5 Healthy Habits I’m Working to Form During Isolation

I know a lot of people are having an hard time being at home in isolation but I’ve been having a pretty easy go at it and I think it all has to do with my mindset. I’m viewing this time as an oppertunity to get to do things I didn’t have the time to invest in before. For me isolation feels like the perfect time to start forming new healthy habits. Having so much extra time on my hands, I have no excuse not to.

Here are the things I’ve been working on incorporating into my daily routine:

• Walking on the treadmill. Whether in an office or working from home I tend to sit a good majority of the day. I’ve always wanted to incorporate more walking into my day since it’s such a simple solution for getting more movement into your day. Every morning the first thing I do, aside from feeding the cat, is hopping on the treadmill and walking for 30 minutes – 1 hour. I adjust the amount of time I walk for based on how I’m feeling and my work schedule, but I make sure to do it for at least a half hour. Is this helping me loose a ton of weight? No. But, when I’m done I feel energized and ready to take on the day.
• Drinking tons of water. I have no excuse to not refill my cup over and over again. My work station set up is literally 10 feet from the Brita in the fridge.
• Meditating. Meditation is fantastic for your mental health. After you get used to it, it can help you to achieve more clarity on your thoughts and be less judgmental to yourself and others. I’ve been taking about 10 minutes every morning and doing a meditation in the Calm app. They have so many guided meditations that teach you how to get into a meditation practice that works for you. I recently (prior to Coronacation) subscribed to the paid version of the app and I’ve been super pleased with the content. I always feel a bit more focused for taking on my day after meditating.
• Stretching. This is something I just started doing this past week. It’s really shocking how much flexibility I’ve lost over the years since I stopped dancing. I don’t think I’ll be getting back to where I was any time soon, but I can certainly improve upon where I am now. Stretching is becoming part of my new nightly routine.
• Portion control. This particular habit is something I’ve needed to work on for a long time. I have a horrible habit of continuing to eat something past the point of being full, even uncomfortable, just because it tastes good. The fact that we now have to be very responsible with out food usage since we can’t do a quick run to the grocery store anymore has really pushed me to tackle this personal issue head on. If I make a meal that I know is going to be multiple portions I go ahead and package those future meals up before I even have the chance to go back for seconds. I’m also working on creating a stronger internal respect for my body’s signals. I need to honor that my stomach says I’m full and not push myself to the point of discomfort.

A few other thing I wanted to mention:

• I always start my day off with a large glass of water, even prior to isolation. I honestly think it helps to get the digestive system kicked into gear. You don’t need to add lemon, it doesn’t need to be alkaline or warmed. Just drink water. It’s good for you.
• Prepare all you own meals. I certainly enjoy eating out once in a while but I would say more than 90% of the time I prepare all my own meals. This puts me in control of everything I put in my body, the salt, fat, and sugar levels in particular. It’s also way more cost effective than eating out. I realize some people are very busy and don’t have the chance to always prepare a nutritious meal, but when you do get the time don’t skip out on it! It’s so important to have a connection to our food and what it’s actually made of.
• I also highly recommend getting outside for ever just a few minutes everyday to get some sunshine. Im sure we’re all lacking in the vitamin d department since there’s no real reason to leave the house.