a form of exercise.

I do not know about you, but I am not really a fan of cleaning and handling various house chores unless it's an absolute necessity, but you can also change your perspective, and see it as a means to keep your body active and improve your health.

In regards to house chores, you could decide to mop your kitchen floors, washing the plates, doing your laundry, mowing the lawn and just to mention a few. The mindset we can employ here would be “clean more, sit less”. The fact is that the body requires at least a moderate and well balanced amount of intensity, and this can be achieved by engaging in a vigorous activity regularly. Of course, this is easier said than done, as it requires lots of discipline and a huge amount of motivation.

I believe what can help would be to break down your chores in little stages and move from one intensity to another. You can decide at least 5 to 6 days in a week, to engage at least for 30 minutes.

The importance of engaging in a moderate activity is due to the benefit your heart would receive, as such activities would improve your heart in pumping more blood around your body. This would make your thinking to be sharper as you are getting a good amount of oxygen being supplied to your brain.

Doing cardio at home

Another way to keep active would be engaging in cardiovascular activities or exercise. Cardiovascular exercise or cardio most times are a form of aerobic exercise which aims to boost an individual heart rate. An example of cardio exercise would be running, jogging or even skipping in place.

According to research, cardio can even assist in losing more weight, increase the supply of oxygen to the brain, improving the brain function and even keep one’s cholesterol level. Cardio exercises are much recommended and even the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK even provided a little exercise routine to keep one active and fit in a 10 minute cardio exercise routine.

There are also plenty of other online videos illustrating home cardio workout ideas. The best option will depend on a person’s level of fitness and what they hope to achieve. I would recommend spending even though it's 10 or 15 minutes each day to engage in such cardio exercises, as it would go a long way in being healthy especially during this COVID.

Engaging in Fun and productive activities at home

I understand that always exercising may not necessarily be something that comes easy for you, but I would recommend being as active as possible and trying to avoid being inactive as much as possible.

Fun activities that you can engage in fun activities such as dancing in your living room, blasting your favourite songs which would ease stress and tension by letting loose a bit.

You could also tidy your room at times when you feel lazy or walk a bit if you have a garden in your place of residence.

In all, although you might be at home due to lockdown in your area or your practicing social distance, ensure that you keep active as much as possible as it would help you to be much healthier and even live a happier life.

wellness
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About the Creator

RIsing Influx Phoenix

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