How to Stay Fit and Healthy During Lockdown

The importance of how you manage your time in lockdown to feel your best cannot be understated. There's enough stress on you at the moment. So we're looking at ways that can help you stay physically and mentally healthy during the lockdown.

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Consider What's in Your Control

Stephen Covey, the author of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, distinguishes between your Circle of Concern and your Circle of Influence. He describes the Circle of Concern as anything that might be troubling you, including issues close to home, like job security and things affecting the world at large, such as this pandemic. In brief, it includes all your worries, big and small.
 
Your Circle of Influence is inside the Circle of Concern. Still, it is restricted to only those problems that you can influence. Examples would be your attitude and habits, the way you treat other people and yourself, or the actions that you take. 
 
During the lockdown, it's easy to get carried away with all the distressing thoughts about the virus and the disruption it's caused. I have experienced its impact first-hand. I can tell you this much: the problem is real, and besides following the advice of the health care professionals, there isn't much else you can do about it. And that feels paralysing.  

But remember the guidance of Stephen Covey - and know that you don't own all the problems in the world. Focus on the aspects of your current life that you can control and try to let the rest go.

Keep a Schedule

Maintaining a schedule is probably the essential way to prevent your lockdown from running the day - especially if you're working from home. Planning your days will be a game-changer, and it's the closest thing you can do to reality right now.

Assign separate areas of your flat or house for work and rest. Scheduling work and rest periods consciously can ensure that you're not working all day long. It will also prevent you from getting into a Netflix stupor on your couch for days at a time. 
 
Being in lockdown is a challenge. However, the deliberate act of designing your day around a schedule can be a powerful act of reclaiming your time and preserving some healthy boundaries between work and relaxation. Parents with children at home must apply this advice because kids - like us adults - thrive on routine. 

Socialise Online

While there are still restrictions on social distancing in place, it can start to feel lonely. Being unable to see family and friends is especially tricky for people who live alone. It would help if you made time to socialise online, Facetime or Skype your nearest and dearest often.

This point is especially vital for those of you who have to self-isolate or if you have family members who need to stay completely locked up.
 
Consider also putting restrictions in place about when you are available for virtual meetings with work. Although technology is an excellent tool for staying connected, that shouldn't oblige you to be attending meetings outside work hours when you need to switch off. As much as you might enjoy your colleagues' company, you need to be able to have clear boundaries with your time and work time.

Get Sunshine Daily

Getting outdoors every day is vital to boost energy levels, help your body to create Vitamin D, and the fresh air will help you to sleep better. If you're lucky enough to have a garden, you're able to make full use of that for as long as you want during the lockdown. If you don't have a garden, make time to go outside if you don't have to self-isolate - even if it's only for a short walk.

Workout at Home or Outdoors

There are a heap of free options available for working out without a gym at the moment. These can be a fun way to join in with something with some structure and saves you from having to design your workouts.
 
If you're looking for something a bit more tailored to your goals, reach out, and we can chat about what you need. When exercising outdoors, remember to follow the up-to-date government guidelines for your area and that these are slightly different for each of the devolved nations of the UK.

Relax and Play

At times of high stress, it's vital not to let your relaxation time slip. Play is just as important as work, and exercise and sleep - and deserves a place in your daily schedule. 

It's not selfish to set time aside to have fun. If you have children at home, let them show you how to do it. So many adults have forgotten how to play. You could reconnect with an old hobby, play video or board games with your family, or even relax with a good book in a bubble bath.

Your well being is more than morning YouTube workouts and feeling inadequate next to fitness celebrities. It's part of a holistic health care package that deserves consideration and planning.

How about working on that project for which you always said you didn't have time? Or maybe you've been waiting for the perfect time to start building new habits or learning new skills. 

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