For awhile there my battle cry was “If the Worlds ending, I’m going down with a bag of Cheezies in each hand!”, the only problem.
The World didn’t end.
Now I am not alone is this, none of us are. Months spent baking Sourdough and enjoying contactless delivery in an environment where we we’re all encouraged to hunker-in-place has had a real effect on us. Stress at an all-time high we have had greater appetite, greater boredom, greater time to cook and bake… and ulimatelly greater waistlines. My Doctor calls it “The Covid 15” referring to the 15 pounds we’ve all gained. But now it’s time to take it back off. 4 quick changes you can make?
- Snacks. As much as I will miss you, it’s time to stop crying “Chips A-Hoy!” every time I open the cupboard. Get them out of the House replaced with brightly colored fruits and vegetables full of fiber. Fruits like kiwi, berries, citrus are also high in flavonoids, a nutritional compound which can have a proven anti-stress effects on the body.
- Get Moving Again. Stress creates in us what the experts calla “Fight or Flight” reaction. It’s what animals use for tht burst of energy – problem is we’re arent actually being chasedby a Tiger (only in 2020 is THIS a problem) – so how do we deal with our bodies spike in adrenalin and energy? mimic that burst of activity. Gyms have reopened with Social Distancing in place and make time for a little indoor exercise, whether that be jumping jacks, squats or Tik Tok dance offs.
- Sleep. At the tail end of a full day of working, eating right and light (or not) exercise inside your home, a goods night rest should be available to you. Sleep deprivation spikes our stress levels. The little things seem BIG and the BIG things seem MASSIVE. As tempting as it is to Game the night away or watch “just one more season” turn off the phone, unwind, and tuck yourself in to a dark place
- Get the right Tool for the Job. There has been an EXPLOSION of Couch to 5K apps downloaded since world wide quarantine became a thing. These are designed to help people who may have NEVER gone for a run before and have built in features to encourage you as tou track your progess.
Most importantly – acknowledge that you CAN do this. We put it on, we can take it off. After ONE more season of Ozarks… and maybe one more bag of chips.
