Surviving Life in Lockdown

Surviving Life in Lockdown

 We are now in week 5 of lockdown if you are living in London. It really is a new way of life for most of us. What will truly separate the strong from the week is our ability to adapt to our current situation.

It is so normal to have crappy days, we will all go through days – probably until this is over where we just don’t feel like doing anything. But to be honest, even if we were not in isolation, there are still going to be days that are just bad. If you were not in isolation and were having a bad day, you would still get up and get on with it – so don’t let isolation sway you to do anything different. It is important to think of it as ‘the new normal’, even though it may be temporary, realistically we will be here for a while longer, so approach it with a permanent mindset. Here are a few tips I want to share to help you navigate your way through isolation life

-       Have a morning routine. It can be so easy to just roll straight out of bed to your computer or phone and start working sporadically. But set yourself a proper time schedule for the morning. For example – wake up at 6am, go for a walk, clear your mind and wake your body up for the day. Come back, and make yourself a morning coffee for 7am and carve out 30 minutes to really enjoy this time. Read a book, journal, listen to a podcast. Follow this with a quick 30 minute workout (I am teaching daily online classes with @flexchelsea and @oneldnclub #shamelessplug, check out my personal training page here for more info). This gets your endorphins going and really sets you up for a productive day. Then get showered, freshen yourself up and actually get ready for the day, feeling and looking good makes you so much more productive, and adds some structure to your “work you” and “chill you”. Allow yourself time to sit down and enjoy a nice breakfast, then by 8.30 – 9.00am, sit down to work.

-       My next point is to plan out your whole day, create a time schedule and stick to it. Carve out a lunch hour, little breaks, and have an end time, like you would if you were working in an office, there must be a break between work and home, or you may feel like you can’t escape. Creating this time limit will also encourage you to get things done before the end of the day and will actually increase productivity.

-       MOVE. We are sitting so much more frequently now being at home and our movement is decreasing significantly. So engage in physical activity where you can. Again, set aside certain times for this. We @oneldnclub are providing great workouts at all times of the day. For example you could get your morning cardio fix in, or lunchtime cardio, coupled with a strength class in the afternoon. Most of the classes are 30-45 minutes so there are no excuses. If this isn’t your thing, you can go running or walking, or have a dance around your living room. Just get up and get moving, this is so important for your mental health as well.

-       Plan your meals. This is super important for those of us who feel like we want a snack 24/7. If you plan your meals ahead of time and stick to a structured eating schedule, you will be less likely to mindlessly snack.

-       And lastly, engage in a new skill. Many of us are having to adapt our businesses and think of new creative ways to stay successful during this time. So learn something new and adapt with the change.

You will have days where you feel great, and super productive, and days where you won’t. It is just about managing and adapting to these new feelings. We are all in the same boat, we are all in this together. And remember whilst this may be a long time, it is only temporary – and we want to come out being better, stronger and evolved, we don’t want to look back on this moment in history and be disappointed in ourselves and how we handled it. Be strong!