It’s quick to feel like the pandemic really has halted our year. Yet with the improvements we’ve witnessed this year, the pandemic has a silver lining. Did you notice this year that you have developed healthier habits?
Although many of us are living lives that are stressful and demanding, with just a little adjusting here and there, we can create new habits that will help us live healthier and more productive lives even after the pandemic ends.
Here are five healthy living habits that we need to continue even during the post-pandemic. Read on to learn about these habits.
Staying Active
The gyms may not be available for now, but there are many healthy options for having physical exercise without going against the CDC’s recommended preventive best practices, such as social distancing, and avoiding big crowds.
Aerobics can be done at home with success. Another important point to take into account is that avoiding crowds doesn’t mean avoiding nature.
Going out into uncrowded outdoor areas for a brisk walk or jog is still considered fairly free. Push-ups, sit-ups, jump-jacks, and more exercises are great ways to stay away from the fitness center.
If you have recently picked up a new healthy habit, a return to normality can be overwhelming. Time can be a major factor stopping you from exercising, so why not try to plan your work-day workout routine just like a meeting or a lunch break.
Getting Enough Sleep Everyday
For our overall health, good sleep is essential. As we sleep, the brain clears the debris of the day’s work while resetting and restoring nerve networks so that when we wake, they can function fully.
The most common effects due to lack of sleep are sleepiness, tiredness, lack of focus, and forgetfulness.
But, the effects of sleep deprivation can go far beyond what is well known and may have long-lasting effects on your brain. One recent Italian study suggests that the constant lack of sleep may cause the brain to begin to destroy itself.
Staying Hydrated
It is incredibly necessary to have the correct amount of water because every cell, tissue, and organ in our bodies need water.
Traditionally we are advised that we need eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, a quantity which has never been scientifically substantiated. Maybe a better guide is trying to drink enough water that you urinate once every 2-4 hours, and the urine is color-light.
Many devices, from “smart bottles” to numerous free apps, are readily accessible to help you develop and maintain this habit, to keep you properly hydrated.
Eating a Balanced Diet All the Time
This lifestyle includes things like eating more fruits and nuts and trying to avoid snacks and sugary drinks. The American Heart Association recommends twice a week a serve of fish at mealtime.
In addition to being a rich protein source, fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, lake trout, herring, sardines, and albacore tuna) have omega-3 fatty acids that minimize the risk of heart disease.
Don’t forget about monitoring parts. If you want to live to be 100, go for greater portions of fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber and eat smaller portions of higher-calorie foods that contain significant quantities of sugar and fats.
Appreciate Nature More to Cope with Stress and Anxiety
One of the key pillars to support your mental health is connecting with nature. Now, to positively deal with stress and anxiety caused by new measures, we appreciate nature more.
Positive mechanisms for coping would include exercise, meditation, reading, further development of certain abilities or hobbies, etc.
To counter COVID-19 spread throughout our societies, taking care of nature like planting more trees can be done as well. Because nature does not only help the Earth revive, but also take care of you and your mental being.
Use this era to increase your day-to-day repetition of these positive activities and develop new or even better routines than you might have adhered to before the current COVID-19 pandemic emerged.
Conclusion
Talking with loved ones while in solitary confinement will help alleviate anxiety and feeling down. Take the time to use the multitude (many free) of technologies and apps that can help you often talk with your loved ones.
Our busy lives prior to the pandemic may have limited how often we connect with distant loved ones, and now is the time to fully exploit these modern fellowship, companionship, and camaraderie capabilities.
