It’s week 4 of quarantine/lockdown, how are you doing? 

To be honest, I am starting to feel the stress of home isolation quite a bit. The news we see on TV is not getting any better, the kids are becoming more and more restless, the food is running out – leaving home to buy groceries is also stressful thinking we might bring the virus home.

The anxiety could be overwhelming.

So, for the first time in 3 weeks, I went out of the house to get some air (don’t worry, I stayed as far away from other people as possible!).

I did not go far, just walked around our block to stretch my legs and clear my mind.

And I started to think, I may not be alone in feeling mentally distressed about all these.

Outbreaks are proven to affect our mental health 

In a survey done in March 2020, 51% of young people here in the United Kingdom reported that this pandemic and the new social distancing measures have made their mental health a bit worse. (Statista, March 2020)

And this holds true for people of all ages, whether infected or not, front liners or otherwise. This time of crisis is causing a toll on the overall mental health of the population that Mental Health UK has issued psychological first aid guidance on their site.

The uncertainty, our lack of control, the threat it poses to the people and things we love – all of these are new to us.

Feeling anxious right now is normal.

How to fight COVID-19 Anxiety?

Since the lockdown, the majority of us are working from home or have even lost income opportunities. This is bound to have an impact on our mental health. So, what can we do to help ourselves during this time?

Here are some ideas:

1. Limit your news and social media time.
2. Write down your thoughts to keep things in perspective. (this helps me a lot even though I’m not a journal person!).
3. Focus your energy on things you can control (like keeping the house tidy and sanitised or as much as you can!)
4. Meditate. Meditate. Meditate.
5. Keep yourself active with a daily exercise routine.

30-minute exercise each day makes all the difference

Our physical and mental health are undeniably linked. And during this time, staying active matters – yes, even if we don’t feel like it. 

By staying at home, it’s simpler to just sit on the sofa all day where it’s comfortable and eat unbalanced meals and junk foods. And with this routine, it’s much easier to fall into anxiety and panic attacks.

Studies have proven that exercising daily, even for just 30-minutes, will boost your mood. Regular exercise helps to ease depression and anxiety by releasing feel-good endorphins and allows you to take your mind off worries.

So, today, I want to share with you an exercise kit to get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts and unhealthy lifestyles.

Let’s get you off the sofa and start moving, shall we?

Sign up here to get my FREE Pilates and Yoga kit today.

Here’s what you can expect,

• Exercises can be done at home, no equipment needed
• Don’t worry if you have not tried Pilates or Yoga before, routines provided are easy to follow.
• We will get you started on meditating. Even if you think you can’t meditate!
• We will build your physical and mental strength to cope with everyday stress.
• 10 minutes of strengthening exercise focussed on reducing back ache.
• 10 minute of stretching focussed on stretching out tight muscles from sitting down too much. 
• 10 minutes of meditation practice suitable for the complete beginner!  

I know these trying times are hard. And it’s harder when so much happens in the world and none of it is within our control.

But I hope this exercise kit can help ease your worries, even for a bit.

If you’re not sure how you can follow the routines on your own and feel like you need more guidance, feel free to send me a message saying more help please.

I will be happy to guide you through it, just send me an email at info@yogakeynsham.com

I am excited to hear from you.

 Follow my Facebook Page
or join my Facebook Group to learn more.
Or schedule a call with me and we can discuss what you need and how I can help you.

Focus only on what you can control.

Panicking is never an answer to anything. It will only cloud your judgment and get in the way of living your life the best you can.

I already come to terms that the effect of COVID-19 on my family and business will be immense.

So, I take things one step at a time.

I focus on what is under my control rather than what I cannot control. Take concrete steps to follow precautionary measures and recommendations by the government as I stated in my last email.

Practicing these recommendations means I am already doing my part to help keep myself, my family and the rest of the world safe.

Avoid heavy consumption of news and social media.

I know we have to be alert about what’s happening to our country and the rest of the world. But too much exposure to news and social media can only increase our distress and anxiety.

So, keep yourself informed and follow reputable sources only. Be cautious about fake news and stop sharing every bit of information you come across.

 And at all costs, avoid arguing with others online. We’re all in this together.

Establish a regular routine at home.

I know we are not used to having too much time in our hands. But having a regular routine works best to stay productive and have a sense of purpose.

Set aside time to do things that you love.

Or remember those things you have been putting off for a while because you lack the time? NOW is the perfect time to do it.

Learn a new skill, take up a new hobby, try a recipe – whatever works and will make you feel good and your mind occupied.

Exercise and keep moving!

Staying at home is not an excuse to be sluggish. Make it a point to get enough exercise every day to boost your immune system.

No equipment? Not sure which exercise is for you? 

There are a lot of exercises that don’t require equipment or machine and can be found online. All you need is your willing body and if you haven’t done much exercise before perhaps start with Pilates or Yoga as these are low impact so not as strenuous as others.

If you want to learn about it, give me a heads up and we can talk about online classes that will work for you.

Click here if you want to schedule a call with me.

Focus on your healing.

Take this time to focus on your healing and recovery – be it a mental struggle or physical pain that has been bothering you for a long time. Going out for treatments may not be an option for now, but how about trying online classes to ease your pain?

If lower back pain has been bothering you or if you just want to quiet your mind through yoga, let me help you with that.

 Follow my Facebook Page
or join my Facebook Group to learn more.
Or schedule a call with me and we can discuss what you need and how I can help you.

Click here to schedule a yoga online session or Pilates for back pain call with me.

Did you know that you should chew your food a minimum 15 times before swallowing. In some cases upwards of 30-40 times! When it comes to chewing your food a good rule of thumb is to chew till food has turned to liquid and well-mixed with saliva; a piece of hard vegetable will take longer to be chewed properly compared to a piece of soft fruit.

There are 4 key benefits to chewing food properly that increases overall health and wellbeing. Let’s go through them:

• ENABLES THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF FOOD EATEN

Research has shown that chewing food slowly and thoroughly can help a person feel full faster. In a recent study, women who ate fast consumed more calories, and felt less full than those who ate slower and chewed their food correctly. Similarly, in a study by Iowa State University, researchers found that subjects that chewed their food more reported lowered appetite.

When your food is turned to liquid before entering the stomach, your body is able to digest your food faster and more efficiently, allowing faster nutrient absorption and a wonderful sense of fullness because your body is satisfied.

• THROAT CARE

When we eat, food is chewed to an appropriate particle size, mixed with saliva and rolled into a smooth shape by the tongue, before we swallow. This ball of food is formally called the bolus. If food isn’t chewed to a proper particle size, or still has sharp and hard edges (imagine chewing potato chips fast!), the bolus may harm the throat when swallowing, or the bolus might come apart.

As chewing, swallowing and breathing in humans are intricately linked, eating fast may lead to choking or the food harming the throat grazing it on it’s way down. This is when infection can occur within the throat.

• TO PROMOTE OPTIMUM DIGESTION

Digestion starts in the mouth, as saliva contains enzymes to break down starch and fats. By chewing your food properly, you allow the digestive process to start even before your food reaches the stomach. After swallowing, food particles reach the stomach to be broken down and digested by the acidic gastric juices. Chemistry tells us that the larger the surface area to volume ratio a particle is, the quicker it is eroded and in this case, digested. Conversely, large particles make be difficult to break down, which slows down your digestion, and can slow down your metabolism over time.

A study was conducted on how the particle size of chewed almonds affected the bioavailability of the nutrients in it. Not surprisingly, the more an almond was chewed, the smaller the particles, the more nutrients were extracted from it.

By not chewing enough, larger particles pass through the digestive system undigested causing problems such as bloating, gas, gastric cramps and diarrhoea

• MINDFULNESS

Mindful eating relates to savoring one’s food through appreciating the way it looks, the aroma, texture and taste. By chewing slowly in appreciating these aspects of your food, you cultivate a mindfulness of what is being eaten, rather than eating mindlessly, which often lead to overeating, especially when done in front of a TV.

Mindful eating is not only about slowing down so that you consume less; mindful eating can potentially decrease stress level and ensure better digesting. Science^[1] shows that when the body is under stress, digestion is impacted as the body may regard it as secondary to preparing for fight or flight reflexes. Mindful eating focuses attention on the meal, relaxing the mind and thereby ensuring the body digests food properly.

Out of all the health benefits in eating slowly and chewing our food properly, the most important of all is the ability to connect with our loved ones while we eat. It allows space for having a mindfulness about our interactions, not just with our food, but with our friends and family too.

Try to make each meal a potential social event if possible; catch up with your family over breakfast or teach your kids the importance of slowing down to eat and how it makes them feel, have lunch outside the office with your colleagues, reconnect with old friends through dinner.

Start to eat slowly and see how it impacts those around you.

Finding the time to work out can be hard enough with busy schedules, dating, married life, kids…..but no matter the situation, time and comfort is of the essence.

So taking a 15-minute drive back and forth from the gym, while also assessing awkward shower rooms and encountering ogling strangers during your workout, can be a complete turn off. So why workout at the gym at all?

Simple things like sleep duration, drink intake, and meditation are all small but super beneficial tasks that can have you sweating off the pounds in no time. It leads to a healthier body and a healthier mind. You can get your rocking bikini body by just living in the comfort of your own home and keeping tabs of your daily habits.

Plus, you can still work every muscle and stretch every joint with ease and determination, while also tracking how you live your life positively.

I’m going to introduce you to 6 workout must-haves when making the transition to your homemade weight-loss haven. Learn how to effortlessly achieve your beautiful and sleek beach body.

1. WATER. WATER. WATER!!

I know you might hear it all the time, but it’s your life line! Hydration keeps your body moving all the toxins and unwanted materials from floating around in your stomach, throat, and intestines. It expels it regularly and boosts your metabolism the more you drink it.

And the best part about water is that it’s easily accessible. So, if you’re only drinking two glasses a day, bump it up to four and then six and then eight! And before you know it, your body will be faster, stronger and you’ll have more energy!

2. DON’T STAY UP PAST YOUR BEDTIME!

We all love to stay up and watch a movie marathon or read that book that we can’t put down, but we have to wake up early most days. This is definitely not good for losing weight or even maintaining it! By doing this often, you are just stressing out your muscles and your brain, as it gives it less time to shift through the materials in your body for proper metabolic function. The side effects of not having proper sleep can result in fatigue, crankiness, aching pains, and a slower metabolism!

Simply setting a bedtime that allows you 8 or more hours of beauty rest can increase your metabolic processing rate and rejuvenate your body overnight. There is nothing but pros on this one, so, set that alarm and wake up feeling fresh as a bird.

3. STRETCH THE STRESS AWAY

A quick stretch can be a lot more useful and rejuvenating to the body than one might expect. Not only does stretching help prevent further injury during strenuous workouts or everyday activities, but it also awakens the body. It is the alarm to the nervous system that it needs to keep up the good work throughout the day, and generally restarts your system at maximum speed.

After a good stretch of the main muscles—in the torso, neck, abdomen, hamstrings, and biceps—you can feel your body charge up in energy as a quick spurt of endorphins flood through your blood stream.

So no matter if it’s just touching your toes or an entire stretch workout, you should get your stretch on multiple times a day.

4. DON’T DRINK AWAY YOUR CALORIES

Beverages are one of the sneakiest culprits that mess up diet strategies and weight-loss plans. One can of a carbonated soda beverage can be up to 200 calories on average—that’s 10% of the calories you should be eating a day! So round that to two meals of soda and a grape juice breakfast and 25% of your daily caloric intake is gone! And to add insult to injury, most soda beverages incite cravings for other sweets and salty snacks because they have more than your daily intake of suga. You’re already trying to eat less of those, so why tempt yourself further?

Try and substitute with water when you feel like a soda. Water is tasty, non-caloric, and everywhere! So you can drink as much as you want without any food guilt later. Flavor it up with fresh cut fruits or a squeeze of lemon.

5. VIDEO WORKOUTS AT HOME

Nowadays, everything can be accessed on the internet; and, many people, including personal trainers and fitness buffs, make a living teaching easy and effective fitness courses online. You can get some great free workouts without even entering the gym and you get a strenuous workout in the middle of your own home.

This also gives you flexibility. Want to lose weight dancing? Well, you can with a quick type on the YouTube search bar. You can even be more precise and specifically search for ballet workouts or salsa dancing workouts. You are in control of your workout destiny, so take the power into your hands! Hating the gym is now not a viable excuse!

Concluding Thoughts:

Now that you’ve got these tips on your side, you can start a path to a healthier and slimming daily routine without even going to the gym. Slow and steady, the fat will burn off your body with ease. And at the same time, your mind will be expanding with positive endorphins and chemicals. So, start your healthier lifestyle without the gym today! You’ll start feeling good as you get into the groove of your new routine, and your body will be thanking you for it by presenting you with stunning results.