With COVID-19’s fourth wave upon Hong Kong, most of us are likely feeling anxious or demotivated. But what if you were to leverage this time of social distancing and turn it into something positive? It’s not too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle while staying home with fewer social distractions. Before we look into establishing a new routine though, it’s important to understand certain habits that people have been shown to develop during quarantine. Nutrisystem did a survey on 2,000 American adults in June 2020 and these were the findings.

TOP PRIORITIES DURING SELF-ISOLATION

  • Focusing on the positive parts of their life 49%
  • Eating healthier 45%
  • Being more physically active 45%
  • Improving their mental health 44%
  • Losing weight 33%
  • Being more productive while working from home 27%

TOP STRUGGLES DURING SELF-ISOLATION

  • Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule 44%
  • Staying physically active 42%
  • Maintaining a consistent eating schedule 42%
  • Maintaining a positive attitude 41%
  • Staying motivated while working from home 34%
  • Eating healthy 33%

Asserting control over your life and taking charge is key to overcoming anxieties and fear sparked by the uncertainty of the pandemic. Taking the first step is daunting but here’s my advice on ways to help you stay active, recover faster and eat healthier (Christmas-aside) in the weeks ahead.

TRACKING

To get fit, improving endurance or stamina is key, and tracking nutrition and fitness is vital in this, achieved via a device or phone application that can accurately measure. I would suggest Garmin, adored by triathletes around the world, as it tends to be the most accurate. You will be able to track how much you burn for each activity, from cardio and strength to balance sports like snowboarding or wakesurfing.

To track your calorie consumption, the MyFitnessPal App by Under Armour is very user-friendly. It’s able to track almost any food type, from a fillet of chicken to specific dishes like Ma Po tofu. You don’t need to use these devices or Apps forever but it’s helpful to be able to estimate the nutritional value of certain foods. It’s important to note that everyone has a different calorie count per day, varying with gender, age, hormones, or weight. It is best to consult a personal trainer or nutritionist to decipher.

CARDIO

Adequate cardio is essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It helps strengthen the immune system which is important during these uncertain times. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, per week, or a combination of both.

Why is aerobic exercise important to you? It prompts faster and deeper breathing, thus maximising the amount of O2 in our blood, causing the heart to beat faster and spurring blood flow to the lungs and muscles. It also carries waste products, such as CO2 and lactic acid, through the capillaries.

My usual routine is to run 25-30 km per week. I usually run a combination of 10km, 8km and 5-6 km depending on how I feel that day. I particularly enjoy the runner’s buzz which is not a myth but a tangible by-product of running. More than 40 years ago, researchers discovered that the brain produces its own mood-elevating chemicals. These chemicals, known as endorphins, act in a similar way that morphine does. Endorphins are the naturally-occurring drugs that lead to a runner’s high – they are what makes you feel good.

Hong Kong winters are a great time to start running as it’s less humid. “As humidity increases, thermal strain and premature fatigue increase exponentially, and so running at your normal pace will feel very difficult,” says George Chiampas, D.O., the medical director of the Chicago Marathon. Feeling sluggish on a humid day does not indicate a lack of fitness but is the natural response of your body to a stressful environment. Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic activity is good for you and, as your body adapts to regular exercise, you will get stronger and fitter. Sweating is good for the heart and soul. If running seems too strenuous, and you are a beginner at working out, try brisk walking also known as power walking.

STRENGTH TRAINING

Having more muscle increases metabolism and strengthens muscle, bones and connective tissue, which means you will be less prone to injuries, and it can even improve sleep. My usual routine includes strength training for around 30 minutes 3-4 times a week.

At-home training apps:

NUTRITION

Quit synthetic sugar and also note hidden sugars – “sucrose,” “fructose,” “glucose” – in sauces, dressings and drinks. Sugar in its natural form, in fruits and honey, for instance, is good for you and can be consumed in moderation. The fibre in fruits, when eaten whole, also helps with digestion while berries are an excellent, nutritious choice for stopping sugar cravings – they taste sweet, but their high fibre content means they are actually quite low in sugar.

Stick to lean meats – white poultry, lean beef or pork loins – for a good source of protein. Poultry is a good source of selenium, vitamins B3 and B6, and choline. Other lean proteins include white-flesh fish, plant-based protein, low fat yogurt, cottage cheese, and low fat milk.

Avoid inflammatory foods such as processed meats, fried foods and excessive alcohol. Anti-inflammatory foods include olive oil, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, nuts like almonds and walnuts, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines for Omega 3, and fruits like strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.

Eat good fats like half an avocado or a light salad dressing such as olive oil. Cutting out fat altogether can disrupt hormones for women and can cause changes in stress levels, emotions, digestion, immune system, sex drive, menstruation cycle and metabolism. Swap white rice or bread with whole grains, wild rice, or lentils which also contain antioxidants that repair cell and tissue damage. Choose healthy snacks for Netflix binges. I love Nut Thins rice crackers, fruits or kale chips.

SUPPLEMENTS

  • Fish Oil and CLA – combat inflammation and help to reduce body fat
  • Vitamin D and Vitamin K – two key supplements that work well together to improve recovery
  • Mutlivitmain – your insurance plan for health/recovery
  • Primrose Oil – a great source of fat and useful for offsetting some of the negative feelings you experience during menstruation
  • Magnesium – combats stress and improves sleep

RECOVERY

Solid rest and relaxation is vital for optimal performance and taking a rest day or two is certainly necessary for the body. Part of a great recovery process is getting sufficient and good quality sleep. I used to sleep less and exercise more rigorously, trying to keep up with mileage per week and training harder than needed as I was anxious and impatient to improve my performance. Remember that your body is not a machine and it needs to rest.

For muscle recovery, I would suggest using a combination of static stretches (10-20 minutes) and foam rolling before and after you exercise to avoid injuries, speed up muscle recovery, and improve motion range and posture. After a workout, static stretches help to lengthen muscle and improve flexibility. Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique that focuses on loosening and breaking up tension in the fascia as well as releasing muscle tightness. Foam rolling does this, in part, by increasing blood flow to the area you are rolling. “When you roll your muscles, you are pushing blood away, and then after it wants to rush in,” says David Behm, Ph.D., university research professor, applied neuromuscular physiologist, and sports scientist at Memorial University of Newfoundland. You can also use a massage gun to alleviate pressure points and tight muscles if massage parlours are closed and you do not want masseuses visiting your home. I like the Theragun massage gun as it has a lighter speed for sensitive and sore spots.

SLEEP

Try to go to sleep around the same time each night so that your body establishes a good circadian rhythm. Establish a “getting ready for bed” routine. Sleepy Tea with Valerian really helps to put me in the mood for bed as my body winds down. Some prefer a bath with magnesium bath salt to relax the nerves and joints of the body. I also try not to use my phone or computer for the two hours before I go to sleep. If you must use a device, turn off its blue light as it minimises melatonin production. Last thing, opt for a meditation or breathing exercise with an App like Headspace, Calm, or Insight Timer & Aura.

During the day, maximise daylight. Natural sunlight or bright light during the day helps keep your circadian rhythm healthy. This improves daytime energy, as well as nighttime sleep quality and duration. For people with insomnia, daytime bright light exposure improves sleep quality and duration. It also reduces the time it takes to fall asleep by 83%. A similar study in older adults found that two hours of bright light exposure during the day increases the duration of sleep by two hours and sleep efficiency by 80%.

Taking into account all of the above, moderation is key to establishing a healthy lifestyle, along with rewarding yourself from time to time to appreciate the hard work and discipline – it is about give and take. I hope you enjoy the long term health benefits of following a healthy lifestyle, as well as the sense of improved clarity and focus that comes with it.

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