We are living in uncertain times.
And given that certainty is a core human need, many of us feel anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed, which is completely understandable.
But, what if we could turn all this negativity into something positive? What if we could use this pandemic as a growth experience to teach us how to become stronger, healthier and more resilient for the future?
With this idea in mind here are a few suggestions:
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a mental state in which you bring your attention to the present moment by focusing on your breathing, while noticing and accepting the sensations of your body, your feelings and your thoughts.
One way to get started is through mindful breathing, which simply involves becoming aware of your breathing: the expansion of your belly, the rise of your chest, and the movement of air through your nostrils as you inhale, and then continuing that awareness as you exhale, one breath at a time.
Mindfulness is not a technique to eliminate stress or problems, rather, by bringing awareness to your thoughts and emotions in stressful events, you may choose to react more calmly and make better decisions about how to respond.
Move Your Body
In one way or another your normal routines have changed, and some of your healthy habits may have fallen by the wayside. Although it may seem challenging to find your new training rhythm in the midst of all the chaos, keep in mind that staying active is essential for everyone under any circumstances, including Covid-19. You don’t need to wait until things are back to normal to continue with your health and fitness program.
Here are a few suggestions to get you moving:
Get Outdoors: Going outside and being in nature is very uplifting and may be crucial for your physical and mental health. Walking, hiking, and biking can help you get some much needed fresh air while giving you a break from your enclosed environment.
Sign Up For a Virtual Class – We have started offering Live Streaming Small Group Training, similar to our in-studio training. Having a regular class where you can interact with other members of the community may be all the motivation you need to stay engaged with your regular fitness program.
Sign Up for Personal Training Online – We are also offering Live Streaming Personal Training. This face to face approach is the best way to ensure proper form and exercise technique so that you can continue to achieve all of your health and fitness goals. And, you don’t have to live in Santa Barbara to sign up!
Eat the Anti-Inflammatory Paleo Diet
When you remove all of the inflammatory foods from your diet, you boost your body’s immune system, which is your body’s natural ability to ward off whatever may come your way.
Here are a few simple guidelines:
Focus your meals on high quality animal protein foods from natural sources, such as fresh meat, fish, and poultry. Whenever possible consume local, grass-fed, free-range, organic, antibiotic, pesticide and hormone-free meat, which has a healthier fat profile.
Eat an abundance of plant food, such as brightly colored vegetables, berries and low glycemic fruit which are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. Many of the health benefits are believed to come from the chemical compounds that give them their vibrant colors.
Increase your consumption of healthy fats like olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and wild caught fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, and avoid vegetable oils such as soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil.
Click Here to learn more about our Live Streaming programs.