How 4 Small Changes Can Keep You Healthy During Quarantine

“Today be thankful and think how rich you are. Your family is priceless, your time is gold and your health is wealth.”  – Zig Ziglar

If the last few weeks have reminded us of anything it is just how important our health is to our overall sense of well-being and quality of life. Simply put, without our health, nothing else matters – all the accolades at work, the money, new cars, and extravagant vacations – don’t matter if you are not well.

As dads we often feel a deep sense of responsibility to be both providers and protectors for our families. During challenging times, like the ones we are currently experiencing, our natural desire to keep our loved ones safe has been magnified even more. The quick and drastic changes to our day-to-day lives have impacted all of us personally and professionally. These changes to our way of life have provided us with a great deal of uncertainty which has been difficult for many of us.

I remind myself often that the best thing I can do right now for my wife and kids is to create and hold space for them. Creating and holding space will allow them to experience a greater sense of peace and calm at home. Being able to provide a peaceful and calm home, especially during times of uncertainty, will allow each of us to have a stronger and more resilient body. Having a strong and resilient body is one of the most effective ways to keep ourselves happy, healthy and well.

I challenge each of you to join me and make the daily commitment to simply move more throughout the day. By integrating more movement into your day you will feel better which will help you show up better for your loved ones.

Here are four simple ways to integrate more movement into your day, no gym required.

Rise and Shine

• One of the challenges we face as dads is “finding” time for ourselves because we often feel pulled in many different directions all at once. The most effective way to make more time for yourself is to prioritize “ME” time at the start of the day (there are less distractions and less interruptions with everyone else in bed). There is a powerful shift that happens when we start our day with movement, even if it’s for a couple of minutes.

• Solution – Make the commitment to start your day with a quick body-weight circuit of 10 pushups, 10 squats and 10 sit ups (investment of time = two minutes).

Enjoy your Food More

• One of the challenges with our modern workday is that many of today’s jobs have us sitting at a desk for a large part of our day. This can contribute to us carrying around unwanted stress (e.g. stiff neck, tight shoulders, achy back, to name a few) in our body. To help yourself feel better let’s break up our workday by getting up and moving more throughout our day.

• Solution – Make the commitment to give yourself more mini-breaks during your work day which will be great for your mental and emotional well-being. A study out of Spain in 2015 found that workers who prioritized more movement throughout their work day had better health indicators. How can you apply this research to your wellness routine? Get up and go for a walk for three minutes before you sit down to eat lunch. (Investment of time = three minutes).

Work mode to dad mode

• One of the challenges with many of us now working from home is that the lines of where work ends and home begins are now blurred. This can make it difficult for us to give our full energy and focus to either one since there are no clear boundaries in our day. Let’s create some time for us by transitioning from work mode to dad mode.

• Solution – Make the commitment to create a clearer boundary between work time and play time. A recent study out of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada found that the study’s participants saw improvements in their cardiovascular fitness by simply completing three bouts of an ascending (uphill) stair climb. Each stair climb took about 20 seconds to complete. How can you apply this research to your wellness routine? Complete 20 seconds of jumping jacks at your maximum intensity, with proper form, followed by a 10-seconds of rest. Repeat for a total of three rounds (Investment of time = two minutes).

Bedtime

• One of the challenges we face in our technology-driven society is constantly sitting in front of screens. Getting a great night sleep is one of the best ways to wake up feeling more rested and rejuvenated. Let’s make the commitment by getting away from all technology at least 15 minutes before bed. Use this time as an opportunity to do some light stretching and mobility work. After, we can maybe do some reading.

• Solution – Make the commitment to create technology-free time at least 15 minutes before bed. Use this time to signal to your body that it’s time to start getting ready for a restful and rejuvenating night of sleep. You can do some stretching and mobility exercises to promote rest and relaxation in the body. Other helpful activities like a warm shower, light reading, warm bath with epsom salts and essential oils (Investment of time = 15 minutes).

See the video for a short routine to promote rest and relaxation:

If you integrated all four of these wellness habits in your day, it would be an investment of less than 25 minutes total (we have 1440 minutes in a day). This investment of time is less than two percent of our entire day which is a small price to pay for the return we will get. Making the simple commitment to move more throughout your day will help you feel better. When you feel better you will gradually start to have more energy and focus. When you have more energy and focus you can show up better for the important people and things in your life.