How are you (my dear reader) during all this?

I’ve been collecting my thoughts and working again on balance. Life would be easier without the 2 kids to manage during the daytime. And I can share earnestly that this week has been harsher than I thought emotionally.

That said, now that I’ve had some time to adapt (and could still use more), I’ll be keeping in touch with tips and ideas for what you can do to stay healthy during our temporary “house arrest”.

For today’s installment, here are a few recommendations I believe deserve your extra intention right now:

1. Exercise.
I’ve been getting out for ~1-2 hour walks with the kids and Caroline for fresh air and sunshine; we’re doing our best as distancing each and every time and feel pretty sane about it; slow stroller paced walks or 3.5 yr old hand holding pace, but I’ve also felt pretty good about them – until I saw I guy sweating through burpies in the park using heavy dumbbells! No gym? No problem.

There are a number of ways you can keep fit by exercising at home. These should be a priority. Exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress, so it’s not something to neglect in these trying times. Personally, I JUST began this course last night (www.dailyom.com based)– I bought into it via Facebook, not gonna lie, but I needed something to anchor me. Hook, line, and sinker: what a great first relaxing night in the course.

***Many of my you already use a website called www.MyRxx.com . It’s an online tool for home workouts I prescribe, with step-by-step video explanations of how to do each exercise. ***

If you’d like to get your own personalized account, I’ll be offering this service FREE to my subscribers (even if you’re not currently a patient) to help out during this crisis (you won’t be cut off post-crisis either). Reply to this email if you’d like me to add you, and I can get the ball rolling for you.

2. Nutrition.
It goes without saying that eating well is an important “survival” tip. Stress could have you reaching for the sweets cupboard (insert the GUILTY emoji right here, sometimes!). Just keep in mind eating sugar is one of the fastest ways to weaken your immune system.

If there was one idea I could give you that is even more crucial now, it’s this: practice mindful eating. With all the disruptions (having the kids at home, not being able to work, maybe watching more TV than usual) you could easily fall into a pattern of unconscious stress-eating.

The key to mindful eating is this:

Eat slowly.

Take your time to really chew your food by putting your fork down in between bites and try to notice the variety of flavors swirling on your palate. Research has proven that simply eating more slowly causes you to eat less, and digest your food better!

3. Hydration.
I’ve talked at length before about how essential it is to drink plenty of water. Suffice it to say that water helps your body remove toxins, makes you feel more alert and energized, and supports the healthy function of your brain and nervous system.

You should aim for 2-3 litres per day.

Many people struggle with this during “normal” times. With being at home, it’s a great opportunity to create this habit – especially since you can go to the washroom whenever you want! My favourite way to make this easier is to have 2 larger glasses before each main meal, slowly, and gracefully, to help my colon absorption rate.

4. Stress Control.
This whole situation is unprecedented. Apart from obvious stressors of loss of income, no childcare, and health fears, none of us really knows how long this will last. There’s also the risk of going a bit stir crazy as the days and weeks go by.

Being at least somewhat diligent in each of three above will help.

But think about ways to minimize your exposure to negative energy as well. Take a break from the newsfeed to enjoy some of your favorite movies or comedians. Personally, I’m a Marvel Universe mega fan, and I’ve certainly binged my fair share of Netflix since Baby Bev was born, but last night I decided to shut it down, and be more productive – long parental days have me yearning for quiet working time (yes, I indeed said ‘working’) .

And with less frequent intentions, I’m still a sucker for a good romantic comedy (shhhhh). ;-)

Last but not least, if you’re not already a follower, be sure to “like” my Facebook &/or Instagram pages here:

https://www.facebook.com/joshuagelber

https://www.instagram.com/joshuagelber

***I’ll be adding helpful tips and videos there, when I can (in between parenting and caring for my own health and mental state).***

Take care of yourself.

Try to stay positive.

This will all blow over at some point.

 

Dr. Josh