Take Control of Your Quarantine
I was speaking to a friend and fellow personal trainer the other day about the emotional roller coaster we have been experiencing over the last month of quarantine.
We both have days where we feel inspired, motivated, at ease with more time, or are able to push the anxiety and sadness about the state of the world to the back of our minds.
Although these days are great, the lows sometimes outweigh the highs. We experience days of emotional exhaustion, feeling uninspired and unmotivated, sad and scared about the current state and the future, and feeling lost with no real sense of direction of our day to day.
While it is uncommon to speak about not feeling great all of the time, particularly when your job is to motivate people to better themselves; it is the truth and it is real.
If you are feeling this way too, you are not alone.
IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY
Our fears, sadness, anxiety, inspiration and motivation (or lack there of) may all be different, but I thought it was important to offer ways in which I have remained active and eating nutritionally to help me physically and mentally during this time.
You can only control what is in your control. I have repeated this to myself so many times lately. It is hard for me to accept that I don’t have control over a lot of things in the current times, but recognizing that I don’t has also helped me let go.
Below I touch on things that ARE in our control and what I have been doing, and what you can do too, to take control of your quarantine and your mental and physical health.
Prioritize Sleep
This is crucial. Over the last few years, my sleep schedule has become non negotiable and therefore is a priority. Previously, getting 7 hours of sleep was very difficult due to my wake up time, but currently this is much easier for me and I now prioritize getting a minimum of 8 hours and actually strive for 9 hours some nights, mainly because my body is needing more currently.
I set my alarm for the same time everyday and I work backwards from there and I encourage you to do the same.
If you are someone who generally doesn’t prioritize adequate sleep, you will notice a world of difference in the way you feel once you start.
When I get adequate sleep, these are things I notice:
I make better choices nutritionally
I feel more motivated to move my body
I have more mental clarity and a more positive outlook (particularly important for our current state)
I am more productive during the day
For a more scientific based article on the importance of sleep, please see my blog post “The Impact of Sleep on Appetite, Energy, and Muscle Growth” https://www.insideoutfitnesspdx.com/blog/the-impact-of-sleep-on-appetite-energy-and-muscle-growth
Establish a Wake Up Routine
Some of us are still working normal schedules so this might not be applicable for some. But for those of us who have schedules that have drastically changed or literally have no schedule at all, this is VERY important.
Wake up with intention. Set an alarm to be up and out of bed at a certain time each day. While this will be different for everyone, I really encourage being out of your bed by 8:30 at the latest.
What will you do everyday once you’re out of bed? Maybe it is as simple and relaxing as making a coffee right away and sitting down with it while reading. Maybe it’s hopping straight in the shower and “getting ready” for the day. Maybe you put your workout clothes on right away and do an at home workout or go for a walk.
I don’t care what you do, but establishing a routine will bring normalcy back into your life and help you take control.
Daily To Do List
You can create this list before bed if it helps you, or you can make it part of your daily morning routine.
On some days, the items may be simple and will be the bare minimum things you need to do. Other days you might have more energy, feel inspired and motivated and your list may be more complex.
I have been trying to accept that I will have both kinds of lists. I live for lists and I love being productive. But, I am working on being okay that some days might be slower than others.
Regardless of what your list looks like, be reasonable. Don’t put 10 things down for that day if you KNOW there’s no way you can get them all done. The point of a list is to help keep you on track and feeling accomplished, so don’t sabotage yourself before you even get started.
Have A Goal In Mind
This can be mastering a new skill (exercise or hobby related), a business project, a creative project, ANYTHING.
Map out a plan to get you there by a certain end point. What will you do every day to get you closer to your desired result?
During a time where we are all craving a sense of self accomplishment, this is a great way to achieve that.
Go For A Daily Walk
If your job was already sedentary, then much hasn’t changed for you in way of your day to day work schedule or calorie expenditure/daily movement.
If you are used to being active and moving, being confined to your home is probably very difficult. Not to mention, you have now lost a significant amount of calorie expenditure that was very normal for you.
This is not to say we need to stress about calories and fat gain during this time. That is not at all what I am saying. But it is very important to realize that going from an active daily life to being sedentary can have a large impact.
I have always been an advocate for walking more and I think it is a highly underestimated form of exercise, and something that has remarkable mental health benefits as well.
During this time, we are all responsibly only leaving our houses when it is necessary. Most places still allow outdoor exercise like walking or running. If you feel comfortable leaving, going for a quick 5-10 minute walk for even 60-90 minutes will have an extremely positive impact on your mental and physical health.
Eat More Mindfully
If you have found yourself going into your kitchen every hour, opening your fridge and cupboards in hopes that something new will appear, you aren’t the only one.
Eating nutritiously and not overeating are already very difficult habits to form, and are made even more difficult in times of being stuck inside your home all day.
I am not saying that our focus needs to be on calories or fat loss, not at all. Although, we can certainly eat more mindfully for our health.
What can you do to make healthier food decisions during this time? Maybe you can focus on eating more vegetables. This could mean incorporating veggies into your meals that you don’t normally eat, having multiple servings of vegetables everyday, or maybe its starting out with just one veggie a day.
Prioritizing protein within your diet is also very important. Protein has many vital roles in your body, but I will mention two that have significance during this time of quarantine. Protein helps keep you fuller for longer (potentially eliminating some of your frequent kitchen adventures), and helps you build/maintain muscle mass. The latter can be important for those who are resistance training at home still and hoping to not see a significant decrease in muscle size and strength.
**TIP: Snack plates have been a go to snack for me during this time. Grab a plate and load it up with lots of sliced veggies, hummus, olives, deli meat, some crackers and cheese maybe; it can be whatever you want! It’s a great way to get veggies in and is fun to eat!
To read more about Protein Intake, you can read my blog post “Protein Intake For Fat Loss and Lean Muscle Gain” https://www.insideoutfitnesspdx.com/blog/protein-intake-for-fat-loss-and-lean-muscle-gain
Water Intake
We really want to aim to drink 80-120 ounces of water each day. This will of course depend on our body size, activity level, etc.
If that seems like a lot to you, I encourage you to track how much you drink on average over the next day or two and then slightly increase from there, slowly making your way up to around 80 ounces.
It may be annoying at first that you have to get up to go to the bathroom frequently, but you are currently stuck at home anyway so it’s a 10 second trek at best!
You may feel like you are forcing yourself to drink and think “this much water isn’t normal”, but once you start increasing your intake your natural thirst actually returns and you will in fact be thirsty for that amount of water.
I highly encourage you to make adequate water intake a priority. When you are sufficiently hydrated, your body functions and performs better.
Water helps transport nutrients throughout your body, keeps your organs functioning properly, helps you exercise more effectively (dehydration can lead to more perceived difficulty), can help with feeling full when trying to be mindful about not overeating, can help improve sleep quality, etc.
Limit Stock Piling Snack Food
I am NOT saying you cannot enjoy some delicious snacks during this time. I love snacking just as much as the next person. What I AM saying is that high calorie, low nutrient dense food probably shouldn’t make up the majority of our grocery haul.
Most of us are responsibly grocery shopping once every 1-2 weeks to limit our time in public places, and we might find ourselves wanting to load up our carts with chips, cookies, ice cream tubs, etc. to prepare for our cravings.
Here’s the thing: If it’s there you’ll eat it and if it’s not, you wont.
Choose some ingredients to homemake a treat (you have control over its contents and it also gives you a project), select one packet of cookies or a yummy flavor of ice cream you’d like to try. Maybe you’re having a Mexican dinner one night so you grab a bag of chips to have with salsa and guacamole.
These are all OKAY things to do. I will never advocate for over restricting food.
It is just important to be mindful that we will feel our best when we eat mostly nutrient dense food. We shouldn’t feel guilty for indulging but we also should help ourselves be successful by not piling our cupboards with all snack food.
**TIP: Popcorn is a great snack food that is low calorie, hits the crunchy and savory craving, and has a quite a large portion size. This of course doesn’t mean a popcorn lathered in butter, oil, or cheese. Opt for popping your own and adding some salt or a little butter if desired.
For further reading on snacking tips, you can read my blog post “6 Tips to Snack More Mindfully” https://www.insideoutfitnesspdx.com/blog/6-tips-to-snack-more-mindfully