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How to be healthy at home:
How to take care of your health and well-being without leaving your house
I’m just going to state the obvious. We are living in a very weird time now.
Without going into details about what’s going on in the world (because let’s face it, we all know what’s happening), I’m sure that many of us are adjusting to a life quite different than usual.
For a lot of people, that might mean crazy sleeping patterns, baking and eating ALL the banana bread (guilty!), and not getting enough movement in our day.
Now I’m not going to lie. The first few weeks of quarantine my habits were actually awful.
But then I realized that if I got it together and worked on just a few healthy habits, I could feel amazing once all of this is over.
And to be honest, that’s what I want. I don’t want to gain 15 pounds because all I did during quarantine is inhale banana bread and sit in bed watching movies all day.
Granted, these days will happen, and that’s okay. But it’s not what I want for my normal routine.
So without going on and on any longer, I am going to get into a few healthy habits that I have been practicing while stuck at home.
If you are looking for a few ways to stay healthy while at home, keep on reading!
8 ways to be healthy at home
Keep your normal routine
As much as you can, stick to your normal daily routine. That means waking up around the same-ish time as you would for work (unless you work crazy hours, that is), getting dressed even if you are just going to change from PJs to sweats, and structuring your day as you would normally.
Not only does this help keep our biological clock balanced, but it also helps give us a sense of purpose.
Let’s face it, there is enough uncertainty going on right now. The least we can do is keep doing what we already know works for us.
Related read you might like:
My Life-Changing Morning Routine (Really!)
Try meditation
Meditation has been one of my favorite healthy habits for a while now.
I used to meditate a lot last year but fell off it, and when all this craziness started happening I jumped back in and haven’t looked back since.
The benefits of meditation are endless. Some of these benefits include reducing stress and anxiety, helping with sleep, enhancing self-awareness, lengthening attention span and reducing blood pressure.
Beyond that, it is also so enjoyable.
It is a few minutes of uninterrupted silence that you get all to yourself.
Get enough sleep
I mentioned sleep briefly before, but it really is important to get enough sleep.
I know how tempting Netflix can be at night. Hell, I binged the whole of Money Heist in just a few days.
But as soon as I started to fall asleep at a reasonable hour, my days started flowing much smoothly.
Sleeping well is especially beneficial to those of us who are working from home these days. Zoom meetings early in the morning can be such a snooze-fest if you don’t get enough sleep!
Related read you might enjoy:
10 Relaxing Things To Add To Your Nighttime Routine
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Something I neglected doing at the beginning of self-quarantine was drinking enough water. It showed pretty quickly on my skin, I must say.
Staying hydrated is equally as important at home as it is when you’re out and about. And there’s no excuse.
If you hate the taste of water? Try infusing it with fruit/natural teas.
Forget to drink water throughout the day? Get you a big reusable water bottle with time stamps and have it next to you all day.
There are so many benefits to drinking water, and we already know that we should be drinking. Stay hydrated, everyone!
Try dry brushing
Dry bushing is one of my new favorite additions to my daily routine.
To dry brush, you use a natural-bristle brush like this one and you brush your body in long strokes towards your heart. This is done a couple of times a week before showering.
This helps with lymphatic drainage, helps keep the skin smooth and it acts as an exfoliator. It also reportedly helps minimize cellulite and increases circulation.
I thoroughly enjoy it and my skin has never been softer! With all this extra time, this is the perfect time to try dry brushing.
Get moving
Sitting home all day is awful for my FitBit. Which is why I have to find ways to move my body, even if it’s just a little bit every day. So that, you know, my FitBit doesn’t think I’d died.
Thankfully, there are a million ways to stay active at home now. From YouTube workouts, to paid memberships, to live Zoom workouts to workout apps, there is something for everybody.
My favorite way of working out is using free tutorials on YouTube.
Here are a few of my favorite channels if you’re interested in starting a new workout program:
The problem for me sometimes is motivation. I’d rather sit in bed than work out, which is why I like to change to my workout gear as soon as I get out of bed in the morning.
That way, I’m constantly reminded that I need to work out, and it helps to keep me motivated if I look cute!
Speaking of cute workout gear, Adidas have some really nice pieces which I have my eye on! I always gravitate towards workout gear which can be work while working out AND running errands in.
Eat as clean as you can
Weekly banana bread aside, eating clean is probably the best thing we can do for our bodies to be healthy at home.
Besides giving us necessary nutrients and energy, healthy food also makes us feel better.
Now don’t get me wrong, I do think that occasional treats are absolutely necessary for staying sane in this crazy time, but that shouldn’t be your only way of eating if you want to keep your body healthy.
Here are some super easy ways to be more mindful when you eat:
- Eat until you are full and no more.
- If you’re eating a treat, use a smaller plate.
- Switch to healthy, whole-grain carbs.
- Don’t obsess with calories, just eat smaller portions.
- Get vegetables and protein with every meal.
- Chew your food slower. Enjoy it longer!
- Limit sugary drinks. Stick to water and herbal teas.
- Keep healthy snacks on hand, so they’re easily accessible.
If your eating habits aren’t what you’d want them to be, eliminate one bad habit at a time. That will help keep you on track and won’t be as much of a shock as it would be to cut everything out at once. You got this.
Don’t neglect self-care
Self-care is an essential part of physical as well as mental health.
With all the uncertainty around us now, it is important to work on what we can control, and self-care is one of those things.
The beautiful thing about self-care is that if can be whatever YOU want it to be. Self-care looks different for everybody because all of us have different tastes and different ways of relaxing.
If you want some ideas on how to incorporate more of these activities into your daily routine, I have a post on 60 different ways to practice self-care.
For a more quarantine self-care edition, click here.
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What have you been doing to be healthy at home? Has self-isolating forced you to make drastic changes in your daily routine?
Great tips! Taking care of ourselves right now is so important yet can be hard to do! I am doing a lot of self-care and also finding movement however I can! We’ve started running a few times a week and that is making a huge difference plus just enjoying the outdoor porch is a plus!
It must feel so good to be running! I unfortunately can’t where I live so I’m doing what I can with the help of YouTube!
Great reminders! I’ve definitely fell out of some of my healthy routines!
I feel you! It’s never too late to start 😊
I’ve been working so hard on launching my blog that I have neglected so much of my health. Now I’m looking into Levine hydrating and some of these steps. The day brushing sounds interesting!
Oh girl, this is the time to give your health some TLC. Your blog and everything else will wait ☺️
All fab suggestions – I’m doing a lot of them but some I’m struggling with. I’m finding it much harder to get up in the morning but I’ve heard from others that it’s the same for them too!
I’m the same! I couldn’t get out of bed today until about 10:30 😩
Love these ideas. I need to incorporate some of these during this lockdown. It’s overwhelming sometime. Thank you for sharing. 💞
It definitely is overwhelming sometimes. Thank you so much for stopping by.
This is such an important post! I loved the way that you outlined everything, it made it clear to the reader and inspiring as well!
Great work!
Thank you so much!
I had to read this to motivate myself. Waking up a bit blah today. Dry brushing — never heard of it, gotta try it. Whitney Simmons – love her. You should check out Heather Robertson on YouTube, great workouts. And lol when you said “so your Fitbit doesn’t think you’ve died” lol. I’m actually wondering if I should by a new Fitbit, I’ve had mine for ages and I wonder if it’s even gauging my steps correctly! Great post, thanks for the reminders, and it’s comforting to know, on a morning where I feel so blah, that I’m not the only one!
I’m definitely with you today on feeling blah! Doesn’t help that the weather here is pretty gloomy. I have the Fitbit Charge 3 I think and I absolutely love it! Thank you for recommending Heather Robertson, I’ll check her out! ♥️
Definitely needed the hydrate reminder. Since I’ve been working from home, coffee has been my BFF!!
XO Kayla D 💛
Girl me too! I’ve started keeping a huge water bottle next to me to remind me to drink water haha. Otherwise, I’d just be drinking coffee all day!
This is something I’ve been really working on these last few months , now that I’ve been working from home! Self-care is so important!
Absolutely! I hope as many people as possible are doing more for their self-care these days. God knows we all need it.
Educative post. Have never been someone who drinks a lot but these days i can say i am doing a good job. I just have to add exercising to it like you said and I think I will be good.
Thank you! Exercising has definitely made a change in my mood. Try it out!
Love this – super important tips for a time like this!
Thank you!
Healthy habits are so important! Especially when we’re stying home and have all the distractions and temptations just to lay around. I’ve been trying to stay in the habit of eating healthy, while also keeping a balance of treating myself so i dont go crazy!
Having a good balance is really important, especially at a time like this!
I’m finding it hard to stay motivated to be healthy while locked up inside the house. My sleeping pattern is all out of wack! I’ve realized that I’m lacking on my water consumption. These are great tips to help those of us who feel like we’re losing control.
Also, I have that Adidas track set 🙂
Jo | http://www.theweddedmillennial.com
Oh, I hear you. It’s a very weird time for all of us and I practically had to force myself, and sometimes still do, to focus on my health during this crazy time.
Some great tips, I have been treating myself lately a lot more than I normally would!
That’s great!
Hello Mariam!!
So yeah, both of my hands are lifted because the first two weeks of quarantine was an epic failure. lol
I’m talking about my sleeping pattern spiraled, all of my snacks were finished by midnight-same day that I purchased it. You name it, and I did it!
But, I know that I couldn’t continue my days as such, so I’d write out my to-do list and weekly goals that help me to stay on track and be active.
Thank you for sharing your tips!
xoxo,
Widster
Hi Widny! That sounds great! Weekly goals are so important for staying on track 😊
This is all so right – I’ve noticed everything has gone out of routine since lockdown started. Sleep is so difficult for me at the moment but I think getting back to normal with my health will help that!
It’s really hard to keep a decent sleep schedule staying home all day!
Thanks for sharing these tips!
Keeping fit is so necessary, I actually motivated myself to do minor exercises every day, after going out last Monday and experiencing what inadequate movement does to the body.
That’s great! It’s important to keep moving.
I’ve definitely been struggling with lockdown fatigue, and feeling sleepy constantly, so putting a decent bed time/wake up schedule in place has been so helpful. I also have been meditating twice a day which has been brilliant. I’m still not great at getting enough water though, haha! Some fab tips here, thank you.
I’m eating healthy for sure as food delivery/ takeout is out of question currently. Have also picked up yoga to keep my body moving. I’m trying to meditate but my monkey mind will need more control. Thank you for the great tips! The part about dressing for workout is SO important!
You’re very welcome! It seems like you’ve been taking care of yourself quite well in quarantine 🙂