Here are 8 practical ideas to help you keep your family healthy while at home during the quarantine.
Keeping my family safe and healthy is my utmost priority these days. With the COVID-19 pandemic, getting sick is definitely out of the question because, let’s admit it, with hospitals filled beyond their capacity and healthcare workers overtasked, we are not guaranteed that we will be given the best medical attention when we do get ill. You see, it’s definitely not wise to let your guard down.
As such, living a healthy lifestyle is absolutely the norm at our home. Similar to other people, we have become even more cautious when it comes to protecting our health. We stay at home and go out only when necessary.
We do maintain overall cleanliness and hygiene, not just with ourselves but also all over our house. We sanitize everything that was brought in from outside.
We do maintain overall cleanliness and hygiene, not just with ourselves but also all over our house. We sanitize everything that was brought in from outside.
During the limited occasions that we do go out to buy groceries, we immediately take a bath and sanitize our used clothes and footwear.
Following a healthy lifestyle at home
On top of the health and safety precautions that we practice, we also try to adopt healthy lifestyle habits even when at home. These habits are not just about physical health but also mental well-being and relationships.
Here are some healthy living tips that our family practices at home:
1. Take the opportunity to bond with each other
Aside from physical health, you should also strengthen the health of your relationship with your loved ones. One thing that we learned to appreciate during the lockdown is the abundant family bonding time that it accorded us.
Yes, the lockdown is not a prison sentence. Beyond the chaos brought about the pandemic, our family chose to see the positive in it. Just recently, I wrote that the lockdown actually gave Khris and I unlimited time to bond with our two kids. We would also encourage you to do the same.
If you have small children, play with them and engage in fun yet educational activities with them. Simple activities like morning and afternoon walks in your front yard, and reading stories mean a lot to small children.
If you have teenage children, talk to them about their dreams and goals and encourage them to pursue their passion.
For couples, talk to each other often. Maybe this is the perfect moment to resolve a long-standing issue or just to bond with each other in lieu of dates.
If you are living with your parents, reach out to them. Make up for lost opportunities to talk to them because you were so busy with work or with your friends.
2. Learn a new skill
Oftentimes, we hear a lot of happy stories about startup businesses that popped up during the quarantine. Some of these businesses were born out of necessity while others were new skills that people unexpectedly discovered during the quarantine.
Whatever their reason was, learning a new skill was a way to cope with or survive the feeling of uncertainty in the days of the lockdown. In the end, it was a way for people to maintain mental health which is also a necessity in helping us pull us through the challenges of the pandemic.
For our family, we have been really preoccupied with making ice cream during the lockdown. We have tried cheese, chocolate, and avocado flavors. It's really just a simple method using simple ingredients but we did enjoy the process of making ice cream as well as eating the finished product, of course.
For our family, we have been really preoccupied with making ice cream during the lockdown. We have tried cheese, chocolate, and avocado flavors. It's really just a simple method using simple ingredients but we did enjoy the process of making ice cream as well as eating the finished product, of course.
3. Do a lot of physical activities even while at home
One of the good health habits that we often forget when at home is doing physical activities. It’s understandable because the quarantine has indeed disrupted our lives and that includes the littlest facets of our daily routines such as walking to work and climbing a few flights of stairs.
Nevertheless, it’s still a good idea to do a lot of physical activities while at home. Simple household chores such as cleaning the house and gardening can be a good start. Light cardio exercises like jumping rope can also be part of your daily routine at home.
If you are a gym rat who misses intensive physical activities, you can start with watching workout videos on YouTube or download an app to satisfy your need for sweat. If you must have an equipment, you may always order a few gears from popular online shops (CHECK HERE).
In the end, try your best to do some cardio-vascular exercise in order to maintain muscle health (and that includes your heart!).
4. Prepare your meals yourself
With all the yummy food trends sprouting left and right during the quarantine coupled with the efficiency of delivery services, it’s easy to give in, open that delivery app, and place an order. That is perfectly fine, after all, food is one of the best ways to cope with stress, much as we hate to admit it.
However, let’s also not forget to eat healthy at home and the best way to ensure it is to prepare meals ourselves. That way, we would know what goes in our food. Also, being hands-on in food preparation gives us the flexibility to adjust the flavors based on what suits our taste.
Additionally, food preparation, as well as cooking, is a good way to relax and de-stress. Try it to find out for yourself.
5. Involve your child in house chores or activities
While playtime is important for children, it’s also of equal value to involve them in household chores or activities. You can let your children take care of preparing the table before meals or washing plates and utensils after eating.
Aside from teaching them practical skills, it helps build their confidence because they know you trust them to do things. It also helps them be self-reliant and resilient, especially if there are days that you are unable to be immediately there for them, say, when you have to render overtime at the office.
Aside from teaching them practical skills, it helps build their confidence because they know you trust them to do things. It also helps them be self-reliant and resilient, especially if there are days that you are unable to be immediately there for them, say, when you have to render overtime at the office.
6. Fathers should involve themselves more
I really wanted to include this in this line-up because I am an advocate of involved fatherhood. While many modern fathers are very much hands-on when it comes to raising their children, I can never overemphasize the importance of fathers being close to their children.
According to the Institute for Research on Poverty, fathers who are involved are able to bring up children with good academic achievement, better emotional security and higher self-esteem, fewer behavioral problems, and socially-competent, among many other benefits.
7. Minimize the use of gadgets
While gadgets are a necessity these days especially with work from home arrangements and online learning, it’s good to take a breather from these electronic devices and take the time out to genuinely interact with our loved ones. A happy home is a healthy home and that can only be achieved if you are close to your loved ones.
8. Take vitamin supplements
We also regularly take vitamin supplements. If you do not want to take multi-vitamins, at least take ascorbic acid or Vitamin C. Supplements are important in maintaining overall health as well as strengthening the immune system. So, yes, they protect us from diseases or at least help us easily recover when we do get sick.
We have seen and felt the benefits of taking vitamins. Our children, who also take vitamin syrups daily, also seldom get sick and if they do, they also recover easily.
Epilogue
It is important to keep ourselves healthy during the quarantine. While most informational materials and bulletins about the COVID-19 pandemic pertain to physical health, it is also equally vital to keep our mental health intact and our relationship with our loved ones strong.
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In this heath crisis, I think mental health is equally important for us to survive. There are ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteThese are excellent tips. I made sure to keep myself active and eating healthily during the pandemic. I didn't want to allow myself to become unhealthy and lose all my progress.
ReplyDeleteI think making your own meals is a great way to stay healthy. When we make our own meals, we are more likely to eat healthy food.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had seen this prior to the quarantine. I wound up buying tons of snacks. Bad move.
ReplyDeleteThese are fantastic practical ideas to keep your family healthy during quarantine. I love the emphasis on preparing your meals at home!
ReplyDeleteMeal prep at home, working together as a family, and taking care of your overall health is something that will benefit every member of the family.
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ReplyDeleteReading about quarantine now gives me chills, but I see that the article is from last year "^^ However, I always find these tips useful regardless!
quarantine life brings family closer together, it's a good opportunity to do these activities and kids would definitely enjoy
ReplyDeleteThis is really great tips.. But unfortunately, we weren't into the "keeping" healthy stuff. Ended up actually buying canned goods and junk foods. hahaha
ReplyDeleteThis is great information, especially with the cases going back up! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLovely ideas, i think we should spend more quality time with our family during these day
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I were both going for daily walks and even trying out yoga during the first lockdown, then we went back to work where we've been since. There's very little time for exercise now, but it helped at the time.
ReplyDeleteI know that different people react differently this is why I always call my friends or relatives from time to time because I want to make sure that they have me no matter what. The whole situation is stressful especially if you are away from home. I check them on regular bases so that they will not feel sad.
ReplyDeletePutting the gadgets down resonates most with me. It's easy for everyone to get lost in their electronic world.
ReplyDeleteI think the pandemic really brought family closer. Take the opportunity to bond with each other and do fun activities. That will enhance your bond.
ReplyDeleteI know that many people gained weight during the pandemic. Obviously, you can work out at home, but it's simply not the same. Also, we all needed comfort food ;-)
ReplyDeleteLots of fantastic ideas! These are tough times for so many and tips to help people through quarantine are so, so needed. I found focusing on self-care, making sure I stayed active and preparing healthy meals helped so much. As well as finding ways for my husband and I to bond and have fun (we played through some Lego Video Games together, made puzzles and so on.) I hope you're doing well!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more on the list. Since pandemic started I was able to start cooking for myself and I am enjoying it since we are working from home.
ReplyDeleteThese are all the great tips to keep the family healthy during pandemic time. Improving personal health is really important to fight the virus and stay strong. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips! So cool that you and your family learned to make ice cream! xx
ReplyDeleteShannon | Hotel Wise
Great tips! And I think most important is to limit the time on screens... I see it from my example also... When you are mostly at home, sometimes you just drown in soc. media.
ReplyDeleteYup, we did. Thank you so much! :)
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