Healthy Sheltering
/Every month, I try to find a relevant topic. One reason why I picked the topic of “fear” last month was due to all the news I was hearing on Corona Virus and the public fear that it was creating... I had no clue what the next couple of weeks had in store for all of us!
I have been working from home since March 9th. It started with just me being in the house and it only lasted for couple days with that quietness. By March 16th, all four of us were in the house and all of a sudden I became a preschool teacher in addition to my full time job... I admit that the week of the 16th was the toughest work week in my entire career. The days moved super slow even though there was so much to do: Get the kids ready for school time, dial into the work call, have the kids fill out their diaries, dial into the next work call, prepare morning snack for the kids, dial into the next work call, get the daily activity ready for the kids, present during your call, mix up the smoothie for me and Derek, nurse Ela, get the lunch ready, dial into the next work call, put the kids to nap, more meetings and emails, play with the kids once they are up, prepare dinner, play with the kids, sleep the kids without falling a sleep, log back into work... Of course none of this include cleaning after the kids when they end up coloring the walls or spilling water all over the floors or all the other interruptions... That all being said, I do think that we are all built in a way that we learn to adapt. I still haven’t mastered the routine but at least I know what I am up against. Now I know what to prioritize and what to let go. Kids are adapting too... It scares us, a little bit, when they say “we like home school”. :)
I strongly believe that these times will only make us stronger. It is great to breath the fresh air, not to hear the cars speeding through the streets, to hear how everyone is uniting to help the essential workers, to smell the ocean from miles away... I also think that we will learn how to be more disciplined with our lives.
With everything going on in our house, I make sure that we all have a good schedule that we can stick with. I arrange that schedule around our meals. This way, I can also control for over-eating (for me and Derek). Here is a typical schedule for us:
7am to 7:45am - Breakfast
10:30 - Morning Snack (generally freshly made smoothie)
12:30 to 1 - Lunch
3pm - Afternoon Snack (generally a small banana with some nuts)
6:30 to 7:30 - Dinner
Once we have this schedule, it is easy to plot things around, especially when it comes to workout time. I make sure to have 15 minutes every day to do my strength training. If I get any additional time for a walk then it is a bonus. :). Derek generally gets his bike time once the kids go for nap between 1 and 3pm. One thing that I try to do with my workouts is to be consistent. Basically I repeat the same workout for the same day. For example, if I did a “stair” workout on a Monday afternoon, I do the same workout the next Monday. I also make sure that I focus mainly on big muscle groups so that my muscles will still be needing the protein in my body while I am comfortably sitting in front of my computer. :) That way my body takes care of the food that I have during the day.
For this month’s workout, I would like to help you with the discipline factor, basically scheduling and food idea, and to provide you with a 15 minute workout that you would not need anything other than a comfortable surface to lay down since the focus is on the “core”.
Here is March’s 15-minute workout:
Plank Variations: Elbow plank + Hand Plank + Left Side Plank + Right Side Plank + Superman + Rest - each move should be done for 30 seconds (including the “rest”). Repeat for 2 more times for total of 3 sets.
Curls: With Knees Bent + With Legs Straight + Rest - each more should be done 2 seconds. Once done move on to move 3. For perfect curl position, lay flat on the ground, making sure that your lower back is pushed towards to ground. Keep your hands on your check, focus your eyes on your knees (when knees are bent) or on your toes (when legs are straight), lift only the shoulder blades off the ground during the curl keeping your lower back pushed into the ground.
Sit-ups: Bend your knees, keep your hands next to your legs and slowly come up to a seated position. Once up, slowly come back down. DON’T LET THE GRAVITY PULL YOU DOWN!. Repeat it for 12 times. Move to move 4.
Bicycle: Stay laying on the floor. Lift your feet off the floor and bring your calves parallel to the ground. Put your hands behind your head. Lift your shoulder blades of the ground. Point your right SHOULDER (not elbow) to your LEFT knee as you pull your knees towards your chest. Keep alternating and repeat for 20 seconds. Once done rest for 10 seconds.
Repeat 2 through 4 total of 3 times
For a change, I will be sending a picture of each move in a couple days. Tomorrow, I will also share with you my fresh made smoothie recipe. During April, I will try to fill out the “recipe” section of my blog per Kat’s request. :) (THANK YOU, KAT)
To everyone of you, I am sending a distant but very sincere high five for doing everything to survive these times and to adapt.
They are now inseparable…
