If you spend most of the day at home in times like these, your overall well-being - both physical and mental - can suffer. In this blog post, we have put together how we can still stay fit, healthy and in a good mood.
1. Tip - Drink enough
Early in the morning, the sun is shining, the coffee machine is running. Sounds like a good start to the day. But it gets even better if we drink a large glass of water before our first coffee in the morning. If you need an extra kick of freshness to wake up, you can add a dash of lemon juice to the water - this not only wakes you up, it also gives our body plenty of vitamin C.
Our body is made up of around 70-80% water. We naturally drink when we are out and about a lot and exert ourselves, because then we really start to sweat, our bodies lose water and we get thirsty. But even now, when most of us probably spend the whole day indoors, it is important to make sure we have enough water. It is especially in the evening that you suddenly feel thirsty and your throat starts to scratch. Drinking water ensures that our body works at full speed and can protect itself from attacks. A sip of water now and then wakes us up again when we are losing concentration. A short breather, for example when we go to the kitchen and have a drink and refill our water bottle with water, not only ensures that we keep our fluid levels in balance, but also that our heads get a little break - sometimes that works wonders.
2. Tip - Eat healthy
Most people know it, of course, but it cannot be repeated often enough. :-) Eating healthy helps us to stay fit. Of course, a healthy diet alone cannot protect us from colds and viruses, but in many cases our body can cope better with them.
It doesn't always have to be superfoods from faraway countries that we use to boost our bodies. Most basic foods contain many nutrients. The most important thing is not to just open the bag, but to prepare things as fresh as possible. Many of the vitamin-rich vegetables can also be kept for a long time if they are stored properly. Dark rooms or the vegetable compartment in the fridge are particularly suitable for this. This means we don't have to buy fresh produce every day. Because at the moment, the rule is to go shopping as briefly and as rarely as possible and to avoid direct contact with others.
Our regional fruit and vegetables are not only really delicious, but also rich in important vitamins, minerals and trace elements. So if you eat regionally and seasonally, you are doing something good for your own body and even helping to reduce the burden on the environment. A good overview is provided by a seasonal calendar, which is available online on various websites as well as in paper form. So how about a fresh salad of lamb's lettuce with beetroot, apples and nuts? Many types of cabbage and turnip are currently in season. Some other fresh produce, such as apples, are stored. And if you want to have a few fresh herbs with it, you can even better plant them at home in a pot or in the garden. It doesn't get any fresher than that :-)
3. Tip - Sport and exercise
We strengthen our immune system through exercise and sport. This is not only important when we are out and about a lot during the cold season, but also when we spend a large part of the day at home. With regular exercise, we not only build up muscles, but also a real protective shield against colds and inflammation. It doesn't really matter what sport we do. Whether we prefer to lace up our jogging shoes and run around the forest, get on our bike and go for a long bike ride, move our hips on the yoga mat or shoot a few baskets in front of the house. Many sports can also be done well at home. Especially now, when we have little contact with other people anyway, exercise is even more important. There are so many ways to get your circulation going - each of us can find the right sport(s) for ourselves. But exercise not only strengthens the immune system, but also our overall well-being: exercise creates feelings of happiness and a good mood is guaranteed. It also increases our self-confidence. Because we learn to set goals and work on something - that means that sometimes we have successes and sometimes failures - it's all part of it if we want to grow as individuals. It's best to start today to get more exercise in your life. It doesn't always have to be a marathon.
4. Tip - Set yourself a goal
If you want to stay fit, you don't just take care of your physical fitness, but also your mental health. This works best when we set ourselves a goal. Whether it's a big project or several small ones. Something that occurred to us just now for a particular occasion or something we've wanted to do for a long time. Working on a specific thing creates routine in our everyday lives, which we need right now! It also gives us something we can talk about with others or simply enjoy tinkering around. :-)
The things that we usually do in a different way are particularly fun. We can also see a challenge in the seemingly simple things (and these are known to be particularly fun). How about, for example, not dyeing the eggs with dye from the supermarket this Easter and instead using natural colors from what nature provides? There are countless things we can do. And in the process we can make our home a little more beautiful. Spring cleaning, making window pictures, making a birdhouse out of leftover wood, planting wildflowers and fruit trees, growing tomatoes and cucumbers, doing giant jigsaw puzzles, sorting the music collection, knitting a giant scarf for the winter, thinking up and making games, learning an instrument, writing poems... Give it a try :)
5. Tip - Maintain contacts
We are all social beings. We are used to being in contact with others. We say good morning when the day begins and good night when we go to bed. We laugh with our friends, talk to our partners, pour out our hearts to our family, argue with colleagues, chat with our neighbours, say hello to the postman... These are just a few examples of how much we communicate every day and we prefer to do this by seeing each other face to face, hugging each other or simply being together. All of this makes us strong.
Closeness and social contacts are extremely important for our health. If we are permanently isolated or have little contact with others, this can quickly affect our mood and we become vulnerable. That is why it is all the more important in these weeks and months that we build and maintain closeness to others despite the physical distance. Of course, thanks to smartphones, we can send text messages or post a picture with a few lines on Instagram (these communication channels are part of our social life anyway). But as good as all of this is, it is hardly a substitute for a good, encouraging or clarifying conversation. Even if it seems a bit strange and weird at first to exchange ideas via video call or to have the feeling that it cannot completely replace social contact (which is partly true), it is still important that we stay in touch virtually. We still see the other person's lovely smile when we talk to each other and can give it back. This possibility alone makes a big difference. :-)
