How to Stay the Course While Staying at Home

For the last few weeks (or months, depending on where you live), we have forsaken all non-essential activities to stay at home and do our parts to fight COVID-19.

Some parts of the country are preparing to lift their stay-at-home orders, but there are many people still acclimating to living life fully (and working) at home.

If you’re still having a difficult time, there are several things you can do to make life a little easier.

Stick to a Routine

For many, the worst part of the stay-at-home order is working from home. Losing the ability to leave the house to go to work can cause fear, anxiety, lack of focus or even lethargy from being out of your normal routine.

A lot of people also have kids at home, which means trying to juggle their job with trying to keep the kids engaged with online learning—or anything else besides playing video games.

Try keeping yourself and your family on a pretty tight routine during the week, just as you would if you were able to leave the house. Wake up around the same time every morning. Have breakfast at the same time every day. Chart out activities for the kids, and times when they should be cracking the books. Set a regular time for lunch. And so on and so forth.

Establishing a routine will keep you and your whole family accountable, increase productivity and establish a sense of accomplishment that everyone will appreciate.

The 150-Minute Rule

We ask Manduu clients to incorporate at least 150 minutes of cardio activity per week into their schedules to get the best results from Manduu. Exercising 30 minutes a day, five days a week, is a great way to burn calories, increase metabolism and boost your mood.

Physical activity is also one of the best stress relievers available, and since stress raises cortisol levels and cortisol causes a body to pack on pounds, that physical activity is important on multiple fronts.

Integrating cardio activity into your daily routine will put you in a great place when it’s time to return Manduu, because establishing a good cardio habit now will set you up for even greater success when combined with regular Manduu workouts in the coming weeks!

Want a fast and effective workout to get you going? Try this one from one of our talented Manduu managers. You can even have your kids do this exercise with you!

And speaking of the kids …

Get the Kids Involved

If the kids are spending too much time on screens, have them exercise with you! Children are excellent observers and they pick up on their parents’ habits—both good and bad. If they see you working out every day, they’ll want to join you.

Remember that routine we talked about putting together? Make sure to include time for the kids to exercise too. Think outside of the box for family fitness activities. Spring yard work is a way to lure your family outside to get some good steps in while lifting, squatting and pushing.

You’re certainly not alone if you’re having a difficult time staying the course while staying at home, but hopefully, following these recommendations will make it easier to get you moving!