Surviving COVID 19

With the recent events around the world, the global pandemic COVID19 has halted life as we know it. Quarantine almost seems like we are on vacation, don’t you think so? I don’t even know what day is it these days. My friend said there are no more days of the week, it’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, hehehe. From a recent poll, it suggested that this quarantine/vacation for most has included indulgences, relaxation, and letting loose. I don’t know about you, once upon a time, my vacations were an excuse to indulge and it always left me feeling guilty and regretting my choices.  Who loves to feel guilty on a vacation? Nobody!  Or how about that dreadful feeling from stepping on the scale and seeing the number has gone up?  That’s not fun either.

The truth is, if you are not careful, these bad habits will follow you after quarantine is over and linger for a while. This is why it is important to be mindful of your habits during this time. Staying on track and preventing weight gain is easy when you focus on healthy compromises and solutions. I want you to enjoy yourself but I also want to teach you how to protect yourself from wrecking yourself.

Here are a few rules you can follow:
Adopt the 80/20 rule
A few months ago, I wrote an article on the 80/20 rule. I totally live by this rule and I want you to adopt it too so that you can enjoy yourself without ruining your progress. What you should do, is to balance your  indulgences with clean proteins and vegetables that will help to regulate your hunger and sugar level hormones, and prevent low energy, cravings, bloat and weight gain. That way, you can truly feel satisfied while staying on track. You truly can eat healthy in this time.

Eat fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins 80 per cent of the time and indulge for 20 per cent. Most importantly, choose and prepare healthy snacks , so you’ll always have something healthy and clean to eat. If you don’t, you’ll end up super hungry and you’re more likely to eat whatever is in sight. Remember, if you fail to plan, you’ve planned to fail. Good examples of healthy snacks are; carrot sticks, cucumber slices with peanut butter or hummus dip, a piece of fresh fruit, nuts etc.

Drink smart
“I don’t drink my calories, I eat them.” This has been my mantra from the days I was on a weight loss journey. As strange as it sounds, I didn’t think it made sense to drink calories when I could eat them. In this lockdown, make water your best friend; drink lots of water. Water helps flush toxins, prevents dehydration and helps to keep you feeling full between meals. Keep a water bottle around you and hydrate consistently throughout the day.

Exercise
Exercises help boost your energy, release endorphins that can actually steady your moods. Plus, it helps to burn the additional calories you’re eating and drinking. Determine what your schedule looks like, especially if you are working from home and how much you want to devote.

For example, you could do cardio for at least 45 minutes every day. Or take out your jump rope and engage in skipping for 50 minutes, or get your laptop out, search through Youtube for whatever exercise videos catch your fancy.

Relax

Get your rest. Try not to deviate much from your normal routine. Don’t come out from this lock down more stressed out, in worse shape, and needing a cleanse to get back on track. That’s exactly what this time should be: you should be more fresh and clear-minded when you come back, better than when you left. Stay safe and let’s keep praying for the world.