People across the globe are currently in quarantine and working from home due to the concerns over the coronavirus outbreak and whilst it can have a heavy impact on your day-to-day lives, there are certain things we can all do to reduce anxiety and remain healthy, sane and fit throughout the process.
Here, we speak to Baraa El Sabbagh, who is not only a registered dietitian, personal trainer and sports nutritionist, but as well, the co-author of Super Recipes Book and host of the podcast show B for Better Health. Sabbagh who “loves helping people find their motivation when it comes to living a healthier lifestyle” gives us her top tips to staying healthy while in quarantine.
What are your five tips for staying healthy and fit while in quarantine?
1. Keep up with your regular routine. If you usually wake up at 6:00 AM continue to do so, carry on with the routine that you used to do to keep your mind and body in a healthy place. And, if you didn’t have time to workout before, then maybe this is the perfect time to sneak it in.
2. Get yourself a great home workout program. The idea of the workout should be awesome enough to motivate you to get up everyday for 30-45 minutes and simply move at home.
3. Set yourself up for success. When you’re ready for your workout, plug your AirPods in, turn on your favourite music playlist, close the door and put your phone on DND, workout time should be your time.
4. Limit your access to the news. Catch the headlines if you like but don’t go too deep into it if you notice it’s bringing your energy levels down.
5. Write 5 things you’re grateful for first thing in the morning or right before bed. It’s transformational in helping you keep things in perspective while in quarantine.
What are you top favourite apps to use for fitness/nutrition from the App Store?
I use the Calm app daily for meditation and bed time stories before bed. Getting a good night’s sleep and then starting off the morning with a morning meditation are so essential. By dosing off and waking up right, I guarantee that my fitness and nutrition can both be cared for at full capacity.
I also love checking in on my Activity app on my Apple watch to see how I’m progressing everyday, what’s my total calorie burn, resting heart rate — it helps me set goals and monitor my progress.
What tools can you use when working out at home? And how do you use your Apple Watch when working out?
You can use absolutely no equipment or you can get really fancy with the equipment you use. With my first day at home I only had a resistance band for my workout (compared to a fully equipped gym). So that’s all I used for the whole hour, including a chair for my step ups and tricep dips (you can check out the workout here).
The apple watch is also such a game changer in keeping me in check with regards to my standing goal, instead of being idle for hours on my laptop. I also use the workout feature whenever I start a workout & I have my activity shared with a bunch of family, friends and clients, so we’re always motivating each other to push through those rings as far as we can.
Stay safe and sane!
Now, find out how you can become a MUSE courtesy of Chalhoub.
