Staying Healthy During Self-Quarantine

While you are quarantining, you have likely had a lot more time on your hands and have been spending a lot more time at home. At the moment, it can be easy to fall out of your everyday routine, which can increase anxiety and stress. Therefore, being aware of structure and balance is more essential for health than ever. These are some ways to stay physically and mentally healthy during COVID-19 social distancing measures.

Stay Active

Physical activity is an important part of everyone's week because it has the ability to affect the mind and body. It's suggested that you do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week or at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week. In order to accomplish this, you should:

• Determine your abilities and decide which activity or activities to participate in
• Set aside some time for exercise each day
• Avoid sitting for long periods of time by taking walks or stretching
• Participate in one of the many free fitness classes that are offered online

If you still find yourself struggling to maintain an exercise routine during this time, consider investing in a Fitbit. This fitness tracker will remind you to get up and move after you've been sitting for a while, and it will motivate you to get your heart rate up throughout the day.

Eat Healthily

Eating a well-balanced diet will help you maintain your current weight, feel energized, promote heart health and regulate blood pressure and cholesterol. It can be challenging to maintain a well-balanced diet now, especially if stress and anxiety levels are high. However, you should try to remain disciplined with your diet to stay healthy during this time.

Make sure you're including plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains in your diet. It may be necessary to keep portion sizes in check if your physical activity has declined since the pandemic began. Also, try to limit your intake of alcohol and foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt.

Stay Hydrated

Hydration is a very essential part of your health, however, it is often overlooked. Take this time to focus on your daily water intake. The amount you need depends on your sex, age, weight, height and level of physical activity, but for most people, 8 to 10 8-ounce glasses of water per day should be enough.

If you typically have trouble achieving this, try:

• Drinking a glass of water before each meal
• Drinking a glass of water once you wake up and right before bed
• Having a glass of water before and after working out
• Setting a timer to ring every hour or two to remind you to drink a glass of water
• Limiting your intake of high-calorie alternatives, such as soda and juice

Drinking more water can promote healthy digestion, prevent chronic headaches and help clear up skin.

Meditate

A lot of people typically write off meditation at first because they don't believe it works for them or they simply don't have time to practice it, but there is no time like the present! High amounts of stress and anxiety can cause a lot of health complications, such as the increased risk of infections and chronic conditions, decreased energy levels, changes in libido, acne and hair loss. However, those health complications can be reduced by frequent meditation practices. You can try to meditate on your own or you can use certain meditations apps or websites.

If these stress and anxiety issues and health complications persist or worsen you can also seek behavioral health coaching for stress and anxiety online or reach out to a telemedicine company. Speaking to a therapist or doctor online can help you overcome these issues from the comfort of your own home. Most telemedicine companies can even prescribe medications such as a hair loss treatment, like Finasteride, or any anti-anxiety medications. 

Telehealth is also available via your smartphone, such as through behavioral health apps that can coach you in daily choices that can keep you healthy. Lark, for example, is available 24/7 to help you choose nutritious foods, increase physical activity, and turn other choices into habits to keep yourself healthy now and later.

Staying healthy during quarantine can be difficult and stressful, but it's important to stay up to date on all of the best health practices, so you can remain safe during this time. It won't be a perfect process but trying to implement some of these practices into your everyday routine will benefit you in the long run. Take it day by day and try to avoid unnecessary stress, which can be caused by over watching the news, overusing social media and obsessively discussing the pandemic. Use this list to change up your day-to-day and focus on more positive things like your well-being.