COVID-19 has changed everyone’s pace of life. This pandemic has given us a great understanding of how important our health should be to us. Let’s learn how to have some junk food while learning how to eat better, the benefits of some foods and vitamins, and get our daily exercises while isolating ourselves.
Choose Your Produce Carefully!
Pre-pandemic, we probably didn’t realize how many people actually visited a grocery store daily. However, now there are restrictions on a number of people that can be allowed in certain stores. These restrictions were put in place as many elderly and other immunodeficient folks could be at risk when they are in a crowded grocery store. There’s also an option for shopping online and picking out produce beforehand in an online cart. According to an article written by Supermarket News, “about 97% of respondents ordering groceries online plan to continue doing so in the future” due to COVID-19.
As some of these restrictions have been lifted, it’s important to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables. Make sure you’re also shopping for fruits that are in season, for example, in the summer it was good to eat cherries, strawberries, apricots, and plums. For the fall, you could look for the following fruits and vegetables to have a nutritious diet: sweet potato, apples, pears, cabbages, and figs. It’s important these are fresh, so it’s best to go at early store hours or late store hours when they’re stocking these shelves.
Vitamins are Important – But Do We Need All of Them?
Despite a healthy diet, environment, and genes you’ve inherited – you might still be lacking in a few minerals. The famous 3 vitamins that are taken are Vitamin D, Fish Oil, and Probiotic. Vitamin D helps regulate calcium and phosphorus levels and facilitates your immune system. Fish Oil fights inflammation and contains Omega-3s which can benefit those at risk of heart or brain diseases, and Probiotics can either be naturally found in your yogurt or in a tablet to promote your gut health.
For those looking for strengthening immunity, such as for battling COVID-19, it’s important to take Vitamin C and Zinc in small doses regularly to build immunity. Vitamin C has been popular in the past several months, as many people have re-discovered that it helps a lot to build immunity. However, it’s just as great to consume foods rich in Vitamin C like oranges, papaya, broccoli, tomatoes, and cantaloupes. Zinc is just as important to consume, however, can be a challenge for vegetarians and vegans as it’s normally found in beef and lamb. Hence, taking this supplement is very beneficial or being flexible with your diet at times just to consume zinc can be useful in building immunity. Be careful of any vitamin and supplements you don’t need, as might already be consuming food rich in vitamins A, B, C and D. Nonetheless, it’s essential to make an appointment with your doctor or nutritionist to see which supplements you really need and any dietary changes you are flexible to.
Drink Water and Relieve Your Stress
It’s such a simple action and definitely redundant, but make sure you are filling up your water bottle and bringing it back to your desk. About 8-10 glasses of water a day is the perfect quantity of water to keep your body hydrated. Drinking enough water is also vital when you have to exercise in your home gym.
There are many traditional ways of exercising that helped folks this quarantine, such as walking or running outside. A home gym can either be in your garage, basement, or even in an open space in your room. There are great YouTube workout videos that range from HIIT workouts to morning yoga sun salutations. All of these exercises can be done from your home, will be safer for you, and keep you at your healthiest! Many group workouts can even be done via Zoom or group Facetime, so try out a few routines with your friends to keep yourselves accountable for exercising throughout the week.
Keep A Few of These Goals in Mind
This is a unique time to be young. We’re juggling our jobs and schoolwork, and now we have to be conscious of our health. Our health is just another factor that’s been added to our list of priorities and will continue to stay at the top as we grow older. Let this motivate you to keep one of these factors mentioned in mind, for instance, taking any vitamins you need on a daily basis. Your body will thank you in the end! And of course, remember to wear your masks, wash your hands frequently, and enjoy your life as safely as you can.