Feeling stuck at home? You’d be surprised! Studies have shown a whopping 70% improvement in mood for people who stay active during lockdowns. This guide unlocks the secrets to staying healthy and happy, even when housebound!
Staying healthy at home is easy! Eat well, move your body with fun activities like dancing or indoor workouts, and don’t forget to relax. Small changes add up to big results – feel great even during a lockdown!
Key Takeaways:
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Healthy Lockdown Meals: Skip the junk food! Choose nutritious meals to keep your body energized.
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Fun Fitness at Home: No gym? No problem! Find ways to move your body with activities you enjoy, like dancing or bodyweight exercises.
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Don’t Forget Relaxation: Feeling cooped up? Schedule downtime for stress-busting activities like reading or taking a bath.
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Small Changes, Big Results: Making small changes to your routine can have a significant impact on your health and happiness during lockdown.
Maintaining a balanced diet
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as exercising for your overall health. Eating a well-balanced diet is key to helping your body fight off infections.
Your ability to fight the coronavirus may depend on your age and any underlying health conditions you have, like diabetes, asthma, or heart problems. Overweight individuals are more at risk of experiencing severe complications from Covid-19 than those with a normal BMI.
Lately, it’s been hard to stay motivated. The temptation to skip exercises and eat junk food is high.
Many of us don’t worry enough about our health or our families’ health. During the cold, wet winter, it’s a struggle to leave our warm beds or couches. However, trying to lose weight can be a good thing. Eating healthily doesn’t have to be boring – it can taste great.
How can we maintain a healthy lifestyle during lockdown? Is it possible to eat well while stuck indoors?
Know what healthy is
We all know the advice that we should eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day for a healthy diet.
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But why don’t we follow through?
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Are carbohydrates a no-no?
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And is all fat bad?
The NHS has created an Eat Well Guide. This guide helps us make healthy food choices. It shows us what foods and drinks we should have every day. It also teaches us how to keep a balanced diet. You can still eat fats and carbohydrates.
Try choosing different foods from each food type. This helps you get all the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.
Dieting doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite foods. The Easy Meals app offers over 150 healthy and easy recipes. You can look for recipes by mealtime, like quick lunches or bigger dinners. The app also helps you make shopping lists for when you go to the supermarket.
Understanding food labels can help you make healthier choices. The NHS food labels guide can teach you more about this.
You don’t have to completely stop eating the foods you love when dieting. It’s important to reduce unhealthy parts of your diet and change your habits for a healthier life.
The Drink Free Days program helps you manage your drinking. It encourages you to have days without alcohol. It also offers support if you’re worried about your drinking habits.
A tailor-made program
Typically, women should plan to eat around 2,000 calories a day and men, 2,500. However, according to the NHS, most of us are consuming more than we need.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is the best method of knowing if you have to drop weight. This is a dimension that uses your weight and height to determine whether you’re a healthy weight. To measure your BMI, you can use the BMI calculation tool here.
Fad diets could be stressful and dangerous, but developing healthy habits and safely losing weight doesn’t have to be a slog.
The free Daily Calories Burned Calculation Tool will allow you to list your calories and advancement and advise on healthy and sustainable weight loss.
Finding ways of lowering your consumption of unhealthy snacks or substituting your favorite treats with easy choices allows you to feel as if you are not overlooking them.
Plan your foods
Most of us know the procedure:
Most of us know the process: We start on Monday morning with all the best intentions in the world. But after:
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An abundance of emails,
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the back-to-back meetings and the
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the to-do list that grows,
The quinoa salad we would eat for lunch sounds uninspiring – and overly time-consuming to make.
We reach for anything we could find in the cupboard or make a hasty takeaway order. From the close of the week, any modicum of healthiness has completely disintegrated.
Enter meal preparation. Something as straightforward as understanding what you’re going to eat for lunch is half of the battle. Whether it be via mass cooking or registering to a wholesome meal-delivery box, getting into a routine is the easiest way to kickstart a new eating plan – it also makes a nutritious diet even more appealing.
Drinking lots of water can also assist. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is drinking between six and eight glasses of water. In case of hot weather or exercising, it is recommended to drink even more to prevent dehydration.
Be sure that you line up some rewards for yourself after a successful week.
Get active
Another great way to improve our health is by exercising. This helps reduce the risk of major illnesses like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. To truly benefit, your activity should make your heart beat faster, your breathing quicken, and make you feel warmer. It doesn’t have to be intense exercise. You can begin with fast-paced walking throughout the day. Track your activity to help you meet your goals.
Science Says Stay Active, Eat Well, and Chill Out
Science proves that staying healthy during lockdowns is crucial. It makes you feel better and improves your brain function. The National Institutes of Health carried out a study. It revealed that people who exercise during lockdowns are 70% happier. Feeling sluggish is common. It occurs due to reduced physical activity.
Here’s the good news: even small changes can make a big difference.
Science-Backed Tips for a Healthy Lockdown:
Eat Well for Energy: A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a benefit of eating balanced meals during lockdowns. People who did this had more energy and focus all day. This includes eating fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
Move Your Body for Mood: The NIH study discovered that regular exercise boosts mood and lowers stress hormones. This includes light activities such as dancing or bodyweight workouts.
Don’t Forget Relaxation! Feeling trapped inside? You’re in good company! A study from Harvard University recommends setting aside time to relax. Activities such as reading or taking a bath can decrease stress and enhance sleep quality.
Conclusion
So there you have it! Leading a healthy life in lockdown isn’t about crazy workouts or bland meals. It’s about making small changes that fit your life. Choose yummy and good-for-you foods, find ways to move your body that you actually enjoy, and don’t forget to take breaks to recharge. Remember, even little tweaks can make a big difference in how you feel during lockdown. You got this!
References
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National Institutes of Health (.gov): National Institutes of Health (.gov) website ON National Institutes of Health (.gov) nih.gov
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (.gov): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus (COVID-19) website (.gov) cdc.gov
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World Health Organization: World Health Organization website ON who.int
As a veteran fitness technology innovator and the founder of GearUpToFit.com, Alex Papaioannou stands at the intersection of health science and artificial intelligence. With over a decade of specialized experience in digital wellness solutions, he’s transforming how people approach their fitness journey through data-driven methodologies.