Maintaining Wellness When Motivation is Low: Making the MOST of “Stay At Home”

Photo by Jason Yoder on Unsplash

If there is one thing that excessive time at home, a job loss, or change in routine do - it’s that those things tend to throw off our routine and into a loop. It can be difficult to maintain wellness during a time of “crisis”.

Currently, so many people are inside with little access to equipment and all their favorite fitness instructors. Some instructors & studios are doing an incredible job of maintaining an online presence to give their clients something to work with.

Despite our greatest efforts, maintaining motivation and work ethic to stay on whatever wellness, health, fitness journey we are on an be difficult. SO! I am listing my top tips for maintaining health and wellness as well as increasing motivation while locked indoors during the last few weeks of our “Stay at Home” order during COVID-19.

Top Health and Wellness Tips:

1.) FREE online fitness

It’s totally a thing right now. Take advantage! Some studios and fitness enterprises are making you pay, but chances are if you follow some of your favorite fitness instructors or industry leaders they have free snippets, workouts or videos you can follow and include weekly into your routine!

2.) Cook + Plan Healthy Meals

Got some extra time? Don’t wake up late because you are no longer commuting or no longer have places to go. Wake up early and cook a healthy breakfast! Take time to eat well, journal, and read. Do some self reflection and plan your day accordingly. Take time on your Sundays or a weekday to plan some easy healthy lunches & dinners and make a brief schedule of what meals you want to eat when and build in some time to prepare them! Having a schedule to stick to will make you feel better and keep you from snacking on those tempting treats that are calling your name from your cabinets!

3.) If possible - get outside & walk or run!

Do you know how good walking is for you? IT’S SO GOOD! Walking helps keep your metabolism up and is optimal for burning calories and even maintaining a healthy digestive system. If you can (always listening to your local authorities judgements during the COVID crisis) go for a walk around your neighborhood or at a local park. Getting fresh air does WONDERS! If you are up to it, try going for an easy jog. Pick a 1 mile loop and just walk / jog/ sprint - whatever your heart desires! Time yourself and see your pace or heart rate (I love my apple watch for this! Or you can get a GARMIN watch which are also amazing!) Try and meet a goal of running a little farther or a tiny bit faster each time in an effort to meet goals!

4.) Plan time for reading and reflection

I have found that a saving grace during this time has been reading and making notes! Man do I MISS reading! I have picked a few really good books on psychology which inspire me and I am taking all the notes and digging deep into my own mind. I pick about an hour in the evenings to read, write and reflect. This was at first, tough to make myself sit still, but I created an environment in my home conducive for reading and writing that inspired me and now I look forward to it!! It’s like my own way of meditating, learning and growing while being stuck indoors. By doing some mental “brain exercises” through reading and reflecting, I am setting myself up to be mentally stronger when I get back to my more physical activities.

STAY POSITIVE

Repeat 3 encouraging things to yourself every morning!

But what about motivation?

This is a biggie, especially when you don’t see light at the end of your tunnel.

So here are some of my top tips:

1.) Follow your favorite fitness instructors online!

Everyones Motivation Waivers. EVEN THE MOST INSPIRED TRAINERS! That being said, there is some good about the Instagram and Facebook Highlight Reels of today. They are MOTIVATING! I bet your favorite instructor is posting their tips, tricks and workouts for at home! Follow up and try some online classes!

2.) Make a Daily List

I make a list every day and make it a goal to accomplish 1 thing on that list at the very least! IT could be cleaning a room, doing something you never usually have time for or even laying out in the sun. By accomplishing small goals or a big goal daily you can stay motivated!

3.) Think Long Term

Think long term. What will you wish you did the most during this time 6 months down the road? What will you look back on and say “wow I am so grateful to myself that I did this one thing!” ? By considering long term what your goals were before this virus and also what your future self will thank you for, you can really increase productivity!!

4.) Remind yourself - it’s okay to be BORED & Unproductive

We put so much pressure on ourselves to be as productive as possible. To always be running around. Especially here in America. Well, what if you got realistic, shrank your goals, and did less? Give yourself permission to be a bum if thats what you need. SLEEP IN. If you aren’t working, get back to your mindset as a kid and pretend it’s summer break! REST and rejuvenate and prepare for the storm of adult-hood for when all this is over!