Life as we know it changed in a flash. From hustling and bustling between work, home and in between, everything has come to a roaring halt. As we try to assess our new “normal” within the Corona Virus pandemic there is plenty of time for reflection.
With any crisis be it personal or global our strengths and weaknesses rise to the surface. How we learn from them will be a true test of our character as individuals and as a nation.
Here’s three things keeping me busy.
- Taking care of your body on a regular basis better prepares you for a crisis
- Understanding the vitalness of nutrition supports you in an emergency
- Maintaining regular routines in life is a huge resource in tough times
Your Body
While none of us can predict how this pandemic will play out exactly in our own lives, we see certain trends. For example, a body that is weak physically, immune system compromised and frail in diverse ways does not do well when having to fight a virus. Of course, understanding no one chooses to be ill and life can be brutally unfair when it comes to health.
That said if we do have a choice and many of us do, what can you do to BE strong before a crisis occurs. For starters, exercise regularly with a focus on strength. It means you have a routine (Let me say that again A Routine) that you do weekly, consistently and disciplined.
There are options galore and personally I think the more you mix it up on your routines the higher the success and pleasure factor. It’s helpful to evaluate your own definition of fitness to determine your needs and goals from an age, gender and ability perspective. Check out a previous post on “What does it mean to be fit?”
Once you’ve found the exercise training or program that works well for your body, sticking to it remains key when facing a crisis. You might have to adjust when in crisis mode, another reason to develop a variety of modalities to train in.
Part of staying fit should incorporate routines that you can do at home. Even better if you have a yard or nearby park and weather cooperates developing a program that gets you outdoors and absorbing sunshine is a big win. Here’s a thought while at home right now what is a 15-minute routine you could commit to during this pandemic?
Optimizing Food
Nothing like a crisis to confront many individuals with how few meals they actually prepare for themselves. At the risk of sounding REALLY old school, once upon a time our educational system taught home economics. Yes, we learned basic principles of cooking and preparing meals. How novel, maybe time to bring it back.
As mentioned in the beginning strengths and weaknesses appear in times of crisis. When you’re relying on others to prepare your meals, read restaurants and take-out products, if that service abruptly ends, you’re stuck. Being at the mercy of commercial services also means your nutritional health is in their hands.
While we can debate for years on end which diet is the best for your overall health, there is something in particular to keep in mind with Covid-19. Given the virus is more severe for those with underlying conditions and poor metabolic health, a diet that supports better metabolic strength is worth investigating.
Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD has some great tips on that topic in Boosting your immune system to fight the Corona virus: What you need to know. (highly recommended reading)
“It appears that individuals with type 2 diabetes and other metabolic conditions are at higher risk of complications from COVID-19. The evidence is clear that low-carb and ketogenic diets can be effective tools for treating and reversing these metabolic conditions.
While we can’t prove that low-carb nutrition boosts immune function per se, it makes sense to limit the conditions (e.g. high blood pressure or high blood sugar) that might make things worse.”
He goes on to say:
“Therefore, it would make sense that we want to limit these blood sugar elevations. Refined carbohydrates and simple sugars are two of the biggest offenders for blood sugar spikes and therefore should probably be avoided.”
Be Disciplined
“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
Coach John Wooden
Why is discipline important now? For starters, there is a long road ahead of us that is going to need focus, determination and steadfastness. In a previous post here, I talked about how supportive discipline is in terms of your health and wellness. By developing rituals and structured habits in your daily routine these are easily maintained in times of emergency.
As the quote from John Wooden states what are YOU doing now that no one is watching? Here are six things we’re maintaining right now in our house during this shelter in place:
- Setting an alarm (while it may not be as early as before) we still get up on a regular schedule
- Each of us makes a small list of tasks we plan on executing that day only
- Planned out which workouts we’ll be doing during the week and alternating them for variety
- Each of us has chosen one larger project we’ve talked about before and starting to execute a written plan on them
- Keeping in touch via Skype with family and friends on a regular basis
- Sticking to meals and no snacking during the day, (pro-tip drink a glass of water if bored or think you’re hungry)
It’s the small consistent rituals in life that keep you strong in unprecedented times. Stay safe and I’d love to hear what rituals you’re practicing.
Without discipline, there’s no life at all.
Katharine Hepburn
