5 Lifestyle Tips that we can take away from Covid-19

Not too long ago, we saw Singaporeans scrambling to supermarkets to snap up instant noodles and toilet paper. Shortly after the announcement of a country-wide Circuit Breaker (CB), everyone knew their lifestyle was going to change.

Inevitably, most (if not all) of us struggled with this new shift in lifestyle. Mask have to be donned when going out. Group sizes are kept to 5 per pax. Takeaways became more of a norm than eating in.

Amongst the changes we have made to our lifestyle, there were in fact some note-worthy ones! As our attitude shifts towards an endemic COVID-19 world, let us highlight these note-worthy lifestyle tips that we think you can continue with even in the new normal!

1. Eat Healthily

Whether is it due to the fear of contracting Covid or wanting to achieve that Covid body, starting a healthier diet was one of the leading trends that we have seen during this pandemic.

A key tip to eating healthy is to focus on consuming more whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. Apart from building immunity towards COVID-19, it also reduces the risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart diseases and diabetes. Additionally, eating whole foods also provides your body with the necessary vitamins and minerals as it minimises the urge to overeat.

During this period, many individuals have also improved the regularity of their meals whilst staying at home. Healthy eating also means having regular meals in order to cultivate a balanced diet. It is important to keep that in mind as starving yourself actually lowers one’s metabolism. At the same time, it was found that people tend to make poorer choices of food when they are hungry.

As the saying goes, “We are what we eat”. Therefore, choosing to eat healthier would be something that continues to benefit us even as we approach the end of this pandemic.

2. Staying Physically Active.

For some individuals, staying physically active has also become one of the main activities during and even after CB.

There are many activities one can conveniently do to stay active such as going for a short jog downstairs your house or even doing a workout that you have found online. Besides improving your health and immunity, just by doing 30 minutes of exercise a day can lead to an improvement in your mood, productivity, creativity and even confidence. Not to mention the improved body shape that some of you have been looking for.

With gyms slowly being reopened and sports activities resuming, there are actually more options and even more reason for us to stay active.

3. Staying connected

If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it would be that humans are super social creatures. Before the pandemic, there are often times that we hold off meetings due to various reasons, especially when it comes to family members.

It was only during CB that some of us realised how important and precious it is to be able to connect with the people around us. It was also then that many of us made the effort to set up virtual meetings and even created online activities that we can do together.

Social interaction is an important aspect of an individual’s well-being. It can help to increase happiness and even improve our health. During this period, it was generally nice and definitely a huge emotional support when we were able to listen and talk about our day. As we turn towards a new normal, let us not forget the importance and continue staying connected both for ourselves and the people around us.

4. Having adequate self-care

Another main highlight of this entire period was the constant challenge of staying positive and caring for ourselves. During this period, many of us came up with new ways to pass the time. Some of us picked up new hobbies such as painting and cooking, while others took the time to catch up on some of the shows they missed.

As much as we are busy with our lives, it is important to take some time and enjoy the simple things in life. Having some alone time allows us to gain a better understanding of ourselves and be grateful for the things and people around us.

Apart from that, caring for ourselves also includes getting enough rest. Being at home allowed a greater opportunity for us to adjust our sleep cycle. Sleep is an important part of self-care as it provides us with the energy to face the next day. In addition, it also allows for our body to repair itself, both physically and mentally.

Self-care is an important aspect of our well-being, therefore moving forward, let’s all continue to make time for it in our busy schedules.

5. Practice proper hygiene

Last but not least, the greatest change that we experienced during this period was the need to practice proper hygiene. As much as we grew up with the constant reminder to wash our hands thoroughly, it was only until the pandemic that we realised how important it actually is.

Washing your hands and ensuring that your mouth is covered if you cough has never been more heavily emphasised. It is important that we all continue to keep up with these hygiene measures as an outbreak can still happen at any time. To move forward, everyone needs to remain vigilant and continue to incorporate it into our lifestyle.

Conclusion

All in all, after the many months of contact tracing and having to use safe entries, the nation seems to be shifting towards a new normal. As the country rejoices, it would also mean that we are faced with yet another change. With that said, I am sure we can all agree that this entire experience has also been a pretty enlightening one. Change may be inevitable, but how we decide to make use of it is entirely up to us.