Food And Fitness During COVID-19

Food And Fitness During COVID-19

If we had been told a year ago we would be contending with a global pandemic – one resulting in substantial limitations to the routines of our days, weeks, and seasons – there likely would have been significant skepticism expressed in response to such a prediction. And yet, here we are. While some communities are more open than others, there are still many areas where children are not attending in-person school full-time and adults are continuing to work remotely. Disrupted routines have perhaps contributed to poor food or fitness choices.

How To Make Better Food Choices

Eating healthy can be challenging on its own. Increased stress surrounding our pandemic realities and the changes in circumstances with which we are contending can nudge us to eat more comfort foods and make less healthy food choices. Here are some ways you can begin to make better food choices during the pandemic:

Be Intentional With Food Purchases

You may have given yourself and your family some leeway when buying groceries these past months – fewer fruits and vegetables, more snacks and sweets. Shopping differently – for example, limiting the purchase of processed foods – can reduce likelihood of poor food choices when at home.

Try A Healthy Meal Delivery Service

Parents have been hit particularly hard during the pandemic. Many have had to work from home when their children are also home participating in remote learning. Juggling productivity expectations while simultaneously meeting the supervisory and emotional needs of children can be challenging. Resulting depletion of our psychological resources increases risk of poor food choices as the day unfolds such that a meal delivery service could be a reliable dinner solution.

Cope Effectively with Your Emotions

We didn’t have time to prepare for this pandemic. Our daily lives departed quickly from our status quo. Substantial uncertainty was introduced. Loss of normalcy needed to be grieved. Negative emotions grew in prominence, contributing to difficulty finding consistency with healthy food choices. Avoiding our emotional experiences can increase risk for continued poor food choices. Processing our emotional experiences can support healthy changes to diet.

How To Make Better Fitness Choices

Isolation can mean fewer opportunities to be physically active. Gyms have been closed. Public parks have been closed. Beaches have been closed. Our preferences about where we exercise have perhaps shifted in an effort to manage pandemic-related risk. Adapting to these closures and changes is likely to be useful, producing identification of and experimentation with different opportunities for physical activity in support of our same fitness goals.

Stand While Working

Sitting isn’t as beneficial as standing. Consider standing for portions of your workday. Purchase of a standing desk or creation of a standing workstation could be helpful.

Got Stairs?

If you live in an apartment complex consider increasing the frequency with which you use stairs to travel between floors. Live in a house with stairs? Consider adding a stairs component to a home workout routine.

Do Body Weight Exercises

Planks, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats can require only your body weight and a willingness to commit to a routine.

Working with a skilled, experienced psychologist, therapist, or counselor can also be helpful. If you are interested in therapy to explore your relationship with your self, goals and values, and diet or physical activity, I invite you to call or email me to get started working together. Telehealth appointments are available.

SOURCES:

Speak Your Mind

*