Life Style Sports STAYING ACTIVE WORKING FROM HOME
Amidst the noise and news, it’s hard to maintain a fixed routine day to day. It’s so important to maintain a sense of structure in your day – even if work’s out, you can still work out! We’ve gathered our Top Tips to keeping your brain active and your body fit, wherever, whenever, however.
Having a routine helps us prioritise what we need most, decreases stress and most importantly, gives us a sense of accomplishment. These will keep you in control and feeling content at the end of the day.
1. Rise up bright and early
Even if the office is closed, get up at your regular time! Your Circadian Rhythm (or internal body clock) absolutely thrives on regular routine. You may feel tempted to snag an extra hour or two in bed, but over-time, this will have a detrimental effect and cause imbalance to your rhythm- you may wake up feeling even more tired. Try maintaining waking up as close to or at the regular time you get up for work- Keep the snoozes to a minimum and always rise and shine to meet the morning!
2. Pause that Netflix binge
Listen, we know it’s a challenge. Start your day doing something constructive and preferably for you, so that gives you the rest of the day to veg out and watch Netflix to your heart’s desire. Better yet, set a daily reminder to get in some exercise. Get a quick 30-minute walk or workout in, you’ll feel a million dollars for the rest of the day!
The HSE recommends an adult aged between 18-65 should get At least 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity activity, five days a week.
3. Keep it short and Mix it up
Keep grinding away on the daily! Mix it up every other day to engage in different muscle groups and more importantly, to keep you motivated and engaged in your workout. Pick a 20-30 minute cardio, yoga or weight class online and try accomplish this first thing after you wake up. It doesn’t even need to be a difficult workout- even throw on some trainers and get a brisk walk in! (always maintain a 2 metre distance between yourself and other people)
You’ll receive an instant energy boost and increased mental clarity that will lead to a productive day, whatever you get up to! Remember, self-care will be key to the coming days and keeping yourself on track.
4. Write it down
Write down your accomplishments- regardless of how small you perceive them. Use a journal to track your progress- ‘Dear Diary, today I managed 20 jump squats… GO ME!’ This is a simple way to track your daily efforts and push yourself to do more each day. You’ll also feel an increased sense of accomplishment because you can always flick back through and see how far you’ve come.
Keep an itinerary of what you need to accomplish each day. List what time you get up, any bits you need to do, remember when you always promised yourself you’d clean out that closet? Now is the time! Set small, achievable tasks to hit every day. You’ll keep motivated and engaged all day and feel better when you smash those goals!
5. Stay home and stay safe
The most important task of all is to protect yourself and everybody around you.
Together we can stop this, by staying apart.
We all have a part to play in keeping safe, one of the most important things you can do is practice social distancing- that is keeping a space of 2 metres (6.5 feet) between you and other people.
The HSE have also given some really helpful Do’s and Don’ts
DO
DO Wash your hands properly and often.
DO cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or the inside elbow of your sleeve when you cough and sneeze.
DO put used tissues into a bin and wash your hands.
DO clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
DO avoid close contact with people – keep a distance of 2 metres (6.5 feet) between you and others.
DO avoid crowded places, especially indoors.
DO follow the travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
DO stay at home if you are sick to help stop the spread of whatever infection you may have.
DON’T
DON’T touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.
DON’T share objects that touch your mouth – for example, bottles, cups.
DON’T shake hands.
