Pandemic Healthy Living

With gyms being closed due to the pandemic, many students and adults alike have been left without means to workout. It is hard staying active, eating healthy and having a good routine during the lockdown. But there are some ways to stay healthy and workout at home.

On an Instagram poll conducted by Jonina Charles, she asked participants to vote on her story if they have or have not been consistently working out during the pandemic. The participants ranged from ages 15-30. A surprising number of participants voted that they have not been working out during the pandemic. In the video below you can follow a workout routine of how to work out your core. The workout was led by our very own Bianca Di Felice.

Five Ways to Work on Your Core

1: Elbow plank 

Start in a plank position with both elbows on the ground. Continue this exercise for 20 seconds. Alex Silver-Fagan, Nike Master Trainer and certified yoga instructor says, “I love a plank because it is super simple and creates trunk stability and strength that is necessary for nearly every other movement in fitness. It primarily works your core, but really engages your entire body, and creates true overall tension and strength.”

2:  Raised Leg circles 

Lay on your back with both arms to your side, lift your legs up close together and move your legs in circular motions. Keep position for 20 seconds.

3: Side Leg raises 

Lie on your side and lean on your elbow for support, keep legs together and lift one leg in the air and back together. Once you are done your 40 seconds rotate to your next leg. Emily Jaques, a Burn 60 Master Trainer says-

After a long winter and the never ending lockdown, many people are left without a way to workout. It’s important that you remember to take care of yourself. 

The two tried and true methods of getting into shape are a healthy diet and proper exercise.

Many people, students especially, have not found the time to work out during the pandemic.

Zac Buttivant is a third-year student at the University of Guelph-Humber and he finds exercise very important. “Working out your muscles keeps you thin and keeps my spirits up in a time of depression during the pandemic,” says Buttivant. 

Buttivant and other experts have tips for working out during the pandemic, which will be explored later on.

A healthy diet is very important to take care of yourself. If nutrition is taken seriously, your lifestyle will be healthier and more enjoyable. Working out is another way to keep your body fit. Managing your expenses, investing and finding a stable job makes all the difference.

Many people are looking for quick weight loss and washboard abs. Yet nutrition is the first step and fundamental to a healthy lifestyle. Many young students hope to achieve better health and fitness through diets, like keto or the gluten free diet. 

While those diets do provide results they don’t last long term. “The way we approach nutrition is all or nothing,” says Tracie Sindrey, program coordinator for Humber College’s nutrition and healthy lifestyle. “We take categories of food and cut them from our diet,” she says, adding that “the evidence is very clear they don’t work.” 

Photo by: Owen Thompson

Photo by: David Leo

Sindrey recommends that you establish a pattern of eating. Living healthy is a lifestyle change, not a temporary one. Instead of axing whole groups of food, she advises that you cut down and replace them with different types of food.  For maximum effectiveness, slowly introduce the new eating pattern into your life, starting slowly instead of diving head first Sindrey says. “Don’t leave everything the same,” she says, “ but make changes you can keep for a lifetime.”

Sindrey recommends both the mediterranian and DASH diets. Both diets encourage replacing, not getting rid of, types of food. For instance, the DASH diet was created in the 1990s and aims to lower blood pressure through healthy eating and limiting sodium. The DASH diet includes small consumption of red meats and saturated fats, factors in high blood pressure. 

The Mediterranean was created in the 1960s and is similar to the DASH diet but has/includes a bigger emphasis on fish and olive oil consumption.

The size of the servings you eat are a big part of being healthier. Sindrey recommends getting smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less. “The right size serving dishware is actually really important to how much we serve ourselves,” says Sindrey. “Buying the right dishware sounds so simple,” but makes all the difference. “If I eat too much ice cream I need a small bowl and I will eat significantly less.”

Finally, language is very important to dieting. Sindrey wants you to stop using ‘cheat day’ to describe going off your diet. Having days where you don’t stick to your diet happens, she says, and using the cheat makes it seem like it is bad, even though it is normal.

Once you’ve improved your diet and nutrition during the pandemic, it’s time for the next step toward health and fitness: exercise. 

Proper exercise goes a long way in keeping you healthy and fit. Do it wrong, and you could get injured and setback even further.

Qamar Iqbal has an Instagram account focussed on fitness with 168 followers at the time of writing and is a friend of the author. He has been using a set workout routine for many years now. He suggests a few exercises for building muscle, and staying slim. 

For working out your chest and arms, Iqbal suggests starting with push-ups for 14 to 20 reps at 30-second intervals. 

Buttivant also works out often, but has a warning for those wishing to be safe while working out.

“Make sure you stretch before you start your workout, or you could pull a muscle,” says Buttivant. “It is also important to drink lots of water during your workout and after you are finished to stay hydrated.”

Buttivant does 100 push ups, goes skateboarding for 30 minutes and does 10 minutes of planking every night. 

But for students, keeping a healthy body can become expensive. For example, a treadmill can cost upwards of $500 to $2000 on Amazon. 

But/yet there are some things to keep in mind or things you can do if you also want to keep a healthy bank account.

For example, if you are trying out an expensive diet, or trying to buy organic food to stay healthy, you need to find the expenses to cover that lifestyle. “Choose the lifestyle you want to live and find out what you have to do and how much work you have to put in to support that lifestyle,” says Iqbal. 

 

Finding a good job is a good start, he says, and helps you stay healthy in the long run. ”Never settle, like never be content with the amount of money you’re making,” he says. “If you’re comfortable, that means you can save up a little money to invest it into something and make yourself more money.”

For more workouts, diets, financial tips, and additional information about weight loss and weight gain, Iqbal’s Instagram account is @qamarfit.

Photo by: Owen Thompson

Photo by: Owen Thompson

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