Making Healthy Headway at Home
The stay-at-home orders have made staying well a new challenge for most. Between the tempting loaves of sourdough bread you might have been baking and the rising temperature spoiling your afternoon run around the block, you may feel it’s impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, you have access to strategies to help you adapt to this current state of living!
One of ASU enrollment’s best benefits is the fitness program it offers through the gym, although the gym has been operating in a different capacity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re too far off campus to create a reservation to work out at the gym, feel free to access some helpful workout tutorials that SDFC employees have created for you. They range from targeted exercises to miniature barre classes, so make sure to check out the options that most appeal to your workout style!- Utilize HIIT workouts to get in some exercise in your own home
If you have some time in between Zoom classes and you’re feeling a little sleepy, short HIIT workouts are a surefire way to wake yourself up again. HIIT (or high-intensity interval training) provides you with an effective way to stay healthy from the comfort of your own home. If you don’t have any equipment, burpees and jump squats are some of the best movement based exercises to utilize. You can also make your own equipment for some extra challenge, like using old jugs filled with water, sand, or cement as dumbbells. - If you have the kitchen space, improve your cooking skills to eat well
Missing your favorite burger joint and can’t afford the Postmates fee? It might be time for a trip to the local grocery store to fill up on some health food. Meal planning is a great option for the busy college student, and there are plenty of healthy recipes on the internet to choose from. After all that hard work cooking for yourself, don’t forget to reward yourself with some ice cream from time to time! - Set aside time to relax, releasing tension before it builds up
In these unprecedented and unpredictable times, it’s normal and expected to experience some forms of stress. However, you want to avoid allowing this stress to overcome you. If you feel out of sorts, make sure to do activities that relax you; this could look like soaking in the tub with some Epsom salt, cooking your favorite meal, or catching up on the new Netflix series all your friends have been talking about. As long as you keep yourself accountable by enjoying everything in moderation, relaxation can become a healthy exercise of its own. - Get in a healthy relationship with the sun
Preferably when it’s not burning hot and you’ve got your sunscreen on, spend 20 minutes soaking up the sun to get some Vitamin D into your life. During this time, it’s easy to find yourself staying inside the entire day, but without Vitamin D you’re missing out on an essential mood and immune system boost. If you find it hard to sleep at night, exposing yourself to Vitamin D can also help you regulate your sleep schedule.
