Staying healthy and fit during Covid-19 confinement is so important!

Our physical and mental health have never been more vulnerable than during the Covid-19 confinement so we must mind ourselves!

The Covid-19 pandemic undoubtedly marks a turning point for public health and the global economy. Our government has banned public gatherings and insists that we stay at home. These measures are both necessary and very costly, especially since projections show that the pandemic could last well over a year until a vaccine can be manufactured.

We have no clear idea of when this will end and there is currently absolutely nothing we can do apart from follow the government’s advice - stay at home as much as possible, observe social distancing in order to protect each other, people over 70 years of age, people who are medically vulnerable and people living in long-term care. 

It can be very difficult to be optimistic whilst stuck at home waiting for this pandemic to blow over.  Many of us may succumb to bad habits brought on by the stress of an uncertain future, the loss of a job, boredom from the lack of, or reduced activity, the inability to visit a family member or a friend in need, or the loss of a loved one to the pandemic.  Before we know it, depression sets in and unconsciously, we become lazy and unmotivated about everything.  We exercise less and spend more time on the couch, in desperate need of a shower and in our PJ’s.  We eat more junk food and reach for easy options like frozen meals and fast food takeaways.  We sleep less and stay up late binging on Netflix’s new and old releases such as “Contagion” and the global outbreak of a deadly virus.  We overdose on Wi-Fi exposure through the use of our phones, radios, TV, computers and social media. 

Not only repeated Wi-Fi studies have shown that Wi-Fi causes oxidative stress, sperm/testicular damage, neuropsychiatric effects including EEG changes, apoptosis, cellular DNA damage, endocrine changes, and calcium overload,  it also denies us an escape from the all-around news and negative impact Covid-19 brings to our lives.

Trying to make sense of the last few months is hard.  Personally, I just want to erase the last four weeks out of my memory and return to my happy place of early March.  It is difficult to imagine that 4 weeks earlier 7 ladies and myself had just come back from a Residential Detox Retreat feeling happy, healthy, invincible and on top of the world.  We were glowing from a week of juicing and fasting, and a week of total nurturing and pampering of ourselves through treatments, mindfulness and meditation.  We were glowing from a week of being in the countryside, and taking in plenty of fresh air and exercise through our daily nature walks and yoga workshops. We were glowing from a week of non-stop laughter, relaxation, and the making of new connections and friendships through shared experiences of like minded people.

What a shock when within a couple of days we were all under lockdown.  Within another week we were all wondering if we had landed on another planet and our stress level was rising up an inch by the day.

Once I got used to the lockdown, the seriousness of the pandemic hit me hard and I quickly realised I had to share my working and living space with my husband and kids 24/7.  Then I had to cancel scheduled retreats, work related travel plans and training courses I was meant to attend.

It only took me another week to reach for and drink my first bottle of wine in months, for my re-eating gluten and my starting to comfort eat and go for whatever was in the kitchen pantry and fridge, that included bread, chocolate and banana cake.  This set bad habits in motion with detrimental effects on my health.  5 weeks later and I am 5 kilos heavier.  I have aches and pains in my joints on waking, stomach cramps and bloating throughout the day, and other digestive issues I will spare my readers.  These are no doubt directly related to my intolerance to gliadin, wheat and yeast found in all the “goodies” I had so successfully avoided for well over a year, prior to the lockdown.

I know I am not the only one feeling that way, and I would not worried about the extra curves gained if they were at the right place, but I am more concerned about the inflammation symptoms I am feeling and the potential long term damage they will have on my health. 

As a trained Nutritional Therapist, I am somewhat ashamed to have let this Covid-19 get the better of me.

When I think about it, there has not been a more important or meaningful time than right now, during this pandemic, to mind ourselves, keep healthy and fit.  As Winston Churchill is quoted to have said; “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.”

I believe that not only do we owe it to our country, we owe it to the victims of this "Health War", to all these anonymous people on the front line, often poorly equipped, our loved ones, and we owe it to our children to safeguard the next generations.

I feel that now is the time.  Now that Easter is over and the chocolate in most houses is all gone, let’s get back on track.

How can we do that?  Let’s start with a detox, and I will guide you through a 3 day juice cleanse for free during the lockdown. All you have to do is email me at info@thefastwaytodetox.ie or leave your details on our contact page.

After that, let’s make better food choices and eat right, clean healthy food, re-learn to cook home-made meals from scratch, teach out children and eat more fruits and vegetables.

Let’s sweat it out, exercise and move our bodies.  We can get a jumping rope out in the garden, do Zoom yoga with Vicky or a YouTube Yoga with Adriene, or simply take a daily walk or cycle within 2 kilometres of our homes with the family.

Let’s practice the art of mindfulness and mind our emotional needs through meditation, be in the present moment throughout the day, pick an hour during the day to stay in touch with people you care about via phone calls, zoom or facetime, and be grateful for all that we have.

Let’s get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night; this is so essential for mental and physical well-being.

Let’s hydrate properly (average of 2 litres of pure water for women and 2.5 for men per day).  Just to give you an idea of how important hydration is, up to 60% of the human adult body is water, the brain and heart are composed of 73% and the lungs are about 83%.  Amazing no?!

Let’s spend time in nature and get outside to the local park or sea front and breathe in the fresh air now that there are less cars, buses, trucks and planes around.

Let’s get some sun on our skin, let it warm us right through to our bones while it is shining, 20 minutes a day for a top up of vitamin D needed just to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.

If we manage to do all this while in lockdown, our immune system will thank us for it; our brain will thank us for it.  We will come out the other end healthy, happy and in better moods.  We will be well and we will be strong, and hopefully, if we happen to get the virus at any stage, we might just “get over it” quickly and safely.

The state of our health might just be what makes the difference between us getting a sore throat and a cough for a couple of days AND us ending up in ICU for a couple of weeks or worth.

Let’s stay physically and mentally healthy and we will get through this!

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