Battling the demons of self isolation
Ever since the lockdowns have been imposed, everyone seemed to have been enjoying the initial honeymoon period but as the time passed it became a challenge for people to stay fit mentally and physically as the stagnant lifestyle took over.
As a doctor and fitness influencer Dr. Hanaan Choudhary will share simple and easy ways to stay on on track with the ongoing situation.
1. SLEEP – as much as we enjoy to sleep long hours it is very important to schedule our sleep duration and time. Staying up and waking up late will lead to detrimental effects on your body and mind. 8-10 hours is more than needed.
2. EATING HABITS – for a change most of us are not eating restaurant food but that doest mean eating at home can be all healthy. We should be consuming a balanced diet and avoid eating processed food as much as possible. We have to be in a CALORIC DEFECIT daily calorie in order to loose weight. High protein, low carbohydrate and fat diet is the way to go. And avoid snacking on processed food at all cost.
3. SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE – since we’re stuck inside, doesn’t mean we cannot incorporate physical activity in our daily chores. Staying active helps with psychological well-being. We all have that one messy corner or a cupboard now is the time to organise everything. From taking the stairs instead of lift to washing your car. There are number of ways to be active. Make sure to be mobile inside.
4. MENTAL WELL BEING – we all can agree to the fact that none of us saw this pandemic coming and staying inside and not being productive can take some serious toll on our mental health, especially for those of us who are stuck and can’t see their families, great wat to deal with such demons is to stay connected with you loved ones, family and friends by simply having a video conversation or a just a voice call. Remember talking your heart out is the best therapy you can have for yourself. Also, try adding 15-20 of meditation to your daily routine, the benefits are beyond imagination.
5. EXERCISE – With zero to no access to gyms we have to manage with what we have. The goal should be the weight control at ghis time. For optimal weight loss, the best time to do cardio is 1st thing in the morning empty stomach. Studies have proved that fasted cardio can help shed fat faster than any other way. 30-40 mins of cardio which can be just walking inside the house followed by 10-20 mins of bodyweight exercise like push up’s, chin up’s, free weight lunges, squats and 5 mins of crunches are more than enough to drip you in sweat. If that’s not enough you could just turn to the youtube and try various different home workouts.
Battling the demons of self isolation
6. BEING PRODUCTIVE- with the availability of unlimited access to internet sky is the limit. From trying to make a new dish to picking up that dusted instrument that you always wanted to learn. Now is the time, connect with the friends you lost contact with. The possibilities to explore yourself are numerous. Use this time to the best of your advantage.
