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Quarantine Diary 4: Tips for a Healthy (Indoor) Lifestyle

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Hello world! My name is Annabel, and I am coming to you live from quarantine in West Michigan! If you’re like me, you’re a person who can’t sit still for five seconds, craves productivity, and is fueled by an anxious energy, which is maddening unless you’re busy. We are the Leslie Knopes of the world, and I would argue that quarantine is essentially the antithesis of our entire beings. While I haven’t yet completely come to peace with the situation, in order to stave off existential dread and debilitating uncertainty, I am here to advocate for a practice that has kept me sane – proper exercise!

Exercise is vitally important for not only your physical health, but also your mental health. Of course, as a graduate assistant for the university libraries, I can point you towards numerous library guides which are full of information on various facets of health. For example, check out this guide on wellness and personal wellbeing, this guide on campus resources for health education, or this guide for mental health resources. !]. In addition, the University has provided us with a free subscription to Les Mills home workout videos! If you haven’t tried them out yet, I have tested a few of them for you, and here are my reviews:

1. LES Video still of LES MILLS GRIT #29 CardioMILLS GRIT #29: I thought I was in pretty decent shape… until I tried this HIIT workout. Let me tell you, it kicked my butt. I had to keep hitting pause so I could breathe! This definitely disrupted my elevated heart rate, but I couldn’t have made it through without some extra breaks. If you’re in an apartment, I don’t recommend this video because it is a lot of jumping around. You will definitely disturb your downstairs neighbors! However, I often find that workout videos are never hard enough. This one is an exception. It’s a great video for an intense cardio workout!

Video still from SH'BAM #36 45 min2. SH’BAM #36: This workout was similar to Zumba or any other dance-based workout you’ve tried! The workout was definitely on the easier side – it was fun, but repetitive and even a little boring at times. The music was great, and the hosts are vivacious, but in the end, I didn’t get as much of a workout as I would have liked. I did this video with my mom though, and we had a lot fun! This video is great for freestyling and it’s also great for beginners.

Video still from LES MILLS BARRE #07 30 min3. LES MILLS BARRE #07: For this workout, you only need a couple of small weights. I didn’t have any, so I improvised with jars of pasta sauce! I think this was my favorite workout of the three I attempted. It was challenging, hit all of the major muscle groups, but it was quick! I want to do this workout over and over, because I feel that I can improve each time I do it. This video also brought me back to my days in ballet class and made me a little nostalgic! I highly recommend this workout for anyone with a dance background, or anyone who wants a quick & efficient burn!

There’s a multitude of other great workout resources online too! One of my favorite places to go for free yoga instruction is doyogawithme.com – my favorite video is ‘Rise and Shine.’ I also love to run, so I’ve been hitting the trails to clear my mind. Exercise is super important, but a healthy lifestyle is made up of a lot of components. To summarize, here are my top ten tips for staying fit and healthy to survive the quarantine:

Annabel’s Top Ten Tips for a Healthy (Indoor) Lifestyle 1. Do something every day. Whether it is going on a walk or doing a full home workout, it’s imperative that you get some exercise every single day! 2. Set a timer. Sitting for prolonged periods can lead to serious health effects such as weight gain or increased blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. I recommend standing up and walking around every 45 minutes. 3. Set a goal. Setting an intention before you start exercising will remind you why you keep at it. Big or small, goals keep you focused and motivated! 4. Get enough sleep. Get plenty of sleep. Go to bed at a regular time each day and practice good habits to get better sleep. Sleep restores both your mind and body. 5. Stay hydrated. Water is our body’s fuel. It keeps us energized, flushes out our system, and promotes other health benefits – like clear skin! 6. Meditate. Exercising has a lot of positive mental health effects, but it’s important to supplement by checking in with yourself and doing some deep breathing exercises once in a while. 7. Stay accountable. Find a friend to do workouts with, post your progress on social media, or keep track of what you’ve done by writing it down. Anything to keep you coming back! 8. Eat well. Eating and exercise go hand in hand. In fact, the more you exercise, the more your body will crave whole, healthy foods. I can’t stress the importance of fruits and veggies enough! 9. Take time for you. Working out is an opportunity to appreciate yourself and your amazing body. Take this time to be proud of yourself – you can do anything you put your mind to! 10. Get creative. There are millions of ways to fit exercise into your daily routine. Whether that is going on a daily walk, dancing in front of a mirror, or doing squats while you make dinner. Do anything and everything to stay active because it will keep you health – and sane!

Written by: Annabel

Edited by: Amy

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