WFH (working from home) is not easy to do, especially when you are prohibited from leaving the house unless it is for essential activities! It also becomes extra difficult when you are feeling bored, alone and anxious about the future. We have seen a lot of people on social media complaining about gaining weight during the quarantine for these reasons so we have put together a list of our top five tips which will assist with preventing you from mindless eating and weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. Stick to a Schedule
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, I would walk to the train station every morning and get a coffee before I jumped on the train and got to work. I decided to continue my morning routine whilst WFH as I have found that it really helps with changing my mindset once I get home to being in 'work mode'. This means that every morning, I wake up at about 8.30 am and walk to the station and get my coffee. When I get home, I get straight into work just as I would when I arrived at the office.
In addition to this, I have also stuck to my pre-COVID-19 meal times. I usually have my breakfast at around 10 am after my coffee when I get into the office, lunch at 1 pm, a snack at 4 pm and dinner at 6 pm. I have really tried to not eat other than these times because I find that I am more focused on my work. I rarely snack at work so I found that when I did snack, I forgot that I was working and started looking at my phone or doing other things.
2. Eat Healthy
When I am at work, I always choose healthy options for lunch. This is simply because I need brain food to power me through my day and I know that if I eat 3 slices of pizza for lunch, I will slowly enter into a food coma and will definitely need a nap! For this reason, I usually make my lunch every day and bring it work. I always ensure that I am eating protein, good carbs and healthy meals at lunch because I find I get a huge spurt of energy and can really focus after lunch, rather than hitting a wall at 3 pm.
My day usually consists of two poached eggs on gluten free toast with avocado for breakfast. I then have a large tuna salad with around one cup of brown rice and lots of different raw vegetables (mostly tomatoes, capsicum and spinach). For my 4 pm snack, I usually need a hit of energy so I will generally have homemade energy balls, carrot sticks with hummus or rice cakes with almond butter and strawberries. My dinner is usually different every night but it typically consists of a stir fry with chicken, chickpea burgers, Mexi-bowls or salmon and sweet potato. I always make sure I'm drinking lots of water during the day and herbal teas to keep me hydrated. I find that this works wonders!
3. Protein, Protein, Protein
As you can see from point 2 above, I try to include protein with every meal. This is because it really, really works in keeping you fuller for longer and prohibits you from snacking! You are much less likely to go looking in the cupboard at 2.30 pm if you are actually full from your lunch.
I also encourage everyone to make sure their snacks contain at least one portion of protein. In general, our snacks are often seen as a chance to eat something full of sugar or empty calories but I highly recommend adding some protein each snack as it will keep you full and give you energy without the spike in blood sugar levels. For example, if you are having fruit, add some Chobani yogurt. This will keep you much fuller than if you are having fruit alone. If you feel like baking something, choose a recipe that has some protein (such as protein muffins or protein pancakes).
4. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
I know it can be tricky to stay motivated in these uncertain times but one thing that has kept me going with my workouts is knowing how great I feel afterwards! It truly makes such a difference in your levels of stress, anxiety and general happiness. It is also a chance to get some fresh air and sunshine on your skin!
Before COVID-19, I would go for a walk every day on my lunch break so I have ensured that I have kept this routine going. It means that when I return from my walk, I am feeling refreshed and am ready to power through the rest of the day. I have also been doing at home HIIT circuits with my partner and brother which has been lots of fun. It is also very motivational when you have someone else that wants to work out too, even if you are working out together via Skype! There are also a lot of great free online workouts that are on offer so make the most of it and get moving!
5. Set Goals
Something that I don't want to do is to come out of quarantine feeling like I've lost three months of my life. I also don't want to feel sluggish, unfit and unmotivated. Rather, I want to accomplish things during this quarantine period so I have set myself a few goals. These goals focus on my fitness, my diet and my mental health. I think it's really important that we all stay focused during this quarantine and don't lose sight of our goals! Use this time to reflect upon what you have achieved so far, figure what you want to achieve and plan how you will achieve it. You can start by writing down a few goals and checking in with yourself every week.
We are all being thrown a challenge at the moment but we can get through it if we all stick together, encourage each other and make positive choices every day!
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