In the current environment of social isolation, there seems to be a million different resources available for home workouts, meal prepping, virtual classes, work-from-home recommendations and everything in-between.  It can be overwhelming to start a new fitness journey or try to revitalize a previous routine.  Instead, let’s focus on the most simple aspects of a healthy lifestyle…Water, Sleep, Stress and Steps.

Whether you had been in a solid routine prior to quarantine-mandates or if you are wanting to take advantage of this “controlled-environment” timeframe right now, getting back to the basics is the best way to dial in your health, wellbeing, and fitness.

(and research shows that exercise is an important factor to preventing life-threatening complications from COVID-19!)

Don’t get lost in the headlines of complex workout plans or diet-trends…start with these four, simple factors (or add them into your already established workout and nutrition routine) to see results quickly and just feel great!

WATER

Drink it.
Every day, all day!

Aim for: 1/2 your body weight + 15(per hour of exercise/outdoors) = # of daily ounces.
(If you weigh 180lbs = 105 ounces daily … 1 gallon is 128 ounces for reference).

Do it by: Starting your day with a full glass of water, first thing when you get out of bed.  Then, fill a water bottle to keep beside you all throughout the day…figure out how many bottles you need to drink to reach your daily goal.

Take a few big gulps every time you take a drink. Set a reminder if needed 2-3 times every hour to remind you to pick up that bottle! Flavor your water with fruit or Aminos to make it more appetizing as well!

SLEEP

I recently had a client tell me, “I finally got my sleep on track and it feels so much better, like maybe even more important than nutrition – it is life changing!”
It’s SO true!!!

While we sleep, our bodies are recovering, building muscle, reducing stress, solidifying memories and balancing hormones. So if we don’t sleep, we don’t give our bodies the chance to ever do those things!

Aim for: at MINIMUM 7 hours per night…8-9 hours is ideal!

Do it by: Just getting into bed 8 hours before you have to wake up, if you can fall asleep, great! If not, keep it up until you create the habit of turning in and turning out at that time each night!

Limit screen time up to 2 hours before bed (or buy a pair of blue-light blocking glasses!) and completely darken your room (no shining lights, closed curtains, ect). Avoid caffeine after Noon to help set yourself up for a good night as well, and work yourself into a sleep-wake cycle that is consistent!

STRESS

High stress = high levels of a hormone called Cortisol.

If we let our Cortisol levels be too high for too long, our bodies fight against us by reducing our sleep quality, making it harder for us to digest and absorb nutrients, impact our other hormonal balance, lower our ability to build muscle mass and negatively impact our immune system!!

Aim for: 3 Stress-Reducing routines per week.

Do it by: Adding in a low-intensity workout, a yoga session, meditation, or just quiet time and breathing for even 5 minutes per day. (High-intensity workouts increase our cortisol levels, which is okay in moderation but we must actively bring it back down too for our longevity!)

It may sound silly to sit still and just count your breath for 2:00, but the long-term impact it will have on your mental health and overall attitude is amazing!

STEPS

What is all the fuss about getting 10,000 steps in every day? Well, the long-term health impacts are HUGE! Reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, lowered risk for diabetes, cancers, and other fatal conditions. Simply by walking. It doesn’t have to be fast or even all that purposeful, just get to steppin’!

Aim for: 10,000 steps daily, track it on a fitness tracker or the “Steps” app on your iPhone to measure!  Bonus points for getting outside for fresh air and Vitamin D too!

Do it by: While we are limited to how much out-and-about we can have right now, it is still possible to get those steps in!  Stroll around while you talk on the phone (plus contacting your friend/family is great connection & could be stress-reducing too!).

If you do head to the grocery store, park as far away as possible.

Before and/or after each meal take a short walk around the block.  Set a timer to break up your work-from-home tasks to get up and move around a little, this will also actually help boost your productivity!  Take your dog for more walks and bring the family along, everyone will benefit but prioritizing more purposeful walking and movement throughout your day!

 

We offer daily Virtual Group Classes and customized personal programming to keep you healthy and on track with your fitness while at home!