Top 10 Ways to Stay Healthy, Active & Well During a Health Crisis

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tips to stay well

With everyone at home, there are a lot of changes in everyone’s daily routine, level of physical activity, wellness, and levels of stress due to the current global pandemic. These are our top 10 ways to help stay productive, healthy, and even enjoy your time at home.

1. Stay active. Most of us have a daily fitness routine, whether it be a class, the gym, or a run with friends. Set a time throughout the week when you would typically workout even it is 20-30 minutes to get active and keep some level of a workout routine. Include everyone in your house to make it a family activity. Make an appointment with yourself to stay consistent. 

2. Start your day with gratitude. There are so many people who are struggling financially, emotionally, and in health. Every morning write down 3 things that you are grateful for to remain present and aware of the beautiful gifts you have in your life. 

3. Working from home. For those of you working from home, the one thing we hear a lot about is increased neck strain, tight shoulders, and back pain. With the extra time spent in front of the computer, our body takes a toll. Set an alarm every few hours and get up and stretch and change your position. Simple postural exercises can make all the difference and help to prevent strain and overuse injuries. 

4. Get dressed. Even if it is a clean pair of workout clothes, change your clothes. This helps establish a routine, helps you to be more productive, and can also be a daily family routine. 

5. Establish a routine. Right now, our days are upside down, and to help reduce stress levels in your home, try to stick to a morning routine, regularly scheduled meals, homework time, work, and sleep schedules.

6. Cook a meal. I know this sounds like common sense, but spending time to prep and cook at least one healthy meal a day with lean proteins, vegetables, grains, and fruits helps to keep you healthy and can also be used as a teaching tool for your kids who can help with the prep and learn about the benefits of nutrition. 

7. Choose health. This is the time to build your immune system, the grocery stores are filled with fresh fruits and vegetables and not filled with higher processed foods in the snack aisle. Choose foods that provide the essential vitamins and minerals that support your body and reduce soda, sugary treats, highly processed snacks, and fried foods that can make you feel sluggish, cause GI distress, and weaken your bodies defenses. Multivitamins, clean protein powders, green blends for smoothies, are just some examples of healthy additions to support your needs. 

8. Practice self-care. Pamper yourself. Pick an activity that makes you feel good. Try to set aside 1 time each week to engage in a hobby, play an instrument, read, paint your nails, take a bath, meditate, read a book. This is important for overall well being and helps with that work-life balance 

9. Unplug. Shut down the phones, computers, new cycles, Netflix, or social media for at least one hour before bed. This helps to activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which helps with anxiety, creates calm, and gets our bodies ready for sleep. Be more present, take this time to have a conversation with someone, journal, read to your children, spend time with loved ones. 

10. Sleep. Changes in routines, extra stress, and anxiety all impact sleep patterns. Use tip #9 to get ready for sleep. Sleep is so important for our overall health, it is our bodies way of rebooting, and protecting our immune system so that we can stay healthy for ourselves and everyone we care for. Aim for 7-8 hours, try a sleep tracker on your fit bit or activity tracker to track your progress. 


Marco Antunez is a Physical Therapist Assistant and ACSM certified personal trainer who lives in Norwalk, CT. He and his partner Sara Florio (occupational therapist, ACSM certified personal trainer, and Certified Health Coach) own Total Body Performance Fitness, an in-home concierge and virtual personal training company servicing Fairfield and Westchester counties. TBP trainers are licensed therapists and personal trainers with over 25 years’ experience in rehabilitating patients through physical therapy, occupational therapy, personal training and health coaching. Marco attended and played soccer at Greens Farms Academy (class of ’03), Davidson College in NC (class of ’07) and played for a short span after college in Poland. He enjoys staying active, traveling and studying the science behind exercise for people of all levels, from performance-enhancing training to therapeutic exercise to help people recover from injuries. 

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