How Physical Fitness Can Transform Your Quarantine Lifestyle
The past two years of our lives have been characterised by inactivity rather than anything we’ve done. Staying at home, as it is drilled into our subconscious, is the new “normal”. And a lot of us have eventually gotten comfortable with the idea of controlling major aspects of our lives from the comforting confines of our own four walls. But one question harrows us all: have we gotten too comfortable in our inactivity?
Here are some reasons why fitness is extremely important during a pandemic.
Replacing Your Usual Movement
The beginning of the quarantine era brought about a lot of new relaxing hobbies to the mainstream, such as baking your own bread, and of course, the famous Dalgona Coffee which was trending in Social media!
But while pursuing all these new interests, we may have forgotten something that used to be a major part of our lives: simply moving around.
Even if our jobs mostly involved a desk, a computer, and a seat, we never realise how much we used to walk about during our commutes, or just getting plain old lunch, that we simply do not do anymore. And although it may not have seemed like much, the simple act of moving around brought many benefits that we do not have access to anymore, as we spend our days seated at home. In order to restore what bare minimum activity we used to have, the least we can do is exercise.
Maintaining physical resilience
An important part of surviving a pandemic is maintaining good immunity. Good immunity is something that you can obtain by taking proper care of your body. While diets that provide ample amounts of nutrients are essential to this, keeping your body busy and fitter is also a very huge part of this.
What’s more - exercising somewhat regularly can also help you in a reality where the pandemic no longer trumps everyone’s daily lives. It can benefit your heart in the long-term! If you regularly boost up your heart-rate, especially in times where there is hardly any regular movement, as mentioned earlier, you can regulate your cholesterol levels, and reduce your risk of getting cardiovascular illnesses as well as COVID-19.
Productivity Beyond Work
Activities that are not a part of work, or your responsibilities are something that is essential to being human. Sometimes we need to do things that will ease our minds beyond the usual work we are obliged to, no matter how passionate we are about our work. Physical activity is especially a good way to relax, as it has other mentioned qualities. You can even take hobby classes for this. Some physical activities that make for good hobbies, but don’t involve leaving the house for the sake of your safety include: online yoga classes, dancing classes online, and Zumba online.
Mental Health
Although working from home absolutely has its benefits, it can also cause quite a bit of frustration with regards to feeling slightly caged in. Your usual stress and gloom can be multiplied by the fact that we can only stay indoors. A good way to exterminate these blues is to work it out. It has been proven time and time again that exercise is directly linked with mental health, as it can bring about the release of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that allows us to feel pleasure. Overall, exercising can brighten up your mood, as well as take away some of the sorrow that comes with staying indoors all the time.
In the wake of the present COVID-19 pandemic, where the work-from-home lifestyle is adding to the stress level by limiting our social life, anytime of fitness form yoga, Zumba or an indoor sports like chess, can turn out to a perfect stress buster to maintain the mental and physical health.