Alvin Netto

Covid-19 has abruptly forced us to change our lifestyle whether you’re working from home, homeschooling your kids or just staying indoors to help #FlattenTheCurve. The Movement Control Order (MCO) and social distancing order implemented by our government is something that we are all adjusting to seeing that we’re a nation who loves our Mamak lepak sessions or just spending time with friends and family over delicious local delights.

Yes, it is a challenging time for all of us but frets not, we’ve got 3 easy tips that can help you stay calm and healthy as we cope with the Covid-19 outbreak.

 

Maintain a daily routine

You’ve probably heard and read health experts saying this before and we’re just going to recap it once more because it is important to maintain a daily routine despite working from home or staying at home during Covid-19.

Maintaining a daily routine helps to reduce drastic changes that may affect your stress levels. Dr. Firdaus Abdul Ghani, secretary of the Malaysian Psychiatric Association shared that having a daily routine is essential to help you cope better with MCO. She also encouraged everyone to have a designated working space so that you can make the best out of your work from home experience.

Did you know that exercising can also help to reduce stress levels? Yes, that’s right. Trying to maintain some basic exercises into your daily routine can help you manage stress better.

 

Keep moving

Going to the gym, the park or your nearby fitness community centre might not be possible during MCO but you can still stay fit by doing simple exercises like our 20 minutes full-body home workout, simple body stretching to loosen your muscles or everyday activities like walking, gardening and even cleaning.

The idea is to try and fit in any amount and type of exercise into your routine so that you can stay active and healthy. For example, walking around the house while you take a business call or doing simple body stretches on your bed when you wake up is a good way to squeeze in exercise into your daily routine.

You could also use household stuff like water bottles and towels as substitutes for weights or sliders. You’d be surprised to know that there are a lot of ways for you to keep moving and keep exercising even when you can’t go to the gym, the park or your favourite fitness centre.

Maybe some of you might say that exercising on your own is not as fun as doing it with a group of friends. Well, why not schedule a virtual workout session with family and friends? You might end up having lots of fun and who knows, this might be a new way for you to do fun activities with family and friends.

Also, although it might be very tempting to binge-watch all your favourite Netflix shows during the MCO because when will you ever get this much free time again right? Remember to stand up every 30 minutes. This is because sitting too long is not good for your back and may cause other health issues.

Eat healthily

Let’s be real guys, eating healthy during Covid-19 can be a challenge because it’s hard to stock up on fresh produce and make them last longer. This makes processed and canned food an easier choice.

While this might be true, too much processed and canned food is unhealthy and may lead to other health issues. What might help is to plan your meals for the week so that you can roughly gauge what kind of food you should stock-up on. It is also advised to buy less high-salt or high-sugar snacks and get more fruits and vegetables instead. Also do try your best to not panic buy so that others can get the chance to buy what they need too.

Eating the right food can help you get the nutrition you need to stay fit and healthy. If you’ve always wanted to give clean and healthy eating a try, this might be the best time to do it! Of course, the occasional Grab Food, Food Panda or McD is always okay too. Just make sure your meals are well balanced and are rich in nutrients needed to boost your immune system because you need it now more than ever before.

So guys, let’s #StayHome and take this as a chance to learn a new hobby, learn how to cook, declutter your room, spend more time with loved ones, rediscover yourself, reflect on life or just sit back and relax. Together, we will get through this outbreak.