Tips for Staying Healthy While Homebound Due to COVID-19
The world is currently experiencing a global pandemic the likes of which has not been seen since the Swine Flu pandemic in 2009 and 2010, although thanks to treatment, swine flu ended up being no more deadly than seasonal influenza. COVID-19, or the coronavirus (so-called because the virus itself looks like a crown, and ‘corona’ is crown in Spanish) originated in Wuhan, China in 2019 and has now spread to all continents around the globe.
COVID-19 itself is not fatal, but can exacerbate many conditions that involve the lungs, causing fatalities. The elderly (people over 70 years of age in this case) may also be vulnerable to the coronavirus as they may be too weak to fight off an infection.
Heed the Advice of Your Local and State Governments on How to Deal With Covid-19
Governments around the world have issued advice on how to deal with COVID-19, and one of those pieces of advice is to remain at home as much as possible to avoid coming into contact with anyone who may be carrying the virus. People with COVID-19 tend not to show symptoms for several days after the virus has infected them, meaning that someone with the virus could appear to be perfectly healthy.
Here are a few tips on how to stay healthy while homebound due to COVID-19
- Keep active – if you have gym-style equipment at home like a stationary bike or a running machine, then now is the time to use it. If you haven’t, then you could improvise by going up and downstairs a few times to get your heart rate up. If you have space, find an exercise video on YouTube and undergo some physical training. Aim for at least a half hour’s exercise, every day.
- Maintain a healthy diet – Remember to eat your veggies! Keep up with a well-balanced diet and keep that sweet tooth in check. Don’t let boredom eating become your enemy.
- Maintain posture – if you are working from home, then you are likely to be sitting at a computer or laptop all day. Make sure you are sitting correctly or you could cause muscle problems which in turn may limit your movements or cause you to feel pain. Sit with both feet on the floor with your knees and ankles at right angles. Widen your shoulders and sit with your head aligned to your spine.
- Don’t forget your mental health – being on your own for an extended period can be tough, so you need to take care of your mental health as much as your physical health. Make sure that you keep in touch with your friends, by Skype or otherwise. Do not spend too much time pawing the internet as it will probably be full of sensationalism, falsehoods and conspiracy theories. Find a rewarding hobby or read the books that have been sitting on your shelf unopened for years. Use your isolated time positively, instead of turning into a well-baked couch potato.