How to Maintain Good Health (especially during a pandemic)
Do you know that it’s already October? Shocker, right? One moment, there was a news that there is a virus spreading and then suddenly everyone is panicking. And now, a lot of people are going back to their normal lives, but you know that it’s not yet safe. Or will we ever get back to the “normal” – the pre-COVID normal? Whatever happens (tbh, I’m really lost to what’s happening. I can’t keep up with the news) we should make sure that we maintain our good health.
It is really important to maintain good health especially during a pandemic. Unless you’re living under a rock, I’m pretty sure that you’ve heard this on the news.
Just in case, here are some articles you can read about health and COVID-19:
What we know about the COVID-19 immune response.
COVID-19 (coronavirus): Long-term effects.
Want a defense against COVID-19? Strengthen your immune system.
There are a LOT of articles that you can read to know more about this. To give you a gist, it is important that we maintain good health so that we have a higher chance of fighting off this virus and its effects. Also, we need to be healthy because we really can’t afford to be sick right now even if it’s just a “simple” cold.
We really can’t do anything about what’s happening, and it can be frustrating. However, we can take care of ourselves. And right now, our health should be our number one priority.
7 Tips on How to Maintain Good Health.
It is hard to be health conscious when those that are bad for your health can be sooo tempting. So, I made seven basic tips on how to stay healthy especially when we are in a pandemic.
1. Stay hydrated.
I know you’ve heard about this but a lot of people have a hard time doing this often: drink water. It really is an easy task but we keep on forgetting to do this. Especially right now that there are many of us that are staying at home and not doing any physical work, we can forget to drink water.
Our body is 60% water and it needs water to function properly. Also, we need to stay hydrated because our bodies excrete liquids (urine and sweat). If we don’t, it can cause dehydration. Even a mild dehydration can affect our health.
There is a lot of evidence supporting the benefits of drinking water. It helps our digestive and excretory system flush waste from our body. It aids in weight loss, makes our skin healthy and lubricates our joints.
Aside from physical health, it is also beneficial to our mental health. Water cushions the brain which affects our energy level, mood and other brain performance, such as logic and memory. So, drink a lot of water. There are tons of mobile apps that can help track our water intake. And no, drinking coffee or boba milk tea is not the same as drinking water!
2. Eat healthy food.
Cooking your own food means you have the power to control what you eat. And you should cook healthy meals.
A healthy meal is a balanced one. Remember the food pyramid we were taught in elementary? Yes, we should eat a wide variety of food to get the nutrition we need.
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Don’t forget to also eat high fiber meals. There are also some nutrients we need that we can only get in fish, such as omega-3 fats. So, eat those salmons, tuna, sardines, mackerel, etc. Also, take note of your salt, sugar and saturated fats intake.
With the pandemic going on, it is really important to get the nutrients our body needs. And most of these can be derived from what we eat. But to be more sure, it is not a bad idea to take vitamins and supplements to boost our immune system.
Eating healthy is challenging because we have to make more effort compared to eating unhealthy ones.
But, remember that whatever we intake has an impact on our health. This is why it is important to eat consciously.
3. Cook your own food.
I know that it can be soooo tempting to just have your food delivered. Just open the app, scan for restaurants, confirm order, and then wait. Definitely, it can save so much time and is so easy.
But, do you notice that what you are ordering most of the time are unhealthy foods? It is because there are only a handful that serve healthy food. In result, there will be too much cravings for the unhealthy ones.
Aside from it not being good for your health, it can be costly. Imagine, ordering food every meal time?
Cooking your own food can also help you distress especially when it is so chaotic outside. Yes, it can be stressful when you don’t know how to cook but it is a great time to start learning something new and maybe make it a hobby.
When you cook your own food, you also get to buy the ingredients. It is nice to walk between aisles or visit a local farmers market. I don’t know but grocery shopping is like a therapy to me.
4. Sleep well.
Sleep is one of the things that has a direct impact on our lives. When we lack sleep, we can immediately feel the result the next day. We will feel moody, tired, and sometimes sick the next day.
Sleep is important to maintain good health. It helps our body, specifically our cells and tissues to recover from the day’s activity. During sleep, our body repairs its tissues, synthesizes proteins, and grows our muscles.
There are also studies that show an impact of unhealthy sleeping habits on our health such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, and weak immune system.
Even if we know that having adequate sleep is important to our health, many of us still take sleep for granted. We sometimes trade it for more fun activities like watching movies all night. But is this “fun” worth the trouble we will be getting the next day?
I know that it is harder to sleep these days because of the anxiety of what’s happening around us. So, one thing you can do is set a routine before sleeping.
5. Exercise.
Exercising has a lot of good benefits for us. It improves both our physical and mental health.
It reduces risk of stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and other health concerns.
Aside from improving our overall health, exercise also affects our daily lives by boosting our energy and mood.
This is why it is important to exercise especially now. Staying at home can make us feel lazy. I mean, it is so much more comfortable to snuggle at bed than sweat out. But by doing this everyday, our energy keeps declining, making us depressed and anxious.
So, get up and workout. It doesn’t matter what you’ll do as long as you move.
You may also want to read: Lack of Motivation to Exercise: How to Beat it.
6. Take care of your mental health.
It is normal to feel overwhelmed, depressed, and anxious at this time. People are literally dying due to COVID or other political issues.
There are many of us who want to stay updated and make ways to be involved. Yes, it can help to be active on social media holding the government accountable. But we can only do that much. And it is okay.
And before anything else, I just want to tell you that it is not selfish to take care of your mental health.
So, go ahead and do what you enjoy. Don’t forget to take a pause from the chaos around us.
7. Wash your hands and wear mask.
It’s been more than six months and we should know by now that it is important to wash and sanitize our hands, and wear our mask.
Doctors and health specialists have been telling us to do these. So, there is no excuse why some are not doing these. These are not just for our safety but also for the people around us.
I don’t know what to tell you if you’re one of those who don’t wear a mask. I guess, goodluck to the people around you.
Maintain good health because it can be expensive.
Let’s be honest. There are many who are taking health for granted. It may be because they haven’t been that sick. Or because they think they’re still too young. Or let’s give the benefit of the doubt that they don’t know how to maintain good health.
Whatever the reason is, soon we will feel the effect of our abuse on our body. And it can be costly.
For those who live in countries where universal healthcare is not available, medical bills can put you in so much debt. Especially when you have COVID.
Aside from monetary cost, getting sick is costly because it can take experiences away. For example, instead of enjoying retirement, you’ll stay in a hospital. Instead of enjoying time with the people you love, you’re somewhere, lying in bed, sick.
I think we can all agree that we don’t want to pay that much in the future. And for COVID, it can cost us so much when we transmit the virus to a loved one.
Maintaining good health is the best investment we can have for ourselves and it is an important factor for our development. And let’s start doing it now.
So, tell us how you’re holding up there in the comment section. I am also looking forward to your health tips!
Always rooting for your growth,
Meredith Blaise ♡
PS, You can also read more tips on how to be healthy here!
4 Comments
Ghanashyam K
Very in-depth article, loved it.
Meredith Grace
Thanks for this! Stay healthy 🙂
Jeannie
glad Im practicing these pointers that you’ve mentioned. Also I try to limit going out and eating outside. Home cooked meals are the best.
Meredith Blaise
Right now, my cooking is not that good lol I really like your healthy recipes!