As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the “Stay at Home” order is still in place, it is important for people to remain healthy and active.
Now more than ever is it necessary to pay attention to your overall health and wellness, as we continue to be sheltering in place.
Staying at home for long periods of time can have a major effect on people’s well being, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Staying active and using relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga, will help with remaining calm and continuing to protect health.
Department Head of Kinesiology Professor Casey Crook explained the significance of staying physically active during this time.
“Exercise helps you stay fit. The better shape you are in, the more resistant you are to infection and the better you fight infection. It keeps your immune system working better. It relieves depression as well,” Crook said.
Due to the virus, many gyms, parks, and other places to normally be active are closed, leaving only people’s place of living as a fitness center.
For those who regularly worked out before, it might just be a little adjustment to make. Although, for those who are not as physically active, it may be a struggle to figure out how to begin.
Crook mentioned that according to the American Medical Association and the American Heart Association, five to seven hours a week of cardiorespiratory exercise, or 45 minutes to an hour a day if you are used to working out is recommended.
It is also safe to start on the slower side, by working out two or three days a week for about 20 to 30 minutes, then slowly increase the time.
“Right now, if you haven’t been exercising, anything is better than nothing. If you’re in an area where you can go on walks, start with walks or bike rides. Or just going into your garage or clearing a room and doing bodyweight exercises like pushups and body squats will get your heart rate up,” Crook said.
Stretching is also a super beneficial and an essential step when it comes to a fitness routine, and Professor Crook recommends stretching in order to keep muscles long and loose.
“Stretching at least a few times a week is a good idea. Even if the only exercise you do for a given day is [stretching] . . . we talked about starting slow. If you can just get into some kind of stretch routine every day or every other day and then add some kind of strength exercise after that, is a good place to start,” Crook said.
While being active, it is also necessary to be mindful of the food being consumed, as that also has an effect on overall health.
The CDC recommends emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, and fat-free or milk alternative products. Also, make sure to drink the daily amount of water that suits your body mass.
Other food ideas to help keep your body and mind healthy are proteins like lean meats, fish, eggs, and nuts.
As the future of this ongoing virus is unforeseen and the emphasis on physical education is of top importance, Long Beach City College is introducing two new classes this summer, where a student can Zoom in with an instructor who leads yoga and stretching exercises for relaxation.
“This is all new to us, so we are looking to expand these offerings and I think part of the draw for that is when 30 to 40 people Zoom in and are all doing the same thing, that not only are you getting instruction from an expert in our department, but there is also going to be some social interaction going on. So we are really looking to figure out how to keep offering not only the fitness components of our classes but also the social interaction,” Crook said.
Many people have all the time in the world right now, so there is no better time than now to start getting up and getting active for the improvement of physical, mental, and emotional health.