This area is often the first to go in our work on the field. When our bodies are not taken care of, our minds and souls suffer. Diet and exercise have huge benefits including the reduction and stress and boosting mood.
We are stewards of our body and have a mandate to take care of them including what we eat and how often we exercise. Your body needs time every day to rest and heal otherwise it can lead to recurrent illness.
Go out in nature! There is no reason to not go and enjoy nature—you can go on walks or even go on a drive without having to actually be in contact with people.
Exercise- this is essential for detoxing stress, endorphins, and grounding yourself in your body (getting out of head). There are so many resources that don’t require a gym membership- from finding different Youtube channels for activities like yoga, cardio or Zumba, or fitness programs like Fitness Blender, you can figure out ways to take care of your body, wherever you may find yourself
Set a time limit for your electronics—take this time to learn how to be present in the moment! Start this by doing one task at a time and be fully present while you are doing so instead of multi-tasking.
Many of us struggle to do the very basic things to care for our bodies such as getting good sleep, eating well and drinking enough water. There’s no better time to really figure out what needs to shift. It takes two months to set a habit, so why not now:
Drink Enough Water- We often forget to drink enough water, so start by setting a reminder on your phone every hour. If there’s lack of access to clean water, use charcoal sticks to purify your water. If you don’t like the taste of water, put some lemon juice in your water and it not only helps to jumpstart your metabolism, but it also makes it taste better! Bring a reusable water bottle wherever you go and drink it at least 4x daily
Eat Well- Honestly,I’m not the best person because I neither know how to cook, nor have I been very intentional about it—but if I was to be better about this, I would create some Pinterest boards of crockpot meals to make it simple for this season. If you struggle like me to incorporate healthier foods into your diet, there’s no better time to get fruits and veggies and experiment. This can also been a good opportunity to reduce your sugar and caffeine intake by weaning yourself off of these supplements towards healthier options.
Get a Good Night Sleep- For getting good sleep there are many factors to consider. Do you have a routine to calm down your mind before going to sleep? Do you have a white noise machine and/or fan to cool you down and block out noise? What else do you have to cool you down (type of sheets and blankets really make a difference)? Using a silk pillowcase helps to defrizz your hair as well as cool your head, and using a contoured eye mask makes a big difference to blockout light. More tips found here.
Get at least 8 hours of sleep (Use melatonin, go to bed earlier, at same time- have a sleep ritual (reading) between 9PM-12 are best hrs for heading to bed)
Turn your phone into airplane mode while you sleep
Screen Time- have your phone set so that the blue light doesn’t emit an hour before bedtime
Reduce your intake of coffee or other caffeinated or addictive substances (assess what may be signs of coping). Try drinking green tea or decaffeinated tea instead of coffee (Yerba mate or matcha are great options), as most of us already have too much adrenaline in our systems to use stimulants
Wrap yourself in a cozy blanket and sip hot tea
Keep your blood sugar up throughout the day with snacks (almonds, yogurt, etc.)
Stretch every morning
Reduce your sugar intake (supplement with fruit)
Plan out your weekly meals to make healthier food choices! (for example, avocados, tomatoes, mango, banana, green pepper, greens, onions)
Take a nap (Geniuses like Charles Darwin and others used to do this daily)
This YouTube channel has daily workouts— some made specifically for senior citizens and kids!
For a couple of ideas for exercising in small spaces, read here
This GoogleSheet has a ton of exercise options that you can do for free from home, many without equipment!
