How To Make Time For Exercise Every Day For Better Immunity

Good times give you memories, and tough times give you lessons! A big lesson that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taught us is the importance of having a strong immune system. But in these busy, chaotic environments are we doing enough to gain that immunity?

Surely, all of us find it extremely difficult to manage multiple things at once. For example, some of us may be working from home (WFH) with hectic work hours, some may be working parents with young kids, some of us may have old parents and some may be living alone with the responsibility to take care of an entire house. We fail to segregate our professional work, the work we do at home and parenting. No matter what the situation is, it can get quite stressful and take a toll on our immunity.

We do not realise that we are not getting enough of our "me time". It may include taking sometime out for your mental health, indulging in physical activities or even eating the right food. All these aspects are very important for maintaining a strong and healthy immune system, specifically in these fearful times of the pandemic.

Let us look at some interesting strategies that you can adopt for your workout at home amidst this chaos of work from home (WFH), work at home (WAH), and parenting:

Planning and scheduling are the key!

Plan your work for each day. Ensure that you divide your house work according to your convenience. You can probably have it noted in your phone, laptop or even write it down in a book or stick notes anywhere in your house.

If you are working from home and you are alone, have your house chores planned either before your work starts, after your work hours or when you take breaks. Make sure you take at least 2-3 breaks of 15-20 min each, so you can involve in your house chores as a physical activity.

These may include: mopping the floor, washing the dishes, gardening, doing your laundry, etc. These activities engage different parts of your body and can be a good work from home workouts for you, without even realizing!

Organize and delegate!

If you are working parents with young kids or babies it is important to divide your work. If you have a baby, you can inform your workplace in case of any emergency leaves or changes you may need to make in your work schedule. Have your baby in a baby carrier right next to you, so that you can keep an eye on. Make proper use of the sleeping time of your babies. Any important work that needs more focus can be done during this time.

Your spouse and you can decide on alternate days to wake up earlier than usual and complete some of your work so that you can get some relaxation time during the day. If you have older children, you can divide the responsibilities to take care of the younger kids and help in some household chores.

Don't miss the 'me-time'

Spending enough time for self-care is as important as completing your work on time. If you have many tasks to be completed each day, be it your professional work or your house chores, it is important to identify which of them is your first priority and work accordingly.

Irrespective of how much work you have, allocate a certain amount of your time to stay active and strictly follow it. For example, household chores can be a form of home exercise, you may take short but effective breaks between your work.

You may simply take a walk in your garden/house terrace, meditate, read some motivating articles, do some yoga exercises, walk your dog, etc. These work-from-home exercise   can play an important role in your mental and physical health.

Additionally, it is important that you devote some time to yourself, if possible, on weekends, to relax, or pursue or hobbies, or do anything that helps you connect with yourself. It can help you rejuvenate and keep you ready for the busy weekdays.

Plan your meals in advance

Create right eating plans ahead of your working week. You may decide your menu for the coming week during your weekend. This helps you overcome the problem of deciding what to eat exactly when you're exhausted and ready to eat.

It is important to ensure that you are including essential vitamins and minerals in your food in any form you like. Planning in advance helps you get a clear idea of how much and what you are eating each day. According to your plans you may divide cooking of your meals among your family members to prevent burden on a single person.

The best practice is to avoid eating while you're working and designate a good amount of time for having your meals. You may choose foods which boost your immunity, increase your energy levels and stay away from processed and packed foods.

These are some strategies which may help you overcome your burden of multi-tasking and relieve your stress. Try these out and remember you are doing great! We all are facing similar situations and we will overcome this soon!