Though this time of being home and “social distancing” may protect you from the coronavirus – and any germs that could lower your immunity – the situation presents a new challenge when it comes to maintaining good health – in body, mind and spirit.
As a social creature, this high amount of time spent “social isolating” is not a normal practice, and can even be dangerous if certain initiatives aren’t put in place to balance out the “alone time” with connectivity – even if it isn’t the usual face-to-face contact you had before. Instead, you need to find new ways to engage without putting your health and the health of those around you at risk.
While you’re busy trying not to get sick, there are also other vital health factors to consider, like not letting stress overtake you, keeping up with good nutrition, getting essential physical activity, staying connected in new ways, and finding new healthy routines to replace the ones that currently don’t work.
In this article, we’ll cover tips to stay healthy in isolation, including immune-boosting pantry foods to stock, at-home workout tips, and the do’s and don’ts of social distancing – so you can ensure that healthy practices don’t fall by the wayside. Read on to learn more…
5 Invaluable Tips To Stay Healthy While #SocialDistancing
1) Increase meaningful connection
When it comes to the do’s and don’ts of social distancing, you do want to stay in line with current recommended guidelines not to congregate in groups bigger than 10 – or be within 6 feet of someone who isn’t in your immediate household. However, you also need to maintain meaningful connections with others, in the ways that make the most sense for you at this time.
Since you can’t be face-to-face with most people, video chatting is the next best thing, because it allows you to see facial expressions and make eye-to-eye contact – something you’re currently deprived of in social isolation.
You also want to focus on quality over quantity. If you only have a short amount of time to talk that’s fine, but devote all your attention to the other person, listening intently and stopping any multi-tasking. Doing this can increase your overall feeling of satisfaction after speaking, versus being left still feeling lonely because you treated it like another item on your to-do list.
If video chatting isn’t an option, then pick up the phone, as at least that’s more personal than texting. It also cannot be discounted that certain online communities of like-minded individuals can be extremely helpful during this time – to help you stick with goals and motivate you to be your best, in the face of current trials.
The 310 Nutrition Community is one of these communities, full of others trying to put their health first, so they can be there not only for themselves, but also for their families. In this community, you’ll find people trying to eat healthy diets, get adequate fitness, and spread the message of positivity and motivation in following personal goals. By joining a like-minded community such as this, you can keep your ultimate wellness front and center as distractions loom around you, and feel connected to others with similar values who can help push you forward.
2) Stock your pantry wisely
Next, along with staying connected to others during this time, you also need to put taking care of yourself front and center. The absolute only way to do this is to take your nutrition seriously now more than ever before.
Though fresh whole foods are essential (and we’ll talk about them next), healthy pantry foods are important because they still provide vital nutrients, and can last a long time. Though things may be limited at the grocery store, you can still make healthy choices over sugar-laden, packaged junk foods that may taste good in the moment, but leave you feeling bad after-the-fact.
The smartest thing you can do is give your body all of the nutrition it needs for a strong immune system, sky-high energy levels, great mental clarity and mood, and a positive attitude! Believe it or not, what you eat absolutely affects how you feel, and you’re ability to function at your best during this time period.
The number one item we recommend as a healthy pantry staple right now doesn’t even require you to go to the store! 310 meal replacement shakes are full nutritional meals that come in totally-yummy flavors, and take only seconds to make. Each shake has 15g of plant-based protein, 5g of dietary fiber, 20 essential vitamins and minerals, organic superfoods, and gut-healthy probiotics. This makes it one of the healthiest meal options you can find, hands down.
While others are stocking up on potato chips and chocolate bars, don’t you want to be the one that’s giving their body what it needs right now?! And for only $2.42 per meal (or $1.82 if you put it on subscribe and save). These shakes are low in calories so they can also help you manage your weight, and help curb your sweet tooth with flavors like salted caramel, vanilla chai, chocolate and strawberry.
The shakes can be mixed up in a 310 shaker cup in literal seconds, or, you can make a number of totally delicious smoothie recipes in minutes in your blender. You’ll feel great and satisfy your taste buds at the same time! Plus, you can enjoy them in place of 1-2 meals per day, or as healthy snacks, guilt-free desserts, pre- or post-workout drinks, or junk food replacements!
Want more ideas for healthy pantry foods? Remember to choose foods with as few ingredients as possible, (and nothing artificial), and get a balance of high-quality protein, healthy fats, and high-fiber carbs. Nuts and seeds along with nut butters, whole grain breads, oatmeal, shredded coconut flakes, and dried fruits are all healthy pantry food options.
3) Boost your defenses
Along with pantry staples that can last a long time and are easy to stock, you also want to make sure you’re choosing as many immune-boosting foods…. and immune-boosting supplements as possible.
What does this look like? In your refrigerator and freezer, it looks like fresh whole fruits and veggies, meat and seafood, full-fat dairy products, and eggs. Choose organic, grass-fed, and wild as much as possible to avoid pesticides and get the most nutrient bang for your buck.
Though clean nutrition is important, this is also the time to take additional steps towards giving your immune system everything it needs to function at its utmost right now. Basically, you want to choose immune-boosting foods that are packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties (versus sugar, refined carbs and unhealthy oils like vegetable oil that add inflammation into the body).
Plus, you don’t have to do it alone… there are also immune-boosting supplements that can help. 310 Shakes, as mentioned in the section above, are superstar immune-boosters! In addition, 310 Juice contains over 70 “superfoods”, or foods that contain not just a few, but a ton of essential vitamins and minerals to support your body’s defenses. In addition, this juice contains powerful phytonutrients – or plant-based antioxidants that fight free radicals and protect your cells, so you can start to play offense against sickness and disease.
In addition, two more amazing immune-boosters include probiotics and turmeric. While probiotics are the “good bacteria” that help balance out the bacteria in your gut – bolstering healthy digestive and immune systems – turmeric is a powerful inflammation-fighting herb. You can add turmeric as a spice onto your food, or get it in supplement form to help ease joint pain, significantly boost immunity, calm digestive troubles and more.
4) Focus on healthy movement
Next, if exercise was ever an important tool to have in your “healthy lifestyle” arsenal, it’s now! You cannot discount the importance of staying active, even while spending most of your current time indoors. However, you may have to change your view slightly on what fitness means to you, and for some, it may also be wise to make it a family event…. Kids need to get their energy out as well!
When it comes to planned times for fitness, at-home workouts are now a must. Go ahead and start with some simple-to-use, at-home gym equipment. Then get yourself in a community group, like the 310 Nutrition Community, where you’ll find weekly workouts fit for all ages, workout tips from personal trainers, and even fun fitness challenges, like the one going on right now.
In addition, also focus on healthy movement when you aren’t working out. This means getting up off the couch as much as possible to do more physical activities by yourself or with your family. Take a walk, build a fort, make a healthy recipe, or make family chores a group event.
If you’re working from home, you’ll want to take breaks to stretch and even try working while standing, or you can sit on one of these yoga balls to also work your core, and alleviate back pain. Get creative, but remember that being home doesn’t have to equal sitting around – still get up and even out as much as possible!
5) Manage stress levels
Last but certainly not last, you need to make sure that you’re on top of your stress levels at this time, and monitoring your internal state in the face of external chaos. All of the above mentioned tips, believe it or not, can actually help you stay in a calm and collected state… since what’s healthy for your body is also healthy for your mind and soul!
Along with getting the right nutrition including immune-boosting foods, connecting with family and friends, and exercising, you may also want to try at-home meditation to help calm your nerves and ease your fears. (You’ll also be able to find guided meditations in the 310 Nutrition Community).
In addition, you may also want to limit your time on social media (when not connecting in a group or with people that are meaningful to you). Non-meaningful “scrolling” along with taking in every bit of potential fake news out there can increase feelings of loneliness and anxiety during this time.
Finally, get outside as much as possible! The benefits of connecting with nature, combined with getting much needed vitamin D from the sun (even if you live in an area where the weather is chilly), cannot be underestimated. Both of these things serve to keep your mind and body in balance, boost immunity, and keep you calm and collected. Plus, walks and going outdoors is totally ok, and even recommended as long as you maintain your distance from others.
Take a deep breath and remember that mandated time indoors does not have to negatively disrupt your health and fitness goals. In fact, maintaining great wellness can actually be the life raft you need to make it to the other side of all of this with grace and purpose for the future!
Want more articles on how to maintain your sanity and your wellness in uncertain times? We’ve got you covered on the 310 Nutrition Blog. Plus, join the 310 Nutrition Community, now!
Sources:
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/five-tips-stay-positive-and-healthy-during-social-isolation
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition-pictures/how-to-reduce-stress-with-diet.aspx
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/foods-that-boost-the-immune-system
