COVID: Staying Healthy During Quarantine

Staying healthy in itself is no easy feat, let alone staying healthy whilst housebound all day. We all struggle to find the motivation to get out of bed some (or most) mornings, and so I hope this article will enlighten a few ideas on how to stay as healthy as you can at the moment. But first, I want you to know that it’s okay to have bad days. Trust me, we all do. 

Recently, I’ve been feeling really disheartened and almost disgusted when I look in the mirror. Before lockdown, I would do around five hours of exercise every week (not including walking), but now I am doing practically none. I have had no motivation because of thoughts like ‘What’s the point, no one’s going to see me anyway?’ I’ve had days where I’ve just sat in bed doing nothing except eat and watch Netflix. It’s hard for me to admit that, but I want you to know that if you have been in that situation recently, you are not alone. 

It’s completely natural for you to feel more sad and unmotivated at the moment; we’re living in foreign, uncertain times. However, no matter how much you want to, you should not let this quarantine defeat your physical health. Okay, you can have a few days off every once in a while- I don’t blame you! - but you still need to find the energy in yourself to get up, put on your workout music and just do it! (Nike, please don’t sue me) 

So, here’s a few tips to keep healthy during quarantine:

• MEALS -  Now, I’m not saying you need to calorie count and all that jazz (you can if you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it). Instead, try having filling and nourishing meals three times a day, and only a few snacks in between. Now, I know this sounds super basic, but during quarantine, I personally feel as though the hours and normal schedule have completely disappeared.
  
• SNACKS - If you have recently found yourself drawn to the kitchen a lot, try and cut back on this. There are a few ways you can do this: ask yourself if you can wait until your next meal (trust me, the answer is probably yes); ask yourself if you are hungry for broccoli (if not, you’re probably just bored); drink some water instead (I know you don’t want to, but it’s what your body actually needs, I promise). 
  
• EXERCISE - We all know that we should spend at least 1 hour exercising every day. Usually, this wouldn’t be too hard for most people, because we have to walk to classes, walk to school, walk home from school, etc. But now, we’re going nowhere! I haven’t been exercising every day, and I’m not going to lie and say I do just for the sake of this article. However, when I do, I make sure that everything is ready beforehand: I lay my clothes out before I go to bed, fill up my water bottle in the morning and make sure YouTube is open. 
  
• RELAX - One of the worst things you can do is overstress. This may sound ridiculous; we have all the time in the world, what is there to stress about? If you are asking this question right now, I’m a tiny bit jealous of you. However, I’m sure many people are finding this new environment and lifestyle overwhelming and, well, horrible. If this is you, I would suggest finding time every day (yes, every day) to just sit and do something you want to do. Okay, you have an assignment due tomorrow, but surely taking half an hour to de-stress is more important than cramming and overworking? It is. If you need a time out, then you take a time out. Who’s going to stop you?
  

I want you to know that however you are handling this quarantine, you are not alone. Yes, you are stuck in your house, but there are people who want to help you, and who love and care about you. If you are ever struggling, reach out to someone, be that your parents, guardians, partners, friends, even us here at TWE! We all want the best for you, and we want you to thrive. 

I hope this has made you feel better :) Have a fantabulous day! x

• Chloe
  

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