Being quarantined to your house sounds fantastic at first. Work from home, stay in your PJs, drink coffee, Netflix and chill… but people around the world are quickly realizing that it might not be as awesome as it sounds. I mean, what EXACTLY are you supposed to do with your kids and your spouse, all cooped up in the same space for hours on end? It’s enough to drive anyone insane. One thing is for sure – NO ONE will EVER question a stay-at-home mom again. She will never again hear the words “What do you DO all day?”. HA!!

Real talk: It’s HARD to stay motivated right now with all of the madness going on in the world. The news is overwhelmingly negative and it seems that the whole world is coming to an end. People are losing their jobs, kids can’t go to school, seniors are isolated in their homes and there is no toilet paper on the shelves!

But don’t fret. I’ve got some real-life strategies and resources to share with you to help you get through this.

Let’s start by breaking down the goals you had BEFORE the pandemonium hit! Are you trying to lose weight? Build muscle? Spend more time with family? Focus on mindfulness.

SURPRISE! You can do all these things from the comfort of your own home and neighborhood.

STAYING ACTIVE

It might seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes we don’t think clearly when times are tough, so let’s start with the basics…

              Go for a walk (walk your kids, your dog, your spouse…)

              Ride your bike

              Roller blade

              Do some yard work

              Wash and wax your car

              Deep clean the house

All these things are great ways to be productive, get some fresh air and avoid vegging out on the couch. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen more of my neighbors out and about in the past week than I’ve seen since the day I moved in! So get out and walk around your neighborhood. Meet some of your neighbors (from a safe distance, of course). It’s been such a great feel of community and people are enjoying being outside.

Aside from the basics, there are TONS of resources out there to help you stay active and you don’t have to be super tech savvy to use them.  Many of those resources include free access to online fitness classes and apps for your phone.  Here’s a list of some of the ones I use:

https://ymca360.org/ – this is a full lineup of various exercise formats for all ages and abilities from the YMCA. They are taught by YMCA health & wellness professionals and you can do all of the workouts in your home.

https://watch.lesmillsondemand.com/at-home-workouts – another full lineup of group fitness classes from the international leader in group fitness program design and training.  This is typically a paid-for service called Les Mills On Demand, but in light of the current circumstances, Les Mills is offering it for free right now!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWN2FPlvg9r-LnUyepH9IaQ – This is a youtube channel that I love! It is all pilates, yoga and mind/body classes that will help you build muscle and really expand your fitness and your mind.

www.centr.com – This app is from Chris Hemsworth. He is offering a 6-week free trial to his program. It includes both gym and at-home workouts that can be coached or self-guided, along with meal planning, podcasts and meditations. However, it does require your payment information when you sign-up because it will charge your card once the 6-week trial is over. SO be mindful of that.

Helpful Hints:

Find Support.

It’s hard to start or stick to a plan if the others in your home are not on the same page and are not supportive. If you’re struggling with this right now, take the time to talk to your spouse, roommates, kids, etc about your goals and why this is important to you. One of the biggest keys to your success is having a support system to keep you motivated and on-track.  At the very least, find an online community that will encourage you.  I really like the online community offered by www.ladyboss.com because it’s a group of women with similar goals, all spreading positivity and love rather than negativity or judgement.

Keep a Routine.

If you’re a regular exerciser and you typically workout at a certain time every day, use the resources above (or others) and STAY IN YOUR ROUTINE! Getting out of your routine is a sure fire way to digress in your fitness.

If you’re not a regular exerciser and you’ve got tons of newly discovered free time from being quarantined, there’s no better time than now to get started! Again, you can use the resources above or find others that suit you. It doesn’t matter what you choose to use. Just choose something and get started! Set a routine that you can stick to and go for it!

EATING RIGHT

It’s really easy in times like these to throw your healthy eating habits out the window and resort to UberEats and pizza. But I’m here to tell you that this is the PERFECT time to get AND STAY on the wagon! The grocery stores around me have had a steady stream of fresh produce, grains such as brown rice and quinoa, fish and other healthy items. I have seen poultry sections that are completely empty, so I’m not chowing on any grilled chicken right now, but the fish has been a good option for me and I love fresh fruits and veggies.  Hopefully there is something near you that has some of those options.

Another great thing to do is to involve your kids in the process. If you have kids and they are driving you batty, get them in the kitchen with you and have them help with some fun meal-prep. Try some of these fun things:

1. I know I’m dating myself on this one, but remember “ants on a log”? (celery, peanut butter and raisins).  Kids still love it.
2. Set out a selection of fresh fruits and veggies and challenge them to eat as many colors as possible (more colors translates to a larger variety of nutrients).
3. Make mealtime a priority. If you’re stuck in the house with the whole family (even if the family is you and your dog), make it a priority to set the table, sit down and eat together. Turn off the TV, put down your phone and enjoy the meal. When we focus on eating, rather than all the other distractions around us, we tend to eat a normal portion size, rather than mindlessly overeating.
4. Plan ahead. Write out a menu for the week and get excited about the meals you’re planning to cook. I get ideas from pinterest, facebook, MyFitnessPal and all kinds of other places. Try something new to keep it interesting!
5. Keep a routine! Just like staying active, it’s important to keep your eating habits in-check during this time. If you don’t currently have a routine, now is the perfect time to start one.

STAYING POSITIVE

It’s hard to stay positive and motivated during normal life, much less crazy times like these. There is a ton of negative news coming at you from every possible angle and it really starts to wear you down. Whether you’re a person who believes this whole thing is ridiculous, or you’re someone who is terrified of catching the COVID-19 virus, I encourage you to “turn off the noise”. Social media is a great way to stay connected, but you should consider hiding the negative Nancys from your feed for a little while. Turn off the TV and do some of the things we’ve already talked about in this article. Read, pray, think, write, exercise, meditate… You can do all of these things, free of charge, with or without your family. You might be surprised how much they help!

Not sure how to get started?

As I mentioned earlier, the Centr app from Chris Hemsworth has a meditation section to help you get started. There are also multiple resources on platforms such as www.audible.com (a subscription audio book app from amazon) and tons of free apps for your smartphone like Calm, 10% Happier and Smiling Mind. These are all excellent resources for meditation, mindfulness and staying positive.  If you’re not interested in any of those things, I suggest a good old-fashioned bubble bath with some candles, a glass of wine and some relaxing music.

Whatever you choose to do, do it now. Don’t wait until you’ve lost all of your motivation and/or sanity. Make a commitment to use this time to better yourself. We can all stand to learn a new skill, fine-tune an existing one, create something beautiful and share it with the world.

Stay healthy and safe, my friends!