If you’ve been following us on social media over the last few weeks, you’ve probably noticed our new Stay Fit series, where we offer up tips on how to stay in job-ready shape if your social distancing routine includes staying at home. While this series offers up specific exercises you can do to mimic the muscles you would regularly be working on the jobsite, there are many other things you can easily do to make sure you’re staying both mentally and physically healthy during this time. While some of these may seem like obvious tips, it can be helpful to have a reminder of the simple things we can do to stay on track.
-Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. While not working, many of us have much more open schedules, and can easily fall into habits of sleeping in later or staying up much later than we usually would. However, sleep, and a regular sleep schedule is one of the biggest factors in a healthy body. Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, getting at least 8 hours of sleep. This gives your body time to heal and recharge, and maintaining a schedule now will help you get back into your routine when it’s time to get back to work.
-Stretch every day. With a lot more time to sit back and relax, it is easy to neglect the muscles that we normally use throughout the day. For this reason, stretching can be an important addition to your daily routine. A few times a day, make sure to get up, walk around and get the blood flowing in your body. Stretching your arms, legs and back ensure that your body stays active and can increase your flexibility, which is always useful on jobsites where you may need to twist and maneuver into smaller or tighter areas.
-Go outside, if possible. While there is a lot of focus on staying in and limiting contact with others at the current moment, getting outside is still important. Various studies over the years have shown that spending time outside can improve mood, eliminate fatigue, reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure and improve your ability to focus. Small things like spending 10 minutes in your back yard or going for a social-distanced walk around the block to break up your day of working from home can give great benefits to your physical and mental health.
-Be mindful of stimulants. Many of us have a morning routine that involves a cup (or several cups) of coffee to get us moving when we wake up. During the workday, more coffee, tea, or energy drinks/shots can be common to help us moving and fight off the grogginess and fatigue that comes during a busy workday. However, when not working, it is important to be mindful of when we’re having said drinks. Drinking too much caffeine or drinking it too late in the day can make you jittery and interfere with your ability to sleep. It’s important now to look at whether you actually need that extra cup of coffee to keep moving, or if it is just part of your daily ritual that can be spared until you’re back to a normal work schedule.
While these are just a few easy tips, there are plenty of other activates you can be doing at home to keep yourself active and feeling good while we all wait to get back into our normal routines. What sort of things are you doing at home to keep yourself feeling well? Let us know in the comments and on social media!