During isolation, we are finding ourselves inside more than ever, and to me the outdoors is becoming unknown. Since we have all this time to ourselves, there is no excuse not to learn a new hobby, complete goals, and improve your health. It will not be easy since most of us do not have a full gym in our house, but there are plenty of other methods to eat better and get into shape. We should be focusing on improving our immune system, eating habits, sleep schedule and other things to not only get healthy but also maintain ourselves.

The best way to start a healthy routine is to eat nutritious foods, and drink plenty of water to flush out any toxins. “Now more than ever, Ryskamp advises drinking plenty of fluids to help keep your body hydrated and to flush out toxins.” While in quarantine, it may be especially difficult to resist the unhealthy food habits you may know. If you are looking to improve your health however, this is where I recommend starting off. Mary Chollman has begun, “Eating more fruits and vegetables, and trying to eat less food, trying not to eat out of boredom.” Eating out of boredom is a hard part for me, but when we go grocery shopping we try to only put healthy foods into our house, so that is only what we eat.

More healthy advice that is often taken advantage of right now is our sleep. I am guilty of: thinking that I can stay up later because I do not need to catch the bus at 7 a.m. Not getting the amount of sleep my body needs to replenish can turn out to be quite unhealthy after a while. Michigan Health tells us that “now that we’re homebound, it’s ok to be a bit more flexible by sleeping an extra hour or so in the morning, but aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night.”

Making sure that you allow yourself to get the rest it needs keeps your brain and body sharp. Erin Chollman is  “getting roughly 9 hours of sleep, but maybe a bit more.” So it looks like she is practicing a healthy sleep routine right now.

Now for the working out part, which can easily be done at home. You do not need to have a treadmill, stationary bike or punching bag, although these would help, because there are plenty of ways to work out at home. My mom has started to “Do daily stretches, yoga and walks in the neighborhood.” As for myself, I have started to pick up biking along with my siblings. If you do plan to go outside to go for a bike ride or run, always use a face mask and practice social distancing. Excelsior Orthopedics gives us the tips that “jogging can be either intense or light exercise, depending on the speed and distance you prefer. It is a great way to get active, and can be extremely rewarding the more into it you get.” Along with this, cleaning, gardening, and meditating can not only keep you active at home but benefits your overall mental state.

Remember no matter how you aim to get healthy remember to practice social distancing and be safe. In these times, it may be hard to motivate yourself, but aim for an end goal. Setting a realistic goal may come in handy. During these times, you need to stay healthy to build up a strong immune system to defend against the virus. And it is not like we all do not have time on our hands.